Gordon Lightfoot - The wreck of the Endmond Fitzgerald

[sasquatch]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWgtsmb7XnY
The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down
of the big lake they called "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.
And 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
and a wave broke over the railing.
And ev'ry 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 freezin' rain
in the face of a hurricane west wind.

When suppertime came the old cook came on deck sayin'.
"Fellas, it's too rough t'feed ya."
At seven P.M. a main hatchway caved in; he said,
"Fellas, it's bin good t'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 'is lights went outta sight
came the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.

Does any one 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 'er.
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!"

:patriot:

[Strong Atheist]

1. I prefer "Sundown". More upbeat. nt.

[sasquatch]

2. Yeah, but they had a thing on the Edmund Fitzgerald last night on the Histroy Channel

and I've had this song stuck in my head all day since.

[mcctatas]

3. My son loves that song...

and every time he makes me play it I end up in tears

[sasquatch]

4. For anyone who grew up in the Great Lakes region had this story told to them as they grow up

It's a moral tale as well because she was 4,000 tons over her limit. What was your favorite crackpot theory about how it sank? Mine was that a UFO kidnapped the crew and the boat lost control and sank which is why they never recovered the bodies.
:crazy:

[mcctatas]

6. I am more of a traditionalist...

I hold to the snapped in half atop two huge waves theory. However, I do like the alien abduction, it's like there could be a sequel or something :P

[sasquatch]

7. I am as well and my theory is simular to yours as well

[no name no slogan]

13. That theory doesn't make any sense at all.

The alien abduction theory does make a ton of sense though. You know, pick up a giant ore carrier, take it into outer space, snap it in half, and then deposit both halves under 600 feet of water just off Whitefish Point.

The USCG must've been smoking crack when they came up with the snap in two theory. What a bunch of balderdash.

This is the DU member formerly known as alt.conspiracies.black.helicopters.

[sasquatch]

16. .

:spray:

[harmonicon]

14. I know a relative of the captain....

.... and he's a worthless drunk. Maybe it runs in the family. However, I've heard an interview with a guy who'd worked under that captain, and said the he was really good, so my theory may be crap.

[KitchenWitch]

15. I know this is the Lounge where inanity is king

but what does this post serve?

[harmonicon]

17. hahahahaha!!

I responded in the wrong place! God, I'm sharp, aren't I? I was meaning to reply to this: "What was your favorite crackpot theory about how it sank?"

I'm not going to make this right though, because you're still entirely correct. Nothing I post ever serves any purpose. That's why I spend my time here instead of doing work.

[KitchenWitch]

19. OK, it makes sense now

There were a ton of crackpot theories, and yours was probably less crackpot than most.

:hi:

[no name no slogan]

18. I've heard a lot of talk about Capt. McSorley, too

But even a drunk would've known that gale-force winds on Superior at that time of year were to be taken quite seriously. When the storm blew in, they went way outside the normal shipping lanes, toward the leeward shore, to avoid being out on the lake during a full gale. The captain may have liked to drink but he was an able sailor, and had 40+ years experience on the lakes and seas.

I hold to the theory that they hit the Six Fathom Shoal, due to out-of-date navigation charts. Because of the pounding due to the storm, they didn't know they'd shoaled and damaged the underside of the ship. They started taking on water and eventually submarined and snapped in half due to the stress of the water and cargo shifting.

This is the DU member formerly known as BoatNerd.

[Strong Atheist]

5. Yeah, I figured it was an earworm. Missed me... nt.

[no name no slogan]

11. Crap, I can't believe I missed that :(

I'm a big Great Lakes shipping/maritime aficionado, and have a collection of books on the lake carriers and Great Lakes shipping in general. I think I own every book ever published about the Fitz disaster.

I'm currently reading a book about the Carl D. Bradley, another bulk freighter that went down in a November storm on Lake Michigan in 1958. Unlike the Fitz, two men survived the wreck of the Carl D.

Gordon Lightfoot has contributed a fair amount of time and money to commemorating the Fitz, not just with the song. He's played at events and has been supportive of the families of Fitz victims, too.

This is the DU member formerly known as BoatNerd.

[sasquatch]

32. Well the families said that the song helped people remember what happened and they're glad

They say that can prevent this sort of thing from happening again.

[kimmerspixelated]

30. Me, too.

Back in the 70's I got that album with him sitting on the floor looking good! I loved that whole album actually, and I always thought he had one of the most sexy male voices, ever.

[InvisibleTouch]

8. Love that song. Did they ever find the wreckage? n/t

[KitchenWitch]

10. I believe they did.

There is a museum in Duluth that has a scale model of the wreckage.

[no name no slogan]

12. This is correct. The wreckage was located shortly after it sank

In 1976 they located what they thought was the wreckage in approx. 500 ft of water, but did not positively identify it for a few years afterward. However, no bodies have ever been recovered. The wreckage site, in Canadian waters, is recognized as a memorial graveyard, and cannot legally be disturbed (therefore, the wreckage is off limits to divers).

The ship's bell was recovered in the 1990s and is on display at a museum in Michigan. A memorial bell, engraved with the names of the 29 men who perished on board the Fitz, was left down on the wreckage in its place.

The wreckage itself is fairly well-preserved, although it is starting to decay. If you look on the intertubes, you can find photos from the various dive expeditions to the wreckage. They are fascinating and spooky.

Here's the best website about the Fitz (at least IMHO):
http://ssefo.com

This is the DU member formerly known as BoatNerd.

[Swede]

9. Cool

:toast:

[Inchworm]

20. Love that song

And it fits my mood :D

:hi:

[sasquatch]

24. It's a song that fits in perfectly with my life

[Jamastiene]

21. Some of the prettiest guitar playing I have ever heard.

I love Gordon Lightfoot.

[Skittles]

22. a lovely tribute

:cry:

[Doc_Technical]

23. This line speaks volumes to me:

"Does any one know where the love of God goes
when the waves turn the minutes to hours?"

[sasquatch]

26. Oh yeah, it reminds me of the Will Eisner book "Contract with God"

[Inchworm]

27. Those are my lines as well

...volumes...

:hi:

[BuddhaGirl]

34. I have always loved the song - very haunting

n/t

[Haole Girl]

25. I've never seen a photo of it

Thanks. :hi:

Though, as others said above, there are other GL songs I like more...

here are some of my favorites:

Softly: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLaPtQuZaos

Song for a Winter's Night: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVS8IS0BGhs

Inspiration Lady: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdwMoKJ6C4g

Knotty Pine: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfl0rAWMutU

As GL would say, that's a "ballad salad"! :loveya:

[City of Mills]

28. Don't forget 'Beautiful'

http://www.livevideo.com/video/MyLady/3B5E7091534544B3A218069BC5860715/beautiful-for-daringdaver.aspx

:hi:

[Haole Girl]

29. Yes...

a main ingredient in any GL ballad salad. Thanks! :hi:

[abq e streeter]

31. Not generally a big Lightfoot fan, but this was a masterpiece

one of very few songs that can make me nostalgic about cold gray autumn days on the great lakes as a kid, standing on the shore of lake Michigan, watching those lake freighters off in the distance...

[Liberal Veteran]

33. The song is very bardic.

It tells a true story, is poetic, and set to music in a way we rarely see anymore outside of fantasy fiction.

[Zorro]

35. IMHO "Ballad of the Yarmouth Castle" is even more powerful

Only heard on his Sunday Concert live album, which should be required listening for anyone who appreciates fine songwriting, outstanding musicianship, and memorable melodies.

That album is a showcase of talent.

[sasquatch]

37. I know, it's a true folksong

[Wetzelbill]

36. An outstanding songwriter

I love Gordon Lightfoot.

[Liberal Veteran]

38. The first time I read the lyrics was an eerie experience for me.

I always sorta knew the song, but never gave it much thought until one night I was doing a mid-watch on a frigate in the north Atlantic on a stormy night and someone had written the lyrics to the song on the back page of the log book.

Talk about feeling just a wee bit as though someone was walking on your grave.