domingo, 14 de diciembre de 2014

Solsticio de invierno 4



Selecciona:




Curaduría completa 4 Sólo música 4

Esta curaduría se compone, básicamente, de cuatro secciones.

La cuarta sección nos dice que finalmente llega el año nuevo y, poco a poco, vuelve la “normalidad” en la vida cotidiana, y varias semanas después, se va la nieve, como esta colección de carols, wassails y canciones.

& mibrinco Another Christmas Song
-Ian Anderson (1947)-


Jethro Tull
The Jethro Tull Christmas Album (2003)

Tomado del disco The Jethro Tull Christmas Album lanzado por la banda Jethro Tull en 2003, “Another Christmas Song” vendría a ser un segundo acercamiento al tema iniciado con “A Christmas Song” que, incluida en la recopilación “Living in the Past”, precedía a este tema con una frase que se volvió clásica entre los seguidores de la banda: “hey! santa! pass us that bottle, will you?” (¡Hey! ¡Santa! Rólanos aquella botella ¿lo harías?) Hope everybody's ringing on their own bell, this fine morning.
Hope everyone's connected to that long distance phone.
Old man, he's a mountain.
Old man, he's an island.
Old man, he's a-waking says
"I'm going to call, call all my children home."

Hope everybody's dancing to their own drum this fine morning
the beat of distant Africa or a Polish factory town.
Old man, he's calling for his supper.
He's calling for his whisky.
Calling for his sons and daughters, yeah
Calling, calling all his children round.

Sharp ears are tuned in to the drones and chanters warming.
Mist blowing round some headland, somewhere in your memory.
Everyone is from somewhere
even if you've never been there.
So take a minute to remember the part of you
that might be the old man calling me.

How many wars you're fighting out there, this Winter's morning?
Maybe it's always time for another Christmas song.
Old man he's asleep now.
He's got appointments to keep now.
Dreaming of his sons and daughters, and proving
proving that the blood is strong.

& mibrinco Winter Song
--


Magna Carta
Seasons (1970)

Falling leaves turn to gold
Silver flowers on my window
Spirit of the fading year
gently slips away
He knows not where
He cannot say, oh no

Naked trees in the sky
Stars are shining clear and cold
The minstrel of the ages
sings of oh so long ago
An age old tune without a name
No one knows

In the white falling snow
The pilgrim travels on
His face towards the sun
Beyond the open road he travels on

Past the lamp shining windows
And faces by the fire
Before the midnight hour
For Christmas time
has come around again

Go to sleep, little child
You shouldn't be awake
Go to sleep little child
Time to let the night go by

Waiting for the sound of a magic sleigh
The chimneys not too tall they say
Or the roof too high for a reindeer to fly
No not too high for a reindeer to fly

& mibrinco Cantus Firmus To Counterpoint
-Eddie Baird, John Gladwin, Terry Wincott-


Amazing Blondel
England (1972)

Rejoice this harvestide, Alleluia.
Grateful for our countryside, Alleluia.
Mother earth yields her wheat, Alleluia.
Food For all the world to eat, Alleluia.

Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.
Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.

Rejoice this Christmas tide, Alleluia.
Barriers of the world divide, Alleluia.
Peace on earth, goodwill to men, Alleluia.
Gives us cause to sing again, Alleluia.

Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.
Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.

& mibrinco Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree
-Johnny Marks-


Amy Grant
Amy Grant Christmas: The Complete Collection (2008)

"Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" is a Christmas song written by Johnny Marks and recorded by Brenda Lee in 1958 onDecca 9-30776.

Despite her mature-sounding voice, Lee recorded this song when she was only 13 years old. Despite the song's title, its instrumentation also fits the country music genre, which Brenda Lee more fully embraced as her career evolved. The recording features Hank Garland's ringing guitar and Boots Randolph's swinging solo sax break. .
.
An instrumental version of the song appears as background music in the 1964 television special Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, which exclusively featured music written by Marks. It can be heard in the scene where Rudolph first arrives at the Reindeer Games and meets another reindeer named Fireball. The song was also used in the 1990 film Home Alone during a scene when Kevin McCallister pretends that there is a holiday party taking place in his house, and discourages the burglars from robbing it. .
.
Although Decca released the single in both 1958 and again in 1959, it did not sell well until Lee became a popular star in 1960. ThatChristmas holiday season, Lee's "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" peaked at No. 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 pop singles chart.[1] It continued to sell well during subsequent holiday seasons, peaking as high as No. 3 on Billboard's Christmas Singles chart in December 1965. .
.
For decades, Brenda Lee's recording was the only notable version of the song. Radio stations ranging from Top 40 to Adult Contemporary to Country Music to Oldies to even Adult Standards played this version. Lee's recording still receives a great deal of airplay, and has since turned into a perennial holiday favorite. .
.
As of December 25, 2011, Nielsen SoundScan estimated total sales of the digital track at 679,000 downloads, placing it fourth on the list of all-time best-selling Christmas/holiday digital singles in SoundScan history.
Rockin' around the Christmas tree
At the Christmas party hop
Mistletoe hung where you can see
Every couple tries to stop.

Rockin' around the Christmas tree,
Let the Christmas spirit ring
Later we'll have some pumpkin pie
And we'll do some caroling.

You will get a sentimental
Feeling when you hear
Voices singing let's be jolly,
Deck the halls with boughs of holly.

Rockin' around the Christmas tree,
Have a happy holiday
Everyone dancing merrily
In the new old-fashioned way.

& mibrinco Lord of the Dance - Simple Gifts
-Sydney Carter, Joseph Brackett-


Blackmore's Night
Winter Carols ()

Lord of the Dance es un himno cuya letra fue escrita en 1963 por el inglés Sydney Carter y utiliza la música de Simple Gifts. Se basa en la idea del carol tradicional inglés llamado ‘Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day’ que cuenta, con la voz de Jesús de Nazareth en primera persona, con la intención de narrar su vida como si fuera un baile.

Mucha gente pensaba que Simple Gifts era una tonada celta, sin embargo es una canción que fue escrita en 1848 por Joseph Brackett, a menudo clasificada como un himno anónimo de los quáqueros o una canción de trabajo. Simple Gifts trascendió su comuinidad de origen cuando Aaron Copland utilizó su melodía para el papel de Martha Graham en su balet ‘Appalachian Spring’ en 1944.
I danced in the morning when the world had begun
I danced in the moon and the stars and the sun
I came down from heaven and I danced on the earth
At Bethlehem I had my birth

Dance, dance, wherever you may be
I am the lord of the dance, said he
And I lead you all, wherever you may be
And I lead you all in the dance, said he

'Tis the gift to be simple,
'tis the gift to be free.
'Tis the gift to come down
where we ought to be.
And when we find ourselves
in the place just right,
'Twill be in the valley
of love and delight.

Dance, dance, wherever you may be
I am the lord of the dance, said he
And I lead you all, wherever you may be
And I lead you all in the dance, said he

When true simplicity is gained,
To bow and to bend
we shall not be ashamed.
To turn, turn
will be our delight,
'Till by turning, turning
we come round right.

Dance, dance, wherever you may be
I am the lord of the dance, said he
And I lead you all, wherever you may be
And I lead you all in the dance, said he

I danced in the morning when the world had begun
I danced in the moon and the stars and the sun
I came down from heaven and I danced on the earth
At Bethlehem I had my birth

Dance, dance, wherever you may be
I am the lord of the dance, said he
And I lead you all, wherever you may be
And I lead you all in the dance, said he

Dance, dance, wherever you may be
I am the lord of the dance, said he
And I lead you all, wherever you may be
And I lead you all in the dance, said he

& mibrinco Fairytale of New York
-Shane MacGowan, Jem Finer-


The Pogues
If I Should Fall From Grace With God ()

Fue escrita como un dueto donde el rol masculino lo llevaba Shane MacGowan, cantante del grupo irlandés de folk-punk The Pogues y el femenino Kirsty MacColl, cantante y compositora quien muriera en Cozumel al tirarse al agua a salvar a su hijo y ser embestida por el bote de Guillermo González Nova, que conducía en zona restringida a alta velocidad. Como tantas veces ocurre en México, su muerte no fue claramente resuelta en uno más de los actos bochornosos del gobierno de este país.

Varias encuestas hechas por la prensa, radio y televisión el el Reino Unido e Irlanda la colocan como la mejor canción navideña de todos los tiempos y su popularidad se mantiene intacta y es, dentro del género, la canción que más veces se ha transmitido al aire en el siglo XXI.

Fue incluida en el disco de The Pogues de 1988 (If I Should Fall from Grace with God). MacGowan insiste que la compusieron como resultado de la puya que le lanzó su entonces productor, Elvis Costello, diciéndoles que la banda era incapaz de escribir una canción navideña.
La canción narra el ensueño de un inmigrante irlandés que pasa sus vacaciones en una celda para borrachos en una cárcel de Nueva York, mientras un compañero de celda, también ebrio, canta una estrofa de la balada irlandesa "The Rare Old Mountain Dew". El narrador (MacGowan) comienza a imaginar el papel femenino, lo que sigue es un toma-y-daca entre la pareja donde surgen sus esperanzas juveniles aplastadas por el alcoholismo y la adicción a las drogas , mientras evocan y discuten en la víspera de Navidad.

El título de la canción fue tomado de la novela de J. P. Donleavy una vez que la pieza ya había sido grabada.
It was Christmas Eve babe
In the drunk tank
An old man said to me, won't see another one
And then he sang a song
The Rare Old Mountain Dew
I turned my face away
And dreamed about you

Got on a lucky one
Came in eighteen to one
I've got a feeling
This year's for me and you
So happy Christmas
I love you baby
I can see a better time
When all our dreams come true

They've got cars big as bars
They've got rivers of gold
But the wind goes right through you
It's no place for the old
When you first took my hand
On a cold Christmas Eve
You promised me
Broadway was waiting for me

You were handsome
You were pretty
Queen of New York City
When the band finished playing
They howled out for more
Sinatra was swinging,
All the drunks they were singing
We kissed on a corner
Then danced through the night

The boys of the NYPD choir
Were singing "Galway Bay"
And the bells were ringing out
For Christmas day

You're a bum
You're a punk
You're an old slut on junk
Lying there almost dead on a drip in that bed
You scumbag, you maggot
You cheap lousy faggot
Happy Christmas your arse
I pray God it's our last

The boys of the NYPD choir
Still singing "Galway Bay"
And the bells were ringing out
For Christmas day

I could have been someone
Well so could anyone
You took my dreams from me
When I first found you
I kept them with me babe
I put them with my own
Can't make it all alone
I've built my dreams around you

The boys of the NYPD choir
Still singing "Galway Bay"
And the bells are ringing out
For Christmas day

& mibrinco Happy Xmas (War Is Over)
-John Lennon (1940-1980)-


John Lennon
Shaved Fish ()

Es una canción fue grabada a finales de octubre de 1971 y publicada como disco sencillo. Si bien el tema se establece como una canción de protesta contra la Guerra de Vietnam, pronto se convirtió en un himno navideño, apareciendo en numerosos álbumes recopilatorios de canciones navideñas.

La letra se basa en una campaña de publicidad llevada a cabo a finales de 1969 por John Lennon y su mujer, Yoko Ono, quienes alquilaron vallas publicitarias y espacios en revistas para incluir el lema "War Is Over (If You Want It)", ("La guerra ha terminado (si tú quieres)”). Durante este tiempo, la opinión pública de los Estados Unidos se había manifestado de forma unánime en contra de la Guerra de Vietnam.
So this is Xmas
And what have you done
Another year over
And a new one just begun
And so this is Xmas
I hope you have fun
The near and the dear one
The old and the young

A very Merry Xmas
And a happy New Year
Let's hope it's a good one
Without any fear

And so this is Xmas
For weak and for strong
For rich and the poor ones
The world is so wrong
And so happy Xmas
For black and for white
For yellow and red ones
Let's stop all the fight

A very Merry Xmas
And a happy New Year
Let's hope it's a good one
Without any fear

And so this is Xmas
And what have we done
Another year over
A new one just begun
And so happy Xmas
We hope you have fun
The near and the dear one
The old and the young

A very Merry Xmas
And a happy New Year
Let's hope it's a good one
Without any fear
War is over, if you want it
War is over now

& mibrinco Portsmouth
-Traditional-


Mike Oldfield
Collaborations (Boxed) (1976)

In an attempt to repeat the success of his previous year's Christmas hit, "In Dulci Jubilo", Mike recorded another traditional folk melody dating from 1701 (first known publication) Es una melodía muy antigua que aparece en la 11ª edición de The English Dancing Master publicada por John Playford en 1651. Coincidentemente , el HMS Warrior , después de que la marca original del fósforo de Inglaterra Gloria fue nombrado , es ahora en exhibición en el puerto de Portsmouth ! Instrumental

& mibrinco Here We Come A-Wassailing
-Traditional-

Penistone, Barnsley.
Kate Rusby
Sweet Bells (2008)

Here We Come A-wassailing (or Here We Come A-caroling) is an English traditional Christmas carol and New Years song,[1] apparently composed c. 1850.[2] The old English wassail song refers to 'wassailing', or singing carols door to door wishing good health,[3] while the a- is an archaic intensifying prefix; compare A-Hunting We Will Go and lyrics toThe Twelve Days of Christmas (e.g., "Six geese a-laying").

According to Readers Digest; "the Christmas spirit often made the rich a little more generous than usual, and bands of beggars and orphans used to dance their way through the snowy streets of England, offering to sing good cheer and to tell good fortune if the householder would give them a drink from his wassail bowl or a penny or a pork pie or, let them stand for a few minutes beside the warmth of his hearth. The wassail bowl itself was a hearty combination of hot ale or beer, apples, spices and mead, just alcoholic enough to warm tingling toes and fingers of the singers".

As with most carols, there are several related versions of the words. One version is presented below, based on the text given in The New Oxford Book of Carols. The verses are sung in 6/8 time, while the chorus switches to 2/2. “Here We Come A-Wassailing” is an Old English Christmas carol from the mid-1800s. The word “wassail” is derived from the old Anglo-Saxon drinking toast “Waes-Hael” and the Norse “ves heil,” both meaning “good health.” In pagan times, it was part of a ritual to generate a good harvest. In the Middle Ages, peasants would visit the lord of the manor and express their good will, and the lord would reciprocate by offering food and drink. Eventually, this became a ceremony that involved strolling through the community to wish good health to your neighbors and to call for joyous Christmas celebration.
Here we come a-wassailing
Among the leaves so green,
Here we come a-wandering
So fairly to be seen.
Here we come a-wandering
So fairly to be seen.

Love and joy come to you,
And to you our wassail too,
And God bless you and send you,
A Happy New Year,
God send you a Happy New Year.

We are not daily beggars,
That beg from door to door,
But we are neighbours children,
That you've seen before.
We are neighbors' children,
That you've seen before

Love and joy come to you,
And to you our wassail too,
And God bless you and send you,
A Happy New Year,
God send you a Happy New Year.

I have a little purse,
It's made of leather skin,
I need a silver sixpence,
To line it well within.
I need a silver sixpence,
To line it well within.

Love and joy come to you,
And to you our wassail too,
And God bless you and send you,
A Happy New Year,
God send you a Happy New Year.

God bless the master of this house,
And then the mistress too,
And all the little children,
that 'round the table grew.
All the little children,
that 'round this table grew.

Love and joy come to you,
And to you our wassail too,
And God bless you and send you,
A Happy New Year,
God send you a Happy New Year.

& mibrinco Little Johnny England
-Traditional-


The Albion Christmas Band
Winter Folk Compilation ()

Little Johnny England he went a-wandering,
he went a-wandering all day long.
He went a-wandering, tossing off his pennycakes
He went a–wandering all day long.

You are the butcher, you are the baker,
you are the candlestick maker.
You’re the little weaver, you are the draper,
I am the broker and we’re all the broker’s men.

I am the butcher, I am the baker,
I am the candlestick maker
I’m the little weaver, I am the draper,
You am the broker and we’re all the broker’s men.

& mibrinco Good King Wenceslas
-Traditional-


Blackmore's Night
Winter Carols ()

Es un carol popular sobre un rey que se la pasaba dando caridad a un pobre pastor en la festividad de Stephen (el 26 de diciembre). Durante la jornada su mozo está a punto de rendirse frente al clima frío, pero es habilitado a continuar por el calor milagroso emanado de las pisadas del rey en la nieve. La leyenda está basada en la vida del santo histórico Wenceslao I, Duque de Bohemia (907-935). “Good King Wenceslas” is a well-known Christmas carol, but few people are aware of its origins or what the song is about. The melody derives from a 13th century song of spring entitled “Tempus adest floridum” (“It is time for flowering”). Though this is an instrumental version, the lyrics were first published in 1853, and written by English hymn writer John Mason Neale and his editor Thomas Helmore. The song’s lyrics tell the story of Saint Wenceslas I, the Duke of Bohemia (a region now part of the Czech Republic), who travels through the wind and snow on December 26th to give alms to a poor peasant. During the journey, the king’s page struggles to continue in the cold, but miraculously he is warmed by the heat emanating from his king’s footsteps. The moral of the carol is summarized in the final line: “Ye who now will bless the poor, shall yourselves find blessing.” Good King Wenceslas looked out, on the Feast of Stephen,
When the snow lay round about, deep and crisp and even;
Brightly shone the moon that night, tho' the frost was cruel,
When a poor man came in sight, gath'ring winter fuel.

"Hither, page, and stand by me, if thou know'st it, telling,
Yonder peasant, who is he? Where and what his dwelling?"
"Sire, he lives a good league hence, underneath the mountain;
Right against the forest fence, by Saint Agnes' fountain."

"Bring me flesh, and bring me wine, bring me pine logs hither:
Thou and I will see him dine, when we bear them thither."
Page and monarch, forth they went, forth they went together;
Through the rude wind's wild lament and the bitter weather.

"Sire, the night is darker now, and the wind blow stronger;
Fails my heart, I know not how; I can go no longer."
"Mark my footsteps, my good page. Tread thou in them boldly
Thou shalt find the winter's rage freeze thy blood less coldly."

In his master's steps he trod, where the snow lay dinted;
Heat was in the very sod which the saint had printed.
Therefore, Christian men, be sure, wealth or rank possessing,
Ye who now will bless the poor, shall yourselves find blessing.

& mibrinco God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
-Traditional-


Loreena McKennitt
A Winter Garden ()

Es un carol tradicional. La melodía está en una clave menor y está en common time o cut time. De compositor anónimo, es a menudo atribuida a la canción tradicional inglesa.

Como la mayoría de las canciones navideñas tempranas, este carol fue escrito como una reacción directa a la música de la iglesia en el siglo XV. Escribe Ace Collins en “Stories Behind the Best-Loved Songs of Christmas” (“Historias detrás de las bienamadas canciones navideñas”): ‘Fue el más popular de los primeros villancicos, cantado por siglos antes de ser publicado en Britania en 1833, cuando apareció en “Christmas Carols Ancient and Modern” (“Villancicos navideños antiguos y modernos”) una colección de carols de época recolectados por William B. Sandys’. Su autor es anónimo. “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” is a traditional English Christmas carol that dates back to at least the mid-1700s. It is mentioned in the Charles Dickens novel A Christmas Carol, which was published in 1843. The opening line and title of the carol are intended to remind those who might have had a bit too much eggnog at the Christmas party of the true significance of the season.
God rest you merry, gentlemen,
Let nothing you dismay,
For Jesus Christ our saviour
Was born upon this day,
To save us all from Satan's power
When we were gone astray:
O tidings of comfort and joy,
comfort and joy,
O tidings of comfort and joy.

In Bethlehem, in Israel,
This blessed Babe was born,
And laid within a manger
Upon this blessed morn,
The which His Mother Mary
Did nothing take in scorn:
O tidings ...

From God our heavenly Father
A blessèd angel came,
And unto certain shepherds
Brought tidings of the same,
How that in Bethlehem was born
The Son of God by name:
O tidings ...

The shepherds at those tidings
Rejoicèd much in mind,
And left their flocks a-feeding
In tempest, storm and wind,
And went to Bethlehem straightway,
This blessèd Babe to find:
O tidings ...

But when to Bethlehem they came,
Whereat this Infant lay,
They found Him in a manger,
Where oxen feed on hay;
His mother Mary kneeling,
Unto the Lord did pray:
O tidings ...

Now to the Lord sing praises,
All you within this place,
And with true love and brotherhood
Each other now embrace;
This holy tide of Christmas
All others doth deface:
O tidings ...

& mibrinco Balthazar
-Maddy Prior & The Carnival Band-


Maddy Prior & The Carnival Band
Gold, Frankincense & Myrrh ()

Baltasar es el nombre comúnmente atribuido a uno de los tres reyes magos en el oeste, ya que no hay referencias en el evangelio de Mateo, fue uno de los nombres que fijó la iglesia de occidente en el siglo VIII. La palabra magi, derivada del griego “magos” es un título específico referente a la casta de obispos de Zoroastra, quienes ponían especial atención en las estrellas, lo que les dio una reputación internacional como astrólogos y eran altamente reconocidos como científicos.

Las prácticas religiosas de los magos y el uso de las ciencias astrológicas fueron derivando el nombre de mago hacia las ciencias ocultas y aparecieron el alquimista, el hechicero, el brujo y los magos herejes.

Cada iglesia le ha dado su nombre a partir del siglo VIII, Etiopía le llama Basanater, los armenios Badadilma, los sirios Hormisdas y así la mayoría de los pueblos. Los chinos cristianos incluso, creen que uno de los magos procedía de la China.
My tribe has bid me wander,
to seek and find my fate;
A trial to prove me worthy,
in the stars my future waits.

A journey open ended,
without a time or plan;
To find what I did not seek,
and then I could return.

Riddles to confuse me,
to show my trusting heart;
They send me on a journey
to find where I must start.

I will need their wisdom
to inherit in my day;
To learn to lead my people,
to find the perfect way.

Beyond the rivers of Cush I come
Tis Abay, Tis Abay
To the land of King Solomon
Konjo, Konjo,
Tis Abay

Oh Na Axum
Na Hyak Tana

The lover of the Queen of Sheba
Our mighty Queen Makeda

Oh Na Axum
Na Hyak Tana

She bore to him a little son
Who brought us the Ark of the Covenant

Oh Na Axum
Na Hyak Tana

The Ark is kept in a holy place
In the land of Axum we keep it safe

Oh na Axum,
Na Hyak Tana

& mibrinco The Snows They Melt the Soonest
-Roud 3154-


Horslips
Drive the Cold Winter Away (1976)

De acuerdo con John Stokoe en “Songs and Ballads of Northern England” (“Canciones y Baladas del Norte de Inglaterra”) (Newcastle on Tyne y Londres, 1893), esta melodía fue recopilada de un cantante callejero en Newcastle por Mr. Thomas Doubleday, e insertada como una contribución en la revista Blackwood en 1821, quien presumiblemente, fue el autor de la balada. The snows they melt the soonest when the winds begin to sing
And the corn it ripens fastest when the frost is settling in
And when a woman tells me that my face she'll soon forget
Before we part I'll wage a croun she's fain to follow it yet.

The snows they melt the soonest when the winds begin to sing
And the bee that flew when summer shone in winter cannot sting
And I've seen a woman's anger melt betwixt the night and morn
So it's surely not a harder thing to melt a woman's scorn.

The snows they melt the soonest when the winds begin to sing
And the swallow flies without a thought as long as it is spring
But when spring goes and winter blows, my love, then you'll be fain
For all your pride to follow me across the raging main.

So don't you bid me farewell here, no farewell I'll receive
For you will lie with me, my love, then kiss and take your leave
And I'll wait here till the moorcock calls and the marten takes the wing
For the snows they melt the soonest when the winds begin to sing

& mibrinco Drive the Cold Winter Away
-Traditional-


Horslips
Drive the Cold Winter Away (1976)

Después de un inusual cálido y lluvioso noviembre, el invierno finalmente desciende a un pequeño pueblo. Despertar esa mañana con temperaturas bajo cero y todo cubierto de nieve prvoca la solidaridad y la añoranza.

Esta tonada, también conocida como “All Hail to the Days” fue tomada de la publicación de John Playford "The English Dancing Master" en 1651. La tonada se sustenta en un jig acompañado de una danza.

La versión seleccionada sólo incluye la última línea de la letra.
… And drive the cold winter away

& mibrinco Auld Lang Syne
-Traditional-

Highgate, London.
Rod Stewart
Merry Christmas, Baby ()

“Auld Lang Syne” was written by Scottish poet Robert Burns in 1788 and set to the tune of a traditional folk song. The bittersweet melody is an essential part of New Year’s Eve celebrations. Its title translates from the Scots language as “old long since,” meaning “long long ago” or “days gone by.” The song was a regular feature of Hogmanay, the Scots word for the last day of the year, and spread to other parts of the British Isles and eventually the entire English-speaking world. Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
and never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
and days of auld lang syne!

For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne,
We'll tak a cup o' kindness yet,
For days of auld lang syne.

We twa hae run about the braes,
and pou'd the gowans fine;
But we've wander'd mony a weary fit
sin' days of auld lang syne.

We twa hae paidl'd in the burn,
frae morning sun till dine;
but seas between us braid hae roar'd
sin' days of auld lang syne.

And surely ye'll be your pint stowp!
and surely i'll be mine!
and we'll tak a cup o' kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.

And there's a hand, my trusty fere!
and gie's a hand o' thine!
and we'll tak' a right gude-willie waught,
for auld lang syne.