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Since the March 2010 airing, Lightfoot has sung “At 7 p.m., it grew dark, it was then he said” instead. Before a May 2013 appearance at Saginaw’s The Dow, he told MLive that changing the line made a mother and daughter of the deckhands happy because it removes the blame.
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. 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.
The football program has created a strong culture of success and excellence, with an emphasis on hard work, dedication, and discipline. The team is known for its high-powered offense, which often features explosive playmakers and a dynamic passing game. The Sooners are also known for their strong defense, which has produced many standout players over the years.
Wutvh of nobember song
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 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 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 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 called Gitche Gumee
Superior, they said, never gives up her dead
When the gales of November come early Writer/s: Gordon Lightfoot
Publisher: Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind
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- More songs from 1976
- Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald Songfacts
Comments: 63
- Andrew P Horton from Nh Gordon's second ship disaster song. Actually FIRST. He sang 'Ballad of the Yarmouth Castle' back in 1969.
- Curtis from St Louis Re: inaccuracies -- it's called poetic or artistic license. Enough said.
- Larry from Ohio Yes but there are were a lot of fact wrong on this song.
They weren't going to Cleveland and the church wasn't a musty Ole hall and no evidence suggest the main hatcheway gave in, how much did he make off this inaccurate song and if the church bell chimes 29 times for each man on the Fitz that a heck of a lot of bell ringing - George Pope from Vancouver, Canada Mark Yard from London; it's explained above by the good folk at songfacts; the hatch giving i was the original theory; disproved by subsequent invedtigtions (a dive to the ship's remains for an inspection); Mr. Lightfoot (my fellow Canadian) changed the lyrics to reflect these new findings.
- Mark Byard from London A lovely song, made even more poignant when I realised it was a real ship and crew. I'm not a sailor and I'm intrigued as to why the line about the hatch was changed. How can it be misconstrued as human error
- Rod from Los Angeles Every time I hear, "Does anyone know where the love of God goes, When the waves turn the minutes to hours?," tears well up in my eyes and a chill runs down my back. What powerful images, emotions and thoughts condensed into two lines.
- Barry from Sauquoit, Ny Forty-four years ago today on November 14th, 1976, "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" by Gordon Lightfoot peaked at #2 on Billboard's Top 100 chart, for the two weeks it was at #2, the #1 record for both those weeks was "Tonight's The Night (Gonna Be Alright)" by Rod Stewart..
And six days later on November 20th "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" reached #1 on the Canadian RPM Top Singles chart, the following week it was replaced at #1 by "Tonight's The Night" by Rod Stewart.
Between 1970 and 1982 the Orillia, Ontario, Canada native had eleven records on the Top 100 chart, four made the Top 10 with one reaching #1, "Sundown", for one week in June of 1974.
Besides the above "Edmund Fitzgerald" and "Sundown", his two other Top 10 records were "If You Could Read My Mind" and "Carefree Highway" .
Gordon Meredith Lightfoot Jr. will celebrate his 82nd birthday in three days on November 17th, 2020.
* And from the 'For What It's Worth' department, the remainder of the Top 10 on November 14th, 1976:
At #3. "Love So Right" by the Bee Gees
#4. "Muskrat Love" by The Captain and Tennille
#5. "Disco Duck (Part 1)" by Rick Dees and His Cast Of Idiots
#6. "The Rubberband Man" by the Spinners
#7. "Rock'n Me" by the Steve Miller Band
#8. "Just To Be Close To You" by the Commodores
#9. "Beth"/"Detroit Rock City" by Kiss
#10. "Do You Feel Like We Do" by Peter Frampton
May the 29 sailors R.I.P. - Seventhmist from 7th Heaven Lightfoot's comments (from his "Songbook" collection): "The inspiration was a Newsweek article about the wreck. These sorts of things have happened on the Great Lakes for many years, and I thought I had another shipwreck song in me after having done 'Marie Christine' years before. I'm proud it's been written. It's been a very educational and interesting experience, for sure. I have gotten to meet a lot of the people who were related to the men on the Edmund Fitzgerald; periodically they have functions, which I attend whenever I can. It's been a real-life experience for me."
- Annabelle from Eugene, Or For those of you who don't know, Edmund B. Fitzgerald's father was actually William Fitzgerald. There was an "Edmond Fitzgerald", Edmund B.'s uncle, who himself was a captain on a ship. Proof is right here: http://irishamerica.com/2010/10/the-sinking-of-the-ss-edmund-fitzgerald/
- Barry from Sauquoit, Ny On August 22nd 1976, "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" " by Gordon Lightfoot entered Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart at position #70; and on November 14th, 1976 it peaked at #2 and spent 21 weeks on the Top 100.
Not surprisingly, but deservingly, it peaked #1 on the Canadian Singles, Country, and Adult Contemporary charts.
Between 1970 and 1982 he had eleven Top 100 records; four made the Top 10 with one reaching #1; "Sundown" for one week on June 23rd, 1974.
The two weeks the "Edmund Fitzgerald" was at #2, the #1 record for both those weeks was "Tonight's the Night (Gonna Be Alright)" by Rod Stewart.
Gordon Meredith Lightfoot, Jr. will celebrate his 76th birthday in three months on November 17th . - Ward from Wilmington Nc, Nc One of the greatest story songs of all time. A perfect folk song.
- Cliff from Oakdale, Ny This is just one example of the perfectly written folk song ,very elaborate, very sad and unforgettable, based on the true story of that great freighter Edmund Fitzgerald. A great song all around.
- Wendell from Milton, Pe This is the greatest story song of all time in my opinion. the song was the last big hit for Gordon although he did hit the top 40 with the Circle is Small.
I am also proud that Gordon lived on PEI for a while. His song Summer side of life was written about our second city on PEI. Wendell Milton PEI. - Brad from Archer Lodge, Nc February 20, 2011 is a sad day, as Lightfoot's lead guitarist, Terry Clements, passed away. Fortunately, I was able to see him and Lightfoot perform many times and will have treasured memories of each of these performances. Terry was a wonderful guitar player who made playing seem so effortless. I will always remember Terry sitting on his stool to the left of Gord smiling at the crowd while playing many complex chords and riffs while never missing a lick. He was so talented, he didn't even have to look at his fingers! He just played away, smiling the whole time. I also feel very lucky and fortunate to have met Terry after a couple of shows and was able to get his autograph. These autographs now mean more to me than ever. Terry will be sorely missed. R.I.P. and Godspeed Terry.
- Duane from Tampa, Fl The first time I heard this song I was a young boy in MI. My family and I were at a sporting goods store in Ann Arbor and when the song came on the radio by the second verse every one stopped what they were doing and just stood still and listened, you could here a pin drop in the store. By the end of the song there was not a dry eye in the store. That was the first time I realized how much power music can have.
- Brad from Archer Lodge, Nc At a concert recently in Lakeland, Florida, Gord mentioned that a History Chanel series called "Dive Detectives" recently did an episode on the Edmund Fitzgerald. Through historical documentation, and an exstensive search of the wreck itself, they determined that the cause of the wreck was most likely a rouge wave that hit the ship on the surface. Estimates were that this rouge wave could have been anywhere from 30 to 40 feet high. This, contradicted the Coast Guard's original investigation which claimed that a rear hatchway was left open by the crew thus causing the ship to take on excess weight and sink. Because of this, Gord changed his lyric about the main hatchway caving in (At 7 p.m. the main hatchway caved in). He changed it to "at 7 p.m., it got dark, it got dim". He further explained that purists would hate the fact that he changed the lyrics, however, he just couldn't allow the lyrics to be incorrect. He stated that as a result of this new investigation, his theory about the hatchway "just didn't hold water" after all these years. Just an interesting tidbit that I picked up at one of Gord's concerts recently.
- Dane from Lima,ohio, Fl A beautiful but haunting song. I really like how G.L. took a historical event with names & places & turned it into a song.
- Ted from Flat Rock, Oh One of my best friends in 6th grade in Toledo, Brian Spangler, his stepdad was on board when she went down. He had come to school the next day before it was confirmed all were lost and he was REAL quiet, VERY unusual for him. He told us his dad's ship had gone down & they were waiting for any news. I still get a chill every time I hear this song.
- Emily from Around Chicago, Il I'm too young to have lived when the Fitzgerald sank, but it still sends a pang in my heart. I heard that the ship was hit by a very large wave and was broken in two. To the people who are deeply effected by this tragedy I send my sorrows and condolences. Long live the beautiful Edmund Fitzgerald and its crew in our hearts!
- Steve from London, On Lalah from AK writes:
I grew up in Sarnia, Ontario at the base of Lake Huron where it empties into the Saint Clair river. On warm summer days we'd ride our bikes to a little roach coach under the Blue Water Bridge and buy fish and chips, then watch the ships pass by. We moved to the US in 1975 and I remember when I heard about the Fitz going down with all hands I was the only one in my class to cry. The land-locked have never felt the power of a Great Lakes storm or seen those magnificent, long ships sitting low in the water with full loads. But Gordon Lightfoot's song conveys much of what I remember sitting under that bridge.
-------------------------------------------------
I grew up in Sarnia too, and spent a lot of time at the Bluewater Bridge just watching the big freighters sail on by, and sampling the french fries that came from the chip wagon that used to park under the bridge. Sunset was always the best time to go. Ahh, the memories.
The chip wagon is gone now, replaced by a trailer that sits across the road from the parking spots under the bridge. The local skyrats (seagulls) have become a real nuisance and quite aggressive in their attempts to cadge french fries from people.
One of my uncles, who grew up in nearby Corunna, told me that when he was in his early teens, he and his friends used to go the river with their inner tubes and wait for the Edmund Fitzgerald to pass by.
Based on what I've learned about the wreck from visiting the martime museum in Duluth, MN, it sounds like he took some license with the facts (but hey, who's complaining!)
From what I understand, the ship was actually loaded at the ore docks at Duluth, MN, not "some mill in WI" (although, there are ore docks just on the other side of the harbor that are in the state of WI.) It wasn't bound for Cleveland, it was bound for Detroit. Also, the "old cook" was in his early 50s. Perhaps old compared to the rest of the crew, maybe? The place where the bell was rung was not a cathedral, but a small chapel that serves the Great Lakes mariners.
Still a great song, and I don't blame Mr Lightfoot for making some changes to make it rhyme.
10/09/09
We got caught in a sudden summer storm--I think it was a tornado--in the harbor in Detroit, and waves began to break over the ship, which was normally as stable as a parking lot. Scared the daylights out of me.
And yes being a canuck and having the great lakes in my blood this song is no doubt the best of it's genre .
"In a musty old hall in Detroit they prayed. In the Maritime Sailors Cathedral.
At 7 p.m. the Anderson made radio contact with the Fitzgerald and had her on their radar. When asked how the Fitzgerald was making out they replied "We are holding our own". This was around 7:10 p.m. Shortly afterwards the Fitzgerald disappeared from the Anderson's radar screen.
This phrase of the song, while romantic, makes it sound as if the crew knew they were doomed. In reality the sinking of the Fitzgerald was very rapid and it is likely they did not know the seriousness of their condition. Indeed, after the wreck 2 severely damaged life boats were found. The conditions of these lifeboats suggests that no attempts were made to leave the ship. No distress signals were ever issued. Not a single body was found, nor recovered. The Fitzgerald now rests, broken in 3 pieces in 529 feet of water, some 15 miles outside Whitefish Bay, in Canadian waters. She has been documented and photographed. Human remains have been located and left to rest at the families request, and it has been put forth that the site remain private, and off limits. I understand that commercial vessels to this day swing at least one nautical mile to avoid sailing overtop the resting site of the once mighty Fitzgerald. Gordon Lightfoot read the story in McLeans Magazine (A Canadian publication) while on a flight, and wrote the song in a short time.
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