Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald Gordon Lightfoot

Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald

Music and lyrics ©1976 by Gordon Lightfoot





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!"













Song: Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald

Sabattical, Oahu to Kauai, Hawaii

         What a nice sail it should have been.  In the telling of this, I feel that you will agree.  It was a wonderful sail as they all are, when looked upon a certain way.  It was a short journey when viewed  telescopically bassactwards into forward.  I may ask if you know Micro Bobby Pilau?  You might answer, " I have heard of him" !  There is a Columbia "40", vessel  called " Alice C ".berthed at Kehei Lagoon and I would ask you if you had heard of his owner/ skipper, Ron? And, once again, you would acknowledge!    I, on a rare occassion might ask you if you had ever heard of  me and you would simply say yes !  Quietly !  ........ In all seriousness, egos are special on boats!  Micronesian Bobby made a small mistake on a fishing boat that he was skippering.  He allowed one of his crew to leave his electric shaver next to the compass on the fishing boat he was skipper of.  He missed his navigational point of reference by a couple of miles. Magnetic interference!  It doesn't mean he doesn't understand the ocean and sky! He bit the bullet and did get fired!  Doesn't mean he isn't a sailor!  The owner of Sabbatical picked Jeff to be navigator for this particular journey. It was hard to believe this sailboat left Oahu bound for Hanalei, Kauai with three skippers aboard that had nothing to do with the owner, wife or navigator.  My sister and her boyfriend, Ron, worked for NorthWest Orient , an airline, out of Hawaii at the time.  Micro Bobby and me were free.  Navigator Jeff is paid by Owner,Tony and wife, Nancy, who sailed with us on our way to Japan! The only reason I bring Nippon into the equation is because Ron, Rob and Bob, knew we missed the Kiluea Lighthouse and were on our way to Japan. Jeff, our navigator didn't have a clew!!                                                                                                                                      I , to this day, have many questions  that require answers?  How can one miss an island that is 98 miles away would be one?  Well. that will be part of this story.  What is deviation or variation?  What is a compass rose?  What does the east is the least and the west is the best mean? 

Damn it, we got three guys aboard the boat who can not only drive a proper heading but can read a  chart!  But no!!!   -What would you do?   It was really fun to hang out with people I don't normally sail with.  Ron threw/ after sealing - an empty bottle of Crown Royal, wax sealed, " messager in a bottle", giving our location, latitude and longitude, seriously/humorous, like we were long lost at sea.  My sister woke me up in my berth after me drinking that bottle of alcohol with Ron and announcing our purpose was  to the sail the  universe!  She loved, as I do that sail.  I think everyone aboard had the most fun.  How many people that any sailors know can actually say, " Shit, We missed an island"!!   Not many!  I honestly can say I have missed a few!  But not by much!  Ha!  RB  " Good from far, but far from good!