"Auld Lang Syne"

How often have you sung this tune at the passing of the old year?  You may have taken  the time to research the Scottish brogue and find out what the words mean.  I found an article by Peggy Noonan with some good information on its origin.

The following are excerpts from the Noonan article entitled "Days of Auld Lang What?"


You know exactly when you'll hear it, and you probably won't hear it again for a year. The big clock will hit 11:59:50, the countdown will begin—10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4—and the sounds will rise: the party horns, fireworks and shouts of "Happy New Year!"

And then they'll play that song: "Should auld acquaintance be forgot and never brought to mind? Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and days of auld lang syne?"

It is a poem in Scots dialect, set to a Scots folk tune, and an unscientific survey says that a lot of us don't think much about the words, or even know them.


"Auld Lang Syne"—the phrase can be translated as "long, long ago," or "old long since," but I like "old times past"—is a song that asks a question, a tender little question that has to do with the nature of being alive, of being a person on a journey in the world. It not only asks, it gives an answer.


It was written, or written down, by Robert Burns, lyric poet and Bard of Scotland. In 1788 he sent a copy of the poem to the Scots Musical Museum, with the words: "The following song, an old song, of the olden times, has never been in print." Burns was interested in the culture of Scotland, and collected old folk tales and poems. He said he got this one "from an old man"—no one knows who—and wrote it down. Being a writer, Burns revised and compressed. He found the phrase auld lang syne "exceedingly expressive" and thought whoever first wrote the poem "heaven inspired." The song spread throughout Scotland, where it was sung to mark the end of the old year, and soon to the English-speaking world, where it's sung to mark the new.

The question it asks is clear: Should those we knew and loved be forgotten and never thought of? Should old times past be forgotten? No, says the song, they shouldn't be. We'll remember those times and those people, we'll toast them now and always, we'll keep them close. "We'll take a cup of kindness yet."


But "the interesting, more serious message in the song is that the past is important, we mustn't forget it, the old has something for us."

So does the present, as the last stanza makes clear. The song is not only about those who were in your life, but those who are in your life. "And there's a hand, my trusty friend, and give a hand of thine, We'll take a right good-will draught for auld lang syne."

Have a Happy and Prosperous New Year and don't forget "Auld Lang Syne".

The last day of 2010

My pearl snap buttons are still snapped and I think I've finally licked my bout with anorexia.  However, I've had a lot of sleeping sickness this year.  Thinking about how much longer we have to go before we are able to elect some more competent leadership tires me.  Incompetence seems to be epidemic.  Standing in line at the U. S. Post Office wondering which one of the three clerks will go on break before I get there wears me out.

I watched one of our local garbage collection units yesterday as he came through the neighborhood.  The wind was gusty, as it is much of the year, and it was the first collection since Christmas.  These new trucks are automated and have only a driver.  You remember the old ones with two guys hanging on at the rear picking up the cans and dumping them into the hopper.  When they dropped something, they could pick it up.  The new ones have an automated gripper on the side that traps the can and lifts it high above the truck dumping it into a port at the top.  When there is a sustained wind and lots of garbage, these units are less than successful in their task.  Our driver seemed to be oblivious to the trash he was scattering all over the neighborhood.  I tried to help in our cul-de-sac, but the wind was ahead of me most of the time.  Getting back to the post office, our mailman was standing at one of the multiple box stands they use to keep from having to deliver door to door and he was letting the advertising mail blow in the wind too.

It is getting harder and harder to find folks who take pride in their work.  For one thing, it is almost impossible to get rid of those who don't.  Fire someone and you'll have a bevy of  lawyers on your doorstep along with enough government bureaucrats to fill Jerry Jones new stadium.  If you happen to succeed in your efforts, the dolt you fired can stay on the government teat for two years.  More if the U. S. Senate has a say.

I'm trying to stay awake long enough to take part in the solution, but I'm unwilling to take anti-depressants for my symptoms, so I just take a nap.  I keep attempting to write resolutions but they all seem out of reach.  I have managed to clean out the refrigerator.  The only desert left is the coconut cake and maybe it will be gone by tonight.  We are invited to a New Year's Eve party tonight.  Most of the guests are our age and older.  The invitation read; "From 6:30 P.M. until...."  With our age bracket you could add, "until 9:30 P.M." and be safe.

If you find any T.V. shows fit to watch next year please send me an e-mail with your recommendations.  I don't know about you, but I don't intend to watch the Oprah Winfrey Network regardless of what she gives away.  Have a wonderful New Year's Eve.  Remember to eat some greens for money, black eyed peas for luck, and cornbread just because you like it.  We have a lot to do in the next two years.  I'll talk with you next year.

"Always be full of joy in the Lord; I say it again, rejoice!  Let everyone see that your unselfish and considerate in all you do.  Remember that the Lord is coming soon.  Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything; tell God your needs and don't forget to thank him for his answers.  If you do this you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will keep your thoughts and your hearts quiet and at rest as you trust in Christ Jesus."  Philippians 4: 4 -7

Twas the day before the day before Christmas.

For several days the wife, kids, and grandkids have been constructing a gingerbread village.  Last night they all gathered at the kitchen table while the boys watched some college hoops.  I really didn't pay much attention until I got up to get a glass of water and noticed my granddaughter had her head under the table cloth.  When she emerged, her cheeks looked like those of a chipmunk.

While she had a pretty good start on the gingerbread house, it was obvious that much of the construction material was ending up in her tummy.

It was hard not to laugh at this icing covered construction worker.  All the crew did a wonderful job on the village and now it adorns the dining room where Christmas dinner will be spread.