College Football Playoff performers teach you ‘Auld Lang Syne’

“Auld Lang Syne” is played in every cheesy television show and movie where there is a New Year’s Eve scene, but players from the College Football Playoff can teach you the words.

It’s as much a part of New Year’s Eve and some big thing dropping in Times Square. But there really aren’t many people out there who actually know the words to “Auld Lang Syne.”

For me, I’ve been an enthusiastic inventor of lyrics to the tune for years, but as it turns out, USA Today’s For the Win got some of the players in the College Football Playoff to teach you the lyrics in a fun—it sometimes out of tune—instructional video.

Give credit to Alabama senior wide receiver Daniel Geddes (No. 37 in the video). He tries to put some extra “oomph” into it, earning a glare from a passing teammate in the process.

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Given that Geddes is 5-foot-6 and 170 pounds, he might not want to annoy too many of his much-larger teammates, lest he spent his New Year’s Eve zipped into an equipment bag.

I have traditionally done great for the first five words. From there it gets a little fuzzy.

I know the song starts, “Should auld acquaintance be forgot,” and I have always assumed “auld” is some snobby European way of saying “old.”

The song was actually written as a poem by Scotland’s national bard, Robert Burns, in 1788 and is well known in many countries, particularly in the English-speaking world.

And the American-speaking one, too.

The title roughly translates to “long long ago.” Since that is boring as all heck, it’s best to add some air of European intrigue to the thing by using the Scottish lilt.

According to Scotland.org, the song is so common in Thailand and China that many there believe it is a traditional, native, folk song and is sung often as a song of togetherness and farewell (make up your mind, people), while in France it is sung to ease the pain of parting.

But when one looks at the words, there are all sorts of references to cups o’ kindness and a pint-stowp, but it doesn’t degenerate into a pure drinking song.

As far as this goes, “And we’ll tak a right guid willy waught,” that somehow translates to “And we’ll take a deep draught of good will” (more with the drinking, I see).

A “pint-stowp” is also known as a “pint jug.” But stowp is so much more fun to say because it elicits those wonderful, “What the heck did he just say?” looks from all around.

One more translation, just because the Scottish have this delightful way of speaking words that sound like English, yet leave us somewhat baffled—“We twa hae paidl’d the burn” means “We two have paddled in the stream.”

That was going to be my very next guess.

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