11

Happy Guy Fawkes Day

Posted by $ rockymountainpirate 9 years, 6 months ago to The Gulch: General
23 comments | Share | Best of... | Flag

I nearly forgot what day it is.

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!

All Comments

  • Posted by Snoogoo 9 years, 6 months ago in reply to this comment.
    I love the story of the Church of England.. it's fascinating:

    Henry VIII - From Catholic to Protestant to weird mixture of both - burn, behead, repeat
    Edward - Protestant, Died
    Jane Gray - Protestant, lost her head.
    Mary I - Catholic again! Burn the Prots. Sis Liz, you can be queen after I die but promise to be Catholic....
    Elizabeth I - Sorry sis, Protestant! I think I'll behead some Catholics.

    The whole Guy Fawkes thing starts to make a lot of sense when you see it from that point of view.
    Reply | Permalink  
  • Posted by Herb7734 9 years, 6 months ago
    Perhaps someone should send this to The Man Who Would Be King. Based upon his arrogance on Wednesday, he probably won't get it.
    Reply | Permalink  
  • Posted by xthinker88 9 years, 6 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Yes. He wanted to do away with Protestant tyranny and replace it with Catholic tyranny. Quite the freedom fighter.
    Reply | Permalink  
  • Posted by Temlakos 9 years, 6 months ago
    Yet for some reason, Guy Fawkes is now a symbol of popular rebellion, not the symbol for the kind of power play he tried to pull.
    Reply | Permalink  
  • Posted by khalling 9 years, 6 months ago in reply to this comment.
    I have asked british people that very question. The response I always get is a big grin and "yes"
    Reply | Permalink  
  • Posted by salta 9 years, 6 months ago in reply to this comment.
    ...or is it that the people could only get away with celebrating his attempt...
    by saying they are, ehem, celebrating that he failed :)
    Reply | Permalink  
  • Posted by Non_mooching_artist 9 years, 6 months ago
    Ahhh, V for Vendetta is one of my all time favorites. A quote of profound importance.

    "Because while the truncheon may be used in lieu of conversation, words will always retain their power. Words offer the means to meaning, and for those who will listen, the enunciation of truth. And the truth is, there is something terribly wrong with this country, isn't there? Cruelty and injustice, intolerance and oppression. And where once you had the freedom to object, to think and speak as you saw fit, you now have censors and systems of surveillance coercing your conformity and soliciting your submission. How did this happen? Who's to blame? Well certainly there are those more responsible than others, and they will be held accountable, but again truth be told, if you're looking for the guilty, you need only look into a mirror. I know why you did it. I know you were afraid. Who wouldn't be? War, terror, disease. There were a myriad of problems which conspired to corrupt your reason and rob you of your common sense."
    Alan Moore, V for Vendetta
    Reply | Permalink  
  • Posted by $ Susanne 9 years, 6 months ago
    How can you forget a guy who was fed up with government, tried to do something about it, and instead of whacking himself to smithereens got caught and let the government do it for him?

    What gets me - is how huge a celebration it is in the UK... was it because they caught him... or because he damn near got away with it?

    The world may never know.

    HGFD!
    Reply | Permalink  

  • Comment hidden. Undo