At the stroke of midnight in cities around the world on Dec. 31, the bands begin to play or the revelers begin to sing a universally old song. "Auld Lang Syne" is an old Scottish folk song heard long ago by and made famous by the Scottish poet, Robert Burns. Burns was reported to claim that he collected the song by noting it down after hearing an old man’s singing. It was eventually published in 1796 and is now a prized literature piece in the National Library of Scotland.