Tae ane an’ a’ baith great an’ sma’, a Happy, Guid New Year. Maisie --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ayrshire born and bred Robert Burns 1759-1796, penned “Auld Lang Syne” in 1788. Even in Scotland, the words are not always sung correctly at Hogmany. Aye swimming upstream, I really like the tune Robert Burns preferred, but go along with the one everyone else is more familiar with, so you have my permission to sing the familiar tune to Scotland’s famous bard’s timeless words! If you really must know the Anglicised meaning for some of the Scots words, go to Google. At the closing of a gathering (and if there was room), we’d form a circle, hands at sides, sing the verses and chorus, until we got to the last verse, “And here’s a hand my trusty fiere (friend), then gie’s a hand o’ thine,” we’d cross arms and hold the hand of the person on either side, swinging each other’s arms in tune. For the chorus the circle would move in an out as it was sung a few times, depending on how large the cirlce was. If a mixed group comprising those not native-born Scots, an “m.c” would stand in the middle of the circle directing the moves. REMEMBER: The word syne is pronounced as in sign and not with the ZEEE sound! Traditional Words Auld Lang Syne Should auld acquaintance be forgot, And never brought to min’ ? Should auld acquaintance be forgot, And auld lang syne? CHORUS: For auld lang syne, my dear. For auld lang syne, We'll tak a cup o' kindness yet, For 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. We twa hae run about the braes, And pu'd the gowans fine; But we've wander'd mony a weary foot Sin auld lang syne. We twa hae paidl'd i' the burn, >From morning sun till dine; But seas between us braid hae roar'd Sin auld lang syne. And there's a hand, my trusty fiere,! And gie's a hand o' thine ! And we'll tak a right gude-willy waught, For auld lang syne. At informal house gatherings at Hogmanay, mostly we’d sing A Guid New Year tae ane an’ a’, and only the first verse and chorus: Traditional P. Livingstone / Alexander Hume (A Hume: Edinburgh, 1811-Glasgow, 1859) A Guid New Year A guid new year to ane an' a' An' mony may ye see, An' during a' the years to come, O happy may ye be. An' may ye ne'er hae cause to mourn, To sigh or shed a tear; To ane an' a’ baith great an' sma' A hearty guid New year. Chorus: A guid New Year to ane an' a' An' mony may ye see, An' during a' the years to come, O happy may ye be. O time flies past, he winna wait, My friend for you or me, He works his wonders day by day, And onward still doth flee. O wha can tell when ilka ane, I see sae happy here, Will meet again and merry be Anither guid New year. Chorus We twa ha'e baith been happy lang. We ran about the braes. In yon wee cot beneath the tree, We spent our early days. We ran about the burnie's side, The spot will aye be dear, An' those that used to meet us there, We'll think on mony a year. Chorus Noo let us hope our years may be As guid as they ha'e been, And trust we ne'er again may see, The sorrows we ha'e seen. And let us wish that ane an' a' Our friends baith far an' near, May aye enjoy in times to come - A hearty guid New year! Chorus Glossary a': all ane: one aye: always baith: both guid: good ha'e: have mony: many ne'er: never noo: now twa: two wha: who winna: will not ilka: every burnie: small stream

Maisie, Robert Burns also wrote Comin’ Through The Rye and it is sung to its own particular preferred tune. If you take a note of its melody in your mind and compare Comin’ Through The Rye with the alternative variant of the tune to which Auld Lang Syne is sometimes sung, the Burns preferred one, in fact the melodic shape is practically the same, the difference lying in the tempo and rhythm. I realised this when playing them back to back on my Scottish Radio program. And a HAPPY NEW YEAR to everyone from sunny Queensland where it is now 8.30 am on New Year's Day or from my Scottish Dictionary also Ne’er Day n: 1. New Year’s Day 2. a New-Year’s Day present Neever-day n: New Year’s Day Neever-e’en n: New Year’s Eve News-day n: New Year’s Day. Next to come is Hansel Monday. In Scotland Hansel Monday, was the first Monday of the year, on which the New Year's “handsel” was given; a good-luck gift, a present or reward; or earnest-money. In 1822 it was written, “At the period of which we are writing, a custom generally prevailed, which appears now in danger of becoming obsolete --- “The Daft Days,” as they were appropriately termed, of "Yule" (Christmas), "New Year", and “Handsel Monday”, were set apart for the meeting of friends and intimate neighbours, to dine or sup (often both) together, when good cheer, home-brewed, and hearty welcome, promoted the conviviality and rustic mirth of the company. The "handsel" refers to small tips and gifts of money that it was customary to give at the beginning of the first working week of a new year. In this respect it is somewhat similar to Boxing Day. If the handsel was a physical object rather than money, tradition said that the object could not be sharp, or it would "cut" the relationship between the giver and the recipient. Sam Heron ` ` ----- Original Message ----- From: "Maisie Egger" <campsiehills@sbcglobal.net> To: <SCT-Wigtownshire@rootsweb.com> Sent: Tuesday, January 01, 2013 4:08 AM Subject: [WIG LIST] Fw: A Guid New Year > > > Tae ane an’ a’ baith great an’ sma’, a Happy, Guid New Year. Maisie > --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Ayrshire born and bred Robert Burns 1759-1796, penned “Auld Lang Syne” in > 1788. Even in Scotland, the words are not always sung correctly at > Hogmany. > > Aye swimming upstream, I really like the tune Robert Burns preferred, but > go along with the one everyone else is more familiar with, so you have my > permission to sing the familiar tune to Scotland’s famous bard’s timeless > words! If you really must know the Anglicised meaning for some of the > Scots words, go to Google. > > At the closing of a gathering (and if there was room), we’d form a circle, > hands at sides, sing the verses and chorus, until we got to the last > verse, “And here’s a hand my trusty fiere (friend), then gie’s a hand o’ > thine,” we’d cross arms and hold the hand of the person on either side, > swinging each other’s arms in tune. For the chorus the circle would move > in an out as it was sung a few times, depending on how large the cirlce > was. If a mixed group comprising those not native-born Scots, an “m.c” > would stand in the middle of the circle directing the moves. ----- No virus found in this message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 2013.0.2805 / Virus Database: 2637/5997 - Release Date: 12/30/12