Logo

Log In Sign Up |  An official publication of: American College of Emergency Physicians
Navigation
  • Home
  • Multimedia
    • Podcasts
    • Videos
  • Clinical
    • Airway Managment
    • Case Reports
    • Critical Care
    • Guidelines
    • Imaging & Ultrasound
    • Pain & Palliative Care
    • Pediatrics
    • Resuscitation
    • Trauma & Injury
  • Resource Centers
    • mTBI Resource Center
  • Career
    • Practice Management
      • Benchmarking
      • Reimbursement & Coding
      • Care Team
      • Legal
      • Operations
      • Quality & Safety
    • Awards
    • Certification
    • Compensation
    • Early Career
    • Education
    • Leadership
    • Profiles
    • Retirement
    • Work-Life Balance
  • Columns
    • ACEP4U
    • Airway
    • Benchmarking
    • Brief19
    • By the Numbers
    • Coding Wizard
    • EM Cases
    • End of the Rainbow
    • Equity Equation
    • FACEPs in the Crowd
    • Forensic Facts
    • From the College
    • Images in EM
    • Kids Korner
    • Medicolegal Mind
    • Opinion
      • Break Room
      • New Spin
      • Pro-Con
    • Pearls From EM Literature
    • Policy Rx
    • Practice Changers
    • Problem Solvers
    • Residency Spotlight
    • Resident Voice
    • Skeptics’ Guide to Emergency Medicine
    • Sound Advice
    • Special OPs
    • Toxicology Q&A
    • WorldTravelERs
  • Resources
    • ACEP.org
    • ACEP Knowledge Quiz
    • Issue Archives
    • CME Now
    • Annual Scientific Assembly
      • ACEP14
      • ACEP15
      • ACEP16
      • ACEP17
      • ACEP18
      • ACEP19
    • Annals of Emergency Medicine
    • JACEP Open
    • Emergency Medicine Foundation
  • About
    • Our Mission
    • Medical Editor in Chief
    • Editorial Advisory Board
    • Awards
    • Authors
    • Article Submission
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Subscribe
    • Privacy Policy
    • Copyright Information

For Auld Lang Syne

By David F. Baehren, M.D. | on December 1, 2010 | 0 Comment
Opinion
  • Tweet
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
Print-Friendly Version

This time of year I find myself thinking of people and times gone by. Memories come in a warm flood when I hear the tune Auld Lang Syne. I prefer James Taylor’s rendition.

You Might Also Like
  • A Gift From My Brother
  • Dream Breathers
  • ER Jingle Bells
Explore This Issue
ACEP News: Vol 29 – No 12 – December 2010

This ancient tune has been sung at the first breath of the New Year for more than 2 centuries. We sing a translated version. The original words came in a Scottish poem written by Robert Burns. The poem was then set to a well-known folk tune of that day. His words are clearly of an unfamiliar time and place, yet the meaning lives. Our human connections are as important today as they were in the late 18th century.

Burns asks if old friends and times gone by should be forgotten. He recalls younger days he spent with an old friend and laments that they have wandered many a weary foot since that time. Broad seas have roared between them, but in the end they shake hands and raise a cup for auld lang syne (times gone by).

I’ve lived in four very different places and worked in twice that many EDs. I treasure the experiences had and the friendships made. I carry these people and places everywhere I go. They are part of me.

So, here’s a modern version for times, friends, and colleagues gone by. Apologies to Mr. Burns.

Should old physicians be forgot,

And never brought to mind?

Should all good nurses be forgot,

And times gone by?

CHORUS: For times gone by, my dear,

For times gone by,

We’ll raise a glass and lift our hearts,

For times gone by.

In younger times we fought the fight,

And the fight it brought us nigh,

But tie many a stitch, we have,

Since times gone by.

We’ve parted ways for pastures green,

And many a tear we’d cry,

But fresh adventures filled our cup,

Since times gone by. (CHORUS)

One thousand nights we healed the sick,

Yet some did surely die,

The lives we’ve touched – like stars above,

Since times gone by. (CHORUS)

So give your hand my trusty friend,

And take this hand of mine,

We’ll quaff a stein and sing a tune,

For auld lang syne.

For auld lang syne, my dear,

For auld lang syne,

We’ll raise a glass and lift our hearts,

For auld lang syne.

For auld lang syne and the times ahead. Happy New Year.

Pages: 1 2 | Single Page

Topics: Allied Health ProfessionalsCommentaryEmergency MedicineEmergency PhysicianIn the Arena

Related

  • EM Runs in the Family

    February 26, 2025 - 0 Comment
  • 2019 ACEP Elections Preview: Meet the ACEP Council Officer Candidates

    September 24, 2019 - 0 Comment
  • 2019 ACEP Elections Preview: Meet the Board of Directors Candidates

    August 20, 2019 - 0 Comment

Current Issue

ACEP Now: July 2025

Download PDF

Read More

No Responses to “For Auld Lang Syne”

Leave a Reply Cancel Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


*
*

Wiley
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy
  • Terms of Use
  • Advertise
  • Cookie Preferences
Copyright © 2025 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved, including rights for text and data mining and training of artificial technologies or similar technologies. ISSN 2333-2603