Robert Burns – The Ayrshire Bard –  wrote “Auld Lang Syne” in 1788, adapting an old Scottish folk song and adding his own words. The poem reflects on friendship, memories, and the passage of time. Burns’s version became widely popular and is now traditionally sung around the world, especially at New Year celebrations. Whilst Burns provided the famous words, the melody we sing today developed separately, matched to the words later in 1799 (after Burns’s death in 1796) through George Thomson, a Scottish music publisher, who helped arrange and popularise Scottish songs. It is the second most sung song in the world (after ‘Happy birthday to you’).