Should old acquaintances be forgot?
I get goosebumps singing Auld Lang Syne but I never knew what it meant.
If you feel the same way, you are not alone. Historians call this; “The song that no one knows.”
So in 2017 I was preparing to sing Auld Lang Syne at my Evanston NYE concert and I was going to find out what it really means and sing a more literal translation. This morning I delved deeper, and as it turns out, Auld Lang Syne for me, is a brilliant yogic treatise on how to begin the new year with a clear head and a big heart. But I had to twist myself into a bit of a pretzel to get there. LOL!
Think about the first line:
"Should old acquaintance be forgot and never brought to mind.”
Really? Are we saying we want to “forget” old acquaintances? Old friends? They should never even be brought to mind? I should not remember any of you fondly or otherwise? I love my acquaintances. Boo! :-(
Of course the first sentence is really meant to be rhetorical. On the contrary, old friends should not be forgotten. But for my deslexic head it is confusing and never feels quite right to me – so I dug in for some deeper implication.
If you look up the word “acquaintance,” you will see two meanings: Surprisingly the first meaning uses the word as an experience not as a friend.
1) “A person’s knowledge or experience of something.”
2) “A person you know but isn’t a close friend,”
So in my version remembering old friends is a no brainer, but forgetting old experiences is a challange. And I don’t mean the beautiful trip to the grand canyon but those memories that keep us awake at night, the displeasing agitations of the mind, or fears, grudes ... The thoughts our psychoanalyst is begging us to stop inviting into our homes.
You may have also wondered why the 2nd line reads;
“Should old acquaintance be forgot 'AND' the days of Auld Lang Syne.”
Why not “IN” the days of Auld Lang Syne? Apparently “and” clearly means “as well as.” The suggestion I get is that we not only forget displeasing agitations, but also “let go” of the past, for a clear and unfettered view of what is ahead.
In researching the song you will find many references to translations of the words; "auld lang syne” as; days gone by, let by-gones be by-gones. And for me the word “forgot” as in “Should old acquaintance be forgot,” has a deeper meaning; “forgive and forget.” Since to forgive is to forget and to forget is to forgive. And forgiveness is said to be the best tool for clearing the pallet and looking to the future free of the binds that tie.
But in looking to the future the song does not have us start completely from scratch.
“For Auld Lang Syne ‘MY DEAR’ for Auld Lang Syne, we will take a cup kindness yet”
As we leave behind the past, we sing to each other, and humanity, with love, as in “my dear.” And we drink a cup of kindness - a kindness smoothie - which nourishes our body and pervades our soul. Now in a state of kindness we are ready to look ahead, unburdened, to spread our full love and joy through the new year and the world.
Original Version:
Should old Acquaintance be forgot and never brought to mind, Should old Acquaintance be forgot and days of Auld Lang Syne, For old lang syne my dear For old lang syne, We’ll take a cup of kindness yet and days of old lang syne.
Still working on my version as a companion verse to the original version. But you get the idea.
Should old displeasures be forgot and never brought to mind, the past is gone the future here, wave goodbye to Auld Lang Syne, For auld lang syne my dear, no matter where we’re from, we offer only kindness now, spreading joy for days to come.
Corky & Holly
P,S, That’s the song’s message I believe. However. One step further into Zen and Now; The “Present” incorporates past and future. That’s some food for thought. LOL!