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Gordon Lightfoot — The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald
Album: Summertime Dream
Avg rating:
8.2

Your rating:
Total ratings: 2384









Released: 1976
Length: 6:20
Plays (last 30 days): 0
The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down
Of the big lake they call Gitche Gumee
The lake, it is said, never gives up her dead
When the skies of November turn gloomy
With a load of iron ore twenty-six thousand tons more
Than the Edmund Fitzgerald weighed empty
That good ship and true was a bone to be chewed
When the gales of November came early

The ship was the pride of the American side
Coming back from some mill in Wisconsin
As the big freighters go, it was bigger than most
With a crew and good captain well seasoned
Concluding some terms with a couple of steel firms
When they left fully loaded for Cleveland
Then later that night when the ship's bell rang
Could it be the north wind they'd been feelin'?

The wind in the wires made a tattle-tale sound
When the wave broke over the railing
And every man knew, as the captain did too
'Twas the witch of November come stealin'
The dawn came late and the breakfast had to wait
When the gales of November came slashin'
When afternoon came it was freezing rain
In the face of a hurricane west wind

When suppertime came, the old cook came on deck
Sayin' "Fellas, it's too rough to feed ya"
At seven PM a main hatchway caved in
He said, "Fellas, it's been good to know ya"
The captain wired in he had water comin' in
And the good ship and crew was in peril
And later that night when his lights went out of sight
Came the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald

Does anyone know where the love of God goes
When the waves turn the minutes to hours?
The searchers all say they'd have made Whitefish Bay
If they'd put fifteen more miles behind her
They might have split up or they might have capsized
They may have broke deep and took water
And all that remains is the faces and the names
Of the wives and the sons and the daughters

Lake Huron rolls, Superior sings
In the rooms of her ice-water mansion
Old Michigan steams like a young man's dreams
The islands and bays are for sportsmen
And farther below, Lake Ontario
Takes in what Lake Erie can send her
And the iron boats go as the mariners all know
With the gales of November remembered

In a musty old hall in Detroit they prayed
In the Maritime Sailors' Cathedral
The church bell chimed 'til it rang twenty-nine times
For each man on the Edmund Fitzgerald
The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down
Of the big lake they call Gitche Gumee
Superior, they said, never gives up her dead
When the gales of November come early
Comments (521)add comment
 lizardking wrote:
Bob Dylan, also a Lightfoot fan, called him one of his favorite songwriters and, in an often-quoted tribute, Dylan observed that when he heard a Lightfoot song he wished "it would last forever"

Well, I guess my 8's not high enough; if Bob likes it it's gotta be a 9 at least....so be it....9 it is....Long Live RP!!


48 years ago today. 
I first heard Lightfoot when I was in high school in the early 70s and his music has just been part of my life ever since. I've had the opportunity to perform with him as well a number of times over the years and he was a joy to work with. I live straight across the river from the Maritime Sailors Cathedral in Detroit and pass it often, always hearing a snippet of the song in my head when I do.
Canada’a greatest folk musician. Just ask Bob.
Alas, we lost our great treasure in May of this year. I took a pause from RP for the day and played as many of his albums as I could. Never got tired of his music.
Sadly, his wiki needs updating 
RIP Gordon x.
One of life's pleasures: Witnessing some of the special ones
I read they rang an additional bell for Gordon. https://www.freep.com/story/entertainment/music/brian-mccollum/2023/05/02/gordon-lightfoot-mariners-church-detroit-bells/70175392007/
RIP Gordo!!
Rest in peace, Gordon 
 Funkybro wrote:


Too bad he is Canadian!  Sort of blows the American jingoism out the window, don't you think?


North American?
Is that a Moog doing the keyboard vibrato, especially at the beginning?  There's a Moog keyboardist, Gene Martynec, credited on that album.
This song came front and center for me when stopping in to the Visitor Centre  in Lake Superior Provincial Park (in Ontario) last summer.  There's an informative display explaining the distinct weather systems that happen on Superior--and how the storm that took the EF happened. Tragic history, but so wonderfully remembered through Lightfoot's masterpiece.
Fantastic song. The Rheostatics cover is also excellent. The album version is on Melville and the live version is on Double Live.
More Rheostatics please!
This song deserves a reverent listen, and I realized that when I first heard it in high school.  Still raises goosebumps.  A horrible way to die.
Growing up in Ohio and knowing some Great Lakes sailor families  as a kid, this song sent shivers up my spine then and still does.
Cheesy? Perhaps. Overplayed? Maybe. Brilliant? Without a doubt.
 Grayson wrote:

"That good ship and true was a bone to be chewed
When the gales of November came early"

Lyrics like that don't come along every day. 




How about:

"Does anyone know where the love of God goes
When the waves turn the minutes to hours?"
"That good ship and true was a bone to be chewed
When the gales of November came early"

Lyrics like that don't come along every day. 


We're looking at a storm in a couple of days that is expected to bring 24-foot waves to Lake Superior. The Soo Locks remain open until Dec. 31. That means much of the fleet is still out there even though it's Dec. 21.  Good luck, guys! Get to port ASAP.
Interesting to hear this on December 21, 2022, a couple of days before the Great Lakes are about to get smashed by an almost identical windstorm.
Forty-seven years ago today. 

(If you are not following @LakeSuperior on Twitter, you really should be.)
I remember when this came out - real high rotation on the local FM stations. Had already gave up on AM by that time......
On a recent cross-country trip we randomly ended up in Briquettes Smokehouse in Ashtabula OH. While enjoying the wonderful smokehouse food, I noticed a big wall of beer, checked it out & was immediately drawn to the Edmund Fitzgerald Porter (Great Lake Brewing Co.) - had to buy a 6, & did not regret it. Hope this isn't too much like a commercial to be allowed as a post. But yeah, that song has been part of my psyche forever!
 ciarataylor wrote:

Lake Superior:  couple of facts.  Largest lake by volume in the entire world. Rarely freezes over, only 3 years on record.  More hazardous than any ocean in winter.   55'-75' waves not uncommon.  
 



Not to be pedantic: by volume it's Lake Baikal, by surface area it's Superior.  Baikal is e'rso deep...
One of the prettiest voices of the 60's!
Gordo Gold!
Discoverin'...
Some ireland rhythm. And sea 
 Andy_B wrote:

Having spent 31 hours crossing the Gulfstream in my old 47' Alden ketch during a freak summer nor'easter with winds over 50kts and seas 15 to 20 feet, I can easily identify with this song.  Several times I thought we were gone but my old boat brought us home safely.  She was built to go around the world by her original owner (and did) and you better believe I was thankful of that considering the pounding we took.  

Sing on Gordon.  Every time I hear this I mourn the deaths of my fellow seafarers.  



Those who have been through such a voyage truly understand what it is "when the waves turn the minutes to hours."   
Always loved this song, made it a 10
Another Canadian great! 
It's always been a 10 to me. Still sends shivers down the spine.
 Captn_Pea wrote:

Hey, Great tune... From a Michigan Sailor... For those who are not familure with the lakes, and the storms that roll through, they can be everything but a vacation paradise. This song remindes me of every storm I've sailed through that has left me wonding... "what the hell am i doing out here".... Capt'n



Watching a storm front come across the lake toward your little spec of a canoe out of Isle Royale is an enlightening experience. 
A great song that has this lyric which it overcomes, but I always chuckle at

"As the big freighters go, it was bigger than most".

So the ship was big, eh, Gordon?
I am going to have to assume Bill & Rebecca know that 🍁 01-July🍁 is CANADA DAY, hence the scheduling of this brilliant story-telling song, following on the heels of a decent tune from fellow canuck Feist.
Flag: Canada on Twitter Twemoji 13.1
I have it cranked to 11, as it should be any time this classic hits the airwaves, or intertubes, as the case may be.

Big thanks.
LLRP.
I remember hearing this, at 14, when it was first released.  Every time it comes on, it hits deep.  The potency of this song hasn't abated a bit over all these years.  

And from now on I'll always pronounce it Dee-troy-it in honor of GL's genius.
This reminds me of  how Mark Knopfler writes some of his songs. Makes me wonder if he was a fan of Lightfoot.
 surfrider4life wrote:

Hard to craft a more solid song than this.

Iconic American songwriting !



Too bad he is Canadian!  Sort of blows the American jingoism out the window, don't you think?
Hard to craft a more solid song than this.

Iconic American songwriting !
Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum tells the story, plays the tune. Amazing experience. 
 BCarn wrote:
I never tire of this masterpiece.  GL is national treasure.
 
We treasure him in the U.S.A. too!
Lightfoot did an LP before this one called Summer Side of Life that is amazing. He is a talented man with an amazing voice.
 Grammarcop wrote:
Forty-two years ago today. And this afternoon at Mariners Church in Detroit, the church bell will chime 29 times. 
 
I grew up near Detroit and remember well when this happened. They showed the bell being chimed on the news and I tear up every time I hear this song. I love to sing along with it, but my singing goes to crap when I sing about "the wives, the sons, and the daughters".
shipwreckmuseum.com
this song paints quite a picture !!   love it
I never tire of this masterpiece.  GL is national treasure.
 ciarataylor wrote:
 
 
By volume the largest is Lake Baikal in South Eastern Siberia, and by a distance.  Superior has a surface area about equal to England but it is relatively shallow, probably what causes the extraordinary wave heights. 
 ciarataylor wrote:
Lake Superior:  couple of facts.  Largest lake by volume in the entire world. Rarely freezes over, only 3 years on record.  More hazardous than any ocean in winter.   55'-75' waves not uncommon.  
 
 
Not sure where you're getting your facts, but to say it's more hazardous than any ocean is quite a stretch but yes it's way underestimated. 55'-75' waves are uncommon most anyway but the North Sea in the winter. Do they happen on the lake, sure, but to call it common is a stretch.
Classic. An all-time favorite!
Bill,,, how about playing the cover of it by The Dandy Warhols?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8GZ33mda5A
Bob Dylan, also a Lightfoot fan, called him one of his favorite songwriters and, in an often-quoted tribute, Dylan observed that when he heard a Lightfoot song he wished "it would last forever"

Well, I guess my 8's not high enough; if Bob likes it it's gotta be a 9 at least....so be it....9 it is....Long Live RP!!
Over a lifetime of listening, this song has become a part of me.
Adore this song.  Love water.  Love big water.

This song makes me want to put on a Stan Rogers album.
Love U Mom
 Rockit9 wrote:

I prefer small lakes.....
 
Lake Ontario?  It's almost a "pond" compared to the big lake they call "Gitche Gumee".
 treatment_bound wrote:

You finally stopped at 15...do you go boating on Lake Superior?

 
Too Big....I prefer small lakes.....that slide guitar kills me!   15
Lake Superior:  couple of facts.  Largest lake by volume in the entire world. Rarely freezes over, only 3 years on record.  More hazardous than any ocean in winter.   55'-75' waves not uncommon.  
 
eerily wonderful!
Something so poignant about the old cook, coming on deck, saying "Fellas, it's been good to know ya."
Forty-two years ago today. And this afternoon at Mariners Church in Detroit, the church bell will chime 29 times. 
Hard to surf a big wave day on Lake Mich without having this song in the back of your mind. 
 Rockit9 wrote:
 RonF wrote:
If this is not a 10, then what could be?

15

 
You finally stopped at 15...do you go boating on Lake Superior?
 RonF wrote:
If this is not a 10, then what could be?

15
 RonF wrote:
If this is not a 10, then what could be?

 
14
 RonF wrote:
If this is not a 10, then what could be?

 
13
 RonF wrote:
If this is not a 10, then what could be?

 
12
 RonF wrote:
If this is not a 10, then what could be?

 
11
If this is not a 10, then what could be?
Having spent 31 hours crossing the Gulfstream in my old 47' Alden ketch during a freak summer nor'easter with winds over 50kts and seas 15 to 20 feet, I can easily identify with this song.  Several times I thought we were gone but my old boat brought us home safely.  She was built to go around the world by her original owner (and did) and you better believe I was thankful of that considering the pounding we took.  

Sing on Gordon.  Every time I hear this I mourn the deaths of my fellow seafarers.  
Once watched the Arthur Anderson passing through the Portage Canal in Houghton, MI while this song played over the radio. It was a powerful moment.
I was on a ferry on Lake Superior and the water was rough and people were sick.  One guy was whistling a familiar tune, but I couldn't put my finger on it.  Fifteen minutes later, it came to me.  He was whistling The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.

Does anyone know where the love of God goes when the waves turns the minutes to hours?

A nice seque for the next song would be the Enter the Haggis song Down With The Ship
yep, chills.
 melzabutch wrote:
Brilliant song

 Image result for the edmund fitzgerald

 
Great pic. thanks
The ship my dad worked on (S.S. Wilfred Sykes) was the last ship to have "The Fitz" on radar.
This is a painful mix tonight.  Death by fire and death by drowning.  Lived in Chicago when the Edmund Fitzgerald went down.  
 kcar wrote:

How 'bout that PSD button, gents. Does it not work in your northern climes?

 
Booo!
 bstevens1951 wrote:
As a 65 year old American, I totallly don't ever have to hear this again. I didn't like it the first time around.
 

DocStrangelove wrote:
A great song, but as a 54 year old Canadian I think I do not need to hear it again. Never again.

 

 
How 'bout that PSD button, gents. Does it not work in your northern climes?
brings chills
 
1975 I think.  Pretty sure no lives have been lost on the Great Lakes since then.  (Mariners, shippers, crew that is).

 
I have a bit of an idea after driving to WI during a witch of November event, even on land it wasnt something I ever want to repeat.

The Witch of November
Bill - why you gotta make my ugly cry at work? :,)
 westslope wrote:
Any seafaring peoples here?  Norwegian here.....

This song speaks.  One of Lightfoot's best. 

 
written in the style of sailing songs of old
As a 65 year old American, I totallly don't ever have to hear this again. I didn't like it the first time around.
 

DocStrangelove wrote:
A great song, but as a 54 year old Canadian I think I do not need to hear it again. Never again.

 


Brilliant song

 Image result for the edmund fitzgerald
During Cold Missouri Waters (song before last) I thought to myself that it is the Edmond Fitzgerald of the West... Two songs later... Get outta my head Bill!!! {#Cheesygrin}
   Ready dear I am schön.
starts with, so fair  with fromm  glide
Haven't heard in ages. Adored it as a child and it still sounds pretty damn good
Brilliant juxtaposition with Cry Cry Cry — Cold Missouri Waters! 😆
MINDREADER
Detroi-eht
 
 Hey_Porter wrote:
I was on a ferry on Lake Superior, traveling from Copper Harbor MI to Isle Royal National Park.  The weather was rough, the waves were high, the stomach was turning.  A passenger was whistling a familiar tune, but I could not quite make out what it was.  After five minutes, it hit me - he was whistling "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald"  Freaked me out.

 
My daughter might have been on the same ride. Some lady in the back of the boat blew chunks all over her.

My brother has video of that trip. I get sick just watching it on his phone. 

My dad was on the trip too. He was in the Navy as a young man and went through typhoons on Destroyers. He just sat there and smiled while watching people run for the side to hurl.
I was on a ferry on Lake Superior, traveling from Copper Harbor MI to Isle Royal National Park.  The weather was rough, the waves were high, the stomach was turning.  A passenger was whistling a familiar tune, but I could not quite make out what it was.  After five minutes, it hit me - he was whistling "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald"  Freaked me out.
 LowPhreak wrote:

Some of us have attention spans longer than a house fly's!  {#Doh}

Just  {#Chillpill}  with the gitchy-goominess of a great tune. ( < ;

 
Love the nod to Hiawatha. 
I was a teenager growing up in Michigan at the time of the wreck and when this song came out a year later. Both moments in time etched pretty deeply. Deep in no small way because of this well crafted ballad makes such an emotional connection.
i have seen Lake Superior during a just mild storm and the waves were breathtaking
Excellent segue — juxtaposed with "Cold Missouri Waters".  Both tragic and haunting.
Wow, cool to see this getting such a high rating on RP.  

I remember studying poetry in Grade 7 and my group had to do a presentation on ballads.  We chose this one and started singing it in front of our class as our presentation.  After the first verse my classmates stopped singing and I had to carry the rest of the tune myself.  It's such a LONG song.  It was mortifying, I'm still scarred today. 

And suddenly, I'm back in high school Chem class while one of the boys plays this on a kazoo...


40 years this week.

 
Bluecobra wrote:
A beautiful sad song, that does not get old with time

 


A beautiful sad song, that does not get old with time
Any seafaring peoples here?  Norwegian here.....

This song speaks.  One of Lightfoot's best. 
What a truly historically awesome sad song this is.  one of the great maritime tragedies that happened on the Great Lakes. Everything about it is great the music the lyrics
 stunix wrote:

I think you might be misunderstanding what we are all doing here.

 
Agree. What about shine on your crazy diamond ? Jewel. Gordon Lighgfoot is (or was) incredible 
 helgigermany wrote:
much to long!

 
I think you might be misunderstanding what we are all doing here.
More Gordon please! A legend.
I am from Michigan and this happened on Lake Superior in 1975. I was only 5 years old at the time, but when I learned of it, I realized what a terrible tragedy it was. That is why the song is so long..he has to tell the whole story. Great tribute song.

Too long? For what? To tell the story properly? {#Fight}

It is a perfect ballad 10++!


 helgigermany wrote:
much to long!

 
Some of us have attention spans longer than a house fly's!  {#Doh}

Just  {#Chillpill}  with the gitchy-goominess of a great tune. ( < ;

One of many wrecks on the Lakes.  Check out the SS Cedarville from 1965


 helgigermany wrote:
much to long!

 
I think you missed a word.  Did you mean "much to long for?"
much to long!
Even the punks and metalheads at my college radio station liked Gord. 
A classic... I always pause to listen when it comes on.  A solid 10+.
Perfect segue:

Cry Cry Cry - Cold Missouri Waters
Gordon Lightfoot - The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.

My hat is off to you, BillG.  {#Clap}
"Does anyone know where the love of God goes when the waves turn the minutes to hours?" - Perfect!

Well said !!
 


easmann wrote:
One of those rare songs in which each element, topic, lyrics, melody, arrangement, voice, performance, and production, are as close to perfect and perfectly matched as humans can get. Amazing.

 


 easmann wrote:
One of those rare songs in which each element, topic, lyrics, melody, arrangement, voice, performance, and production, are as close to perfect and perfectly matched as humans can get. Amazing.
 
Hear! Hear!
One of those rare songs in which each element, topic, lyrics, melody, arrangement, voice, performance, and production, are as close to perfect and perfectly matched as humans can get. Amazing.