Which phrase opens the traditional rhyme about the fifth of November?

The traditional rhyme about the fifth of November opens with “Remember, remember.”

The familiar opening introduces the line “the fifth of November,” directing listeners to recall the Gunpowder Plot of 1605. The conspiracy aimed to destroy the House of Lords during the State Opening of Parliament, but Guy Fawkes was discovered guarding gunpowder beneath Westminster on 4 November.

The rhyme’s best-known continuation refers to “Gunpowder Treason and Plot” and asks why the event should not be forgotten. Its wording varies by region and period, so there is no single universally fixed full version. Some versions add lines about a “penny for the Guy,” reflecting the later custom of children displaying effigies of Fawkes.

The rhyme is therefore not the origin of Bonfire Night itself. Parliament established an annual day of thanksgiving soon after the plot failed, and later celebrations developed around bonfires, fireworks and effigy-burning. “Light the bonfire,” “God save James” and “London is burning” are related-sounding phrases, but they do not open the traditional rhyme.