This New Year, millions of people the world over rang in 2025 with countdowns, toasts, fireworks and a traditional song that has become the staple of the holiday. "Auld Lang Syne" is perhaps the quintessential piece of any New Year gathering, and the tune is recognizable as such throughout the English-speaking world. But why? Why does this old, dragging song with incoherent lyrics continue to be played and sung every January 1?