About the song
“The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” is a song written by Canadian singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot. It was released in 1976 on his album of the same name. The song tells the story of the sinking of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald, a Great Lakes freighter that went down in Lake Superior on November 10, 1975, with the loss of all 29 crew members.
The song is a classic example of Lightfoot’s storytelling ability. He paints a vivid picture of the ship and its crew, and he captures the tragedy of the sinking in moving detail. The song is also a powerful elegy to the lost sailors.
The song begins with a description of the Edmund Fitzgerald. Lightfoot sings about the ship’s size and power, and he describes the pride that its crew took in their work. He also mentions the ship’s nickname, “The Fitz,” and he notes that it was the last of its kind.
The song then turns to the night of the sinking. Lightfoot sings about the storm that was raging on Lake Superior, and he describes how the Edmund Fitzgerald disappeared into the waves. He also sings about the efforts to rescue the crew, and he notes that no one survived.
The song ends with a reflection on the tragedy. Lightfoot sings about the loss of life, and he expresses his sympathy for the families of the victims. He also sings about the power of nature, and he notes that the Edmund Fitzgerald will never be forgotten.
“The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” is a powerful and moving song that has become a classic of Canadian folk music. It is a song that tells a tragic story, but it is also a song that celebrates the courage and resilience of the human spirit.
Here are some additional details about the song:
- The song was written in 1975, shortly after the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald.
- It was recorded in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
- The song’s producer was Jack Richardson.
- The song’s arranger was Lightfoot himself.
- The song’s genre is folk.
- The song’s length is 6 minutes and 10 seconds.
- The song’s time signature is 4/4.
- The song’s key is A minor.
- The song’s tempo is 100 beats per minute.
Here are some of the song’s lyrics:
- “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”
- “The ship was the pride of the American fleet”
- “And on this particular night she was loaded to the hilt”
- “As the winds of November came early”
I hope this helps!
Video
Lyrics
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
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 every man knew, as the captain did too
T’was 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 to feed ya”
At 7 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 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 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