Auld lang syne

Yes, we all sing it at New Year, but what on earth does it mean?  Well, first off, it wasn't, as is commonly thought, written by Rabbie Burns. although he is responsible for bringing it to public attention,  He was the first to admit that he copied it from much earlier sources.  My dad always told me that it meant "for old time's sake" but I don't think that's quite right - it actually translates from old Scots as "old long since", which I think actually means something more like "old times past".  The whole poem is telling us that, maybe particularly at this time of year, we should remember old friends, and good things which have happened to us.  January is named for the Roman God Janus who had two faces - one looking back and one looking forward, and auld lang syne reminds us that it's just as important to look backward and remember as it is to look forward.