Remember, remember! The fifth of November

“Remember, remember!
The fifth of November,…”

The poem hooked me to “V for Vendetta” when I watched it for the first time. I didn’t understand the movie then. I still have a hard time understanding it. Nevertheless, the poem stuck on my mind, and I remembered it all of a sudden when I saw November 5 on my phone this evening.

Looking for the poem, I also found the history behind it. On November 5, 1605, some people led by Robert Catesby had planned to destroy the UK House of Parliament. They were Catholics, and were revolting against the Protestant King James I. Guy Fawkes was found guarding 36 barrels of gunpowder, was immediately captured. Several of the plotters were caught and tried for treason. The execution was in one of the worst methods imaginable. Guy Fawkes and some of his friends were tied to a plank which was then drawn by a horse. They were then hanged almost to death, emasculated, disembowelled, beheaded, and dismembered.

The fifth of November later became a day of celebration in England. The thing that surprised the most is that the poem is still taught to little children despite the dark history.

Here is the complete poem:

The Fifth of November

    Remember, remember!
    The fifth of November,
    The Gunpowder treason and plot;
    I know of no reason
    Why the Gunpowder treason
    Should ever be forgot!
    Guy Fawkes and his companions
    Did the scheme contrive,
    To blow the King and Parliament
    All up alive.
    Threescore barrels, laid below,
    To prove old England’s overthrow.
    But, by God’s providence, him they catch,
    With a dark lantern, lighting a match!
    A stick and a stake
    For King James’s sake!
    If you won’t give me one,
    I’ll take two,
    The better for me,
    And the worse for you.
    A rope, a rope, to hang the Pope,
    A penn’orth of cheese to choke him,
    A pint of beer to wash it down,
    And a jolly good fire to burn him.
    Holloa, boys! holloa, boys! make the bells ring!
    Holloa, boys! holloa boys! God save the King!
    Hip, hip, hooor-r-r-ray!

For more information, visit:
1. https://potw.org/archive/potw405.html
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guy_Fawkes_Night