At the end of one of my favorite movies, Harry Burns asks Sally Albright, “What does this song mean? My whole life, I don’t know what this song means.” Now, if you’re old enough, and you like a good comedy, you should know that the movie is When Harry Met Sally, and the song is Auld Lang Syne. And during New Year’s Eve festivities tomorrow night, you will probably hear, and maybe even sing, the song again and wonder the same thing Harry does.
We can trace Auld Lang Syne back to a Scottish poem written in the 18th century by Robert Burns, although some records show similar lyrics in pieces that predate Burns’ poem. The tune comes from a pentatonic* (see note below) Scots folk melody that was, most likely, originally used at a faster tempo. The phrase “Auld Lang Syne” means “old long past,” “old long since,”or, more loosely translated, “old times’ sake.” It’s similar to the phrase “once upon a time” often found in English literature.
People in English speaking countries around the world sing Auld Lang Syne at midnight on New Year’s Eve to mark the significance of the passing year. But the song is also heard at funerals, graduations, or to commemorate the closing of other momentous occasions.
The Sporkle Blog (https://www.sporcle.com/blog/2016/12/auld-lang-syne-meaning/) provides a line by line translation of Burns’ poem which basically substitutes the phrase “for times gone by” for “auld lang syne”. Ultimately, the lyrics of the song pose a simple question: Is it acceptable to forget old times and old friends?
In When Harry Met Sally, Harry Burns, of course, cannot let it go with one simple question. He rambles about forgetting old acquaintances and difficulty of remembering them once you’ve forgotten them until Sally quiets him with, “Maybe it means we should remember that we forgot them.”
I tend to get sentimental and sappy this time of year as I recount my blessings, miss old friends, and recognize how quickly time passes, as the lyrics of Auld Lang Syne encourage me to do. But fortunately my kids won’t let me wallow too long. They’re already planning New Year’s Eve festivities, and I’m glad I have them to balance my introspection, because although I believe it’s important to remember “old long past”, it’s just as critical to appreciate the people and events of the present.
Have a safe and Happy New Year! How will you mark the passing of 2011? Share in the comments below!
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| Pentatonix performs on The Sing Off |
*Word Nerd Note: “Pentatonic” refers to a musical scale with five notes per octave. Most major and minor scales have seven notes (heptatonic). The word pentatonic struck me because I’m also an a cappella nerd, and my favorite a cappella group, Pentatonix, won The Sing Off this season. Five members make up the band, so I guess that’s how they got their name, but I wonder if they knew about this musical term as well?
Thanks for the post idea- I’ll work on that! Thank you also for all of your help with blogging through your site, blogmamasusan. I look forward to learning more in 2012!
I loved Pentatonix TOO!! What a fun show The Sing Off is 🙂
I think you should post your JD3 recap – WITH pics.
Happy blogging in 2012!!