Here's the entire poem
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And auld lang syne!
For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne.
We'll tak a cup o' kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.
And surely ye'll be your pint stowp!
And surely I'll be mine!
And we'll tak a cup o'kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.
We twa hae run about the braes,
And pou'd the gowans fine;
But we've wander'd mony a weary fit,
Sin' auld lang syne.
We twa hae paidl'd in the burn,
Frae morning sun till dine;
But seas between us braid hae roar'd
Sin' auld lang syne.
And there's a hand, my trusty fere!
And gie's a hand o' thine!
And we'll tak a right gude-willie waught,
For auld lang syne.
This moment, once a year, is the only time I don't feel alone; because I know that, as they listen and sing this song, everybody else is feeling that same melancholy nostalgia which I feel all the time. Either Tolkien or Lewis, I don't remember which, called it "the inconsolable longing", but they both talked about it and it pervaded their writings. Maybe it's just unresolved emotion from early childhood loss, or maybe it really is, as they said, the sense that we are but wayfaring strangers here and pining for our true home.