Also he remained an active member of their families throughout his career. They all adopted each other with open arms. After Gordon's death the church bells were rung 30 times. One for Gordon.
@@shellyfox863 They recovered the bell from the Fitzgerald. It's at the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum at Whitefish Point. They still ring it 30 times every year on the anniversary of the ships sinking.
He donated all of his profits from this song to a charity for the families of dead mariners. And when Gordon Lightfoot died, he was honored at the Maritime Sailors Cathedral with an extra bell rung: one for each of the lost men on the ship, and one more for the artist who wrote about them.
I'd also heard from people who run freight on Lake Superior that whenever they cross where the Edmund Fitzgerald now lays, they'd toll the bell in remembrance of the Edmund Fitzgerald her crew
My father worked on the boats as a cook for many years.....including the Fitz.... I've been aboard her a few times myself.... We knew many of the men personally...... Rest in Peace.... Michael Armagost- 37- Third Mate- Iron River, Wisconsin Fred Beetcher- 56- Porter- Superior, Wisconsin Thomas Bentsen- 23- Oiler- St. Joseph, Michigan Edward Bindon -47- First Asst. Engineer- Fairport Harbor, Ohio Thomas Borgeson -41- Maintenance Man- Duluth, Minnesota Oliver Champeau- 41-Third Asst. Engineer- Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin Nolan Church -55 -Porter -Silver Bay, Minnesota Ransom Cundy- 53- Watchman- Superior, Wisconsin Thomas Edwards-50- Second Asst. Engineer- Oregon, Ohio Russell Haskell -40- Second Asst. Engineer- Millbury, Ohio George Holl -60- Chief Engineer- Cabot, Pennsylvania Bruce Hudson- 22- Deck Hand -North Olmsted, Ohio Allen Kalmon -43- Second Cook- Washburn, Wisconsin Gordon MacLellan- 30- Wiper- Clearwater, Florida Joseph Mazes- 59- Special Maintenance Man -Ashland, Wisconsin John McCarthy -62-First Mate -Bay Village, Ohio Ernest McSorley -63 -Captain -Toledo, Ohio Eugene O'Brien- 50- Wheelsman -Toledo, Ohio Karl Peckol -20- Watchman -Ashtabula, Ohio John Poviach -59- Wheelsman- Bradenton, Florida James Pratt -44- Second Mate- Lakewood, Ohio Robert Rafferty -62 -Steward -Toledo, Ohio Paul Riippa -22 -Deck Hand -Ashtabula, Ohio John Simmons -63 -Wheelsman -Ashland, Wisconsin William Spengler -59- Watchman- Toledo, Ohio Mark Thomas -21- Deck Hand- Richmond Heights, Ohio Ralph Walton -58- Oiler- Fremont, Ohio David Weiss -22 -Cadet -Agoura, California Blaine Wilhelm -52- Oiler- Moquah, Wisconsin
Gordon Lightfoot wrote this song after reading an article in Newsweek magazine about this tragedy. He was so moved by the story, he memorialize the wreck of this ship into a song. Incidentally, he considered this song to be one of his finest.
@@CaptainAngelo Yep. I don't think anyone can forget. It was the last run of the season. All the guys were supposed to be coming home, after that, for the winter. Captain McSorley was retiring and that was his last run. It was supposed to be happy.
@@kevinminne1460 There's another video made from a live version of the song, featuring underwater clips of the wreck and photos of the crewmen (alive, of course.) It opens with a snippet from ABC with Harry Reasoner telling the audience about the tragedy.
I remember the song when I was only 11 years old and it was quite the song I would listen to it on the radio every couple of hours they would play it I actually knew a child in North Vancouver BC my friend from school what's the weather for 2 weeks and then he came back and he told me that his cousin was on that ship because the family moved to BC but his cousin was still living in the US Gordon Lightfoot is now gone but the year that he passed away in November though the year that he passed away they rang the bell in Detroit and remembrance of both the crew members and Gordon Lightfoot so there was 30 times it rang
For reference from somebody who has sailed on Superior and Michigan. Lake Superior is so cold, even in summer, you have 30 minutes to get out of the water. There are up to 2500 shipwrecks on Superior. During one storm, I watched the lake literally tear a dock to kindling.
A memorialization, though it borders on being a funereal dirge. But definitely a song well worth hearing, learning from, and learning about the subject.
i don't comment on most of the reactions for this one but... I LOVE that you were so emotional about it. That's exactly what Gordan was going for, and it's so important that we care for the people on the ship.
i also don't know at all if it will help you with your emotions, but caitlin doughty who runs ask a mortician has done a video about the ship with a person who's family member was on it and it's pretty beautiful. Look up "the lake that never gives up her dead".
The line 'Superior never gives up her dead ' is literally true. The lake is cold and deep so the bodies do decompose and rise to the surface like they do in warmer waters. They are still there in and around the wreck. The families have sued documentary film makers to prevent them from publishing video and photos of the crew! They also petitioned the Canadian government , and had it designated a gravesite to prevent people from diving on the wreck.
1) "Gitche Gumee" means "deep sea." -- Lake Superior is more than 1,300 feet deep. 2) "The lake, it is said, never gives up her dead." -- So deep and cold that the dead remain on the bottom, intact. 3) We call them "lakes," but they're really inland seas, large enough to create their own weather. The Great Lakes are no joke.
The Edmund Fitzgerald sank in 1975. It was all over the news when it happened. Lake Superior and the rest of the Great Lakes are no joke. They're like fresh water seas, and the storms that come up on them sometimes are massive. I live less than 5 miles from Lake Michigan. Looking to the north from local beaches here, you see nothing but water, no land in sight. It's 307 miles long and 118 miles across...
Lake Superior is gorgeous, but oh so cold, eerie, and desolate. At least that’s how I feel when I visit. Lake Michigan gives me different vibes. Gorgeous too, but warmer and not as desolate. I grew up near Lake Michigan. Sad song. He captures it well.
"All that remains are the faces and the names of the wives and the sons and the daughters" and Gordon donated all royalties from this song, which are substantial as this was arguably his biggest hit, to those who lost their loved ones in this tragedy.
I was so sad to hear of Gordon Lightfoot's passing away recently. Loved his music. One of the best songwriters & storytellers. He was a Canadian legend. This song is a beautiful tribute & is based on a true story & the lyrics tell the sad tale of the sinking of the ship & loss of lives in 1975. Gordon Lightfoot has had many hits through his long career such as "If You Could Read My Mind", "Early Morning Rain", "Sundown", "Steel Rail Blues", "Ribbon Of Darkness", "Carefree Highway", "Rainy Day People", "Cotton Jenny", "Black Day In July", "Canadian Railroad Trilogy" etc.
I remember when this happened, and they announced it the next day in high school. Some of my friends had family on the Fitz, so people were screaming. They gave a pass to anyone who wanted the day off to go to church, because there were church services for the dead, even in Ohio. It meant a lot to everyone when this song came out.
@@LoriMills-k4s Ohmigod, my condolences. Yes, people mentioned family in Ashtabula. I'm from Norwalk. My brother was a musician, and he covered a lot of Gordon Lightfoot songs, and he said every place he played at always ended with requests for the Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. The song brought a lot of closure for people who had no other closure.
i'm from marquette, michigan. (upper peninsula of michigan). about 3 hours west of whitefish point. i remember that night that "the fitz" sank. marquette is right on lake superior. i'm about 2 miles from the lakeshore. it was a nasty storm, even inland. 50+ mph winds, thundering and lightening like mad. i was 11 yrs. old at the time. i remember standing out on my porch, just watching the storm, just thinking that i was glad that i wasn't on one of those ore ships out on the lake that night. i knew lake superior was in a pissed off mood that night. the waves were reaching up to 20 to 25 feet, with an occassional 30 foot waves. i had a neighbor who was on the anderson ship that followed and was in radio and radar contact with "the fitz".
That's thoughtful of you, thank you. The Great Lakes are strange, huge, like little seas. You could compare Lake Superior to the North Sea for unpredictability and rough waters.
We all knew about the Edmund Fitzgerald. I remember seeing it on tv. Then later this song came out. It played everywhere. Didn't matter what type of music you listened to, you heard this song & you stopped what you were doing & listened. I always felt so sad for the families. I will NEVER forget hearing the news.
Melissa Ward here.. as an ohioan ive known this story since I was in my midteens,sadly it was a heartbreaking tragedy We all knew of this when it sunk. My brother inlaw lives up on lake Erie. He was a fishing captain for many years. Rip to all that died and now to Gordon.
Wonderful Lyricist. “If You Could Read My Mind”, “Sundown”, “ Carefree Highway” , “Song For a Winter’s Night” and “The Last Time I Saw Her Face” are some of his big hits andfavorites.
Omg. Haven't heard this in YEARS. Very special song and a true memorial about this infamous shipwreck in the Great Lakes. 🙏🏻 Always brings a tear to my eye. 🚢
"We're holding our own" has never had the same meaning since. I appreciate that Gordon Lightfoot changed some of the song when it was discovered that the Fitz was stove in from the waves, and it wasn't the fault of the crew maybe not securing the hatches. He could have left it, but he wrote a hol other version of the song.
I lived in Detroit and worked in the aeras where they unloaded the ore ships At Ford motor company. and I have heard the bell ring 29 times for each man on that Ship. After this many years it still brings sadness to my Heart.
Gordon caught some heat for comparing the Maritime Sailors Cathedral as "musty." He later changed that lyric in later versions of the song. Yes, It's a real place too.
November 10, 1975. I was 10 years old, and just moved in with my grandparents. I now live on the southern shore of Lake Superior, literally just minutes from the lake. Those winter storms are brutal!
the bell ringing is an annual event it rang 29 times and one more for Gordon upon his passing. Lived near Lake Ontario , the lake is smaller than Superior but the waves can reach 20 ft +
I remember when this happened me and my dad just got into the upper peninsula of Michigan my dad had a cb radio in the car it was picking up the transmissions from the Edmund Fitzgerald my dad pulled into a marina on us2 heading west...we pulled into a marina..my dad told about the may day transmissions..I was 13 at the time I didn't understand what was happening but I still remember it until this day
I live in Michigan and have saw storms out on Superior that are horrifying... In the song he says that she never likes to give up her dead... This comes from the fact that the water is so cold year round that it's too cold to allow the body to produce the bacteria that causes it to float after a human passes.. They sink to the bottom....
I live in the upper peninsula of michigan, not far from where this happened. My house is teo blocks from lake superior and its coooooldddd, even in the summer. michigan has two separate peninsulas, the upper peninsula and the lower peninsula, only connected by a 5 mile long bridge called the mackinac bridge, so essentially two different states in one. Such a great and tragic song.
I saw Gordon Lightfoot in concert in about 1976. You could have heard a pin drop when he sang this song. When the sound filled the concert hall, it added to the sound of peril and mourning. Wonderful and tragic song.
I remember when this happened. It was definitely big news around the Great Lakes. We live near Lake Erie and when storms come across the lakes the winds are unreal. What was so shocking was that it was a huge ship. Mother Nature rules the world.
The wreck of The Fitz hit my family hard as years before The Fitz went down we lost my grandmother, 2 of her siblings & the pilot to Lake Superior near Isle Royale & neither the plane or the bodies were ever found. The water is too cold. This was supposed to be the captain's final voyage before retirement. Another amazing story is of the captain & crew of another ship that made port safely but went back out into that storm looking for The Fitz. True courage! Lake Superior is absolutely beautiful but is really more of an inland ocean. It's huge, cold & can be very dangerous. And huge storms can develop quickly! But as final resting places go...it certainly is stunningly gorgeous.
I've watched a dozen or more folks 'reacting' to this song (i love it) and your reaction was the most human I've seen. You wear your heart on your sleeve. I've been listening to this song since it came out in the 70s and I've never gotten tired of it. When Gordon Lightfoot died, a local radio station played this song on loop all day.
I moved to Michigan in 1978, less than three years after the tragedy of the Edmund Fitzgerald. The Great Lakes are amazing. I don't how anyone not acquainted with very large bodies of water could comprehend it. Knowing the geography greatly helps in understanding this song, but it's still powerful without it. I'm just so grateful to the late Mr. Gordon Lightfoot for composing and performing this song, it illustrates the common culture among those who live around the Great Lakes, whether Canadian or American--the perils they face are the same.
Yes. there's an interview with the captain of the Arthur Anderson, who had radio contact with the Fitz, and the both of them were ploughing through the storm together, and the Fitz almost made it. Cooper said there was a huge wave that rolled right over his ship when they were by White Fish I think, and he was sure the Fitz would make it because it was bigger. He radioed McSorley, who answered "We're holding our own." and nothing else was heard after that. They were almost home.
Me, my parents, and my future husband saw Gordon Lightfoot back in 1977 at the Niagara Falls Convention Center. Awesome! Thank you for the reaction Jayy! God Bless!🐢🇺🇲
Beautiful reaction, Miss Jayy! I remember clearly when that happened. It happened here on Lake Superior. I'm about 15-20 minutes from the Maritime Sailors Cathedral. It's sad to go there. People around here have a long memory for those 29 men. Last May the Mariners Cathedral rang the bell 30 times...29 for each man lost and the 30th for Gordon Lightfoot. I still cry every time I hear this. Thank you for remembering them.
If you're interested, there's a tribute to the Fitz on the channel Ask a Mortician. She's actually covering the issue of diving on ship wrecks that are considered gravesites, and she goes into the history of the ship and crew, and the wishes of the families involved. Very respectful, and a good tribute. It'll make you cry.
Still remember that storm standing on the shore of Lake Erie in Fair Port Harbor Ohio. The waves were incredible.I was around 15 years old !!! Woke to the news the next morning. I am 63 now.
A major reason Gordon Lightfoot wrote this song, was because he noticed that the stories on the news and in that papers kept misspelling the name of the ship, and the inquest more or less blamed the crew at the time. Lightfoot decided that the media should at least get it right, and proceeded to make sure the public knew the name of the ship, and that the crew was probably NOT to blame. "Does any man know where the love of God goes, when the waves turn the minutes to hours?" One of the saddest lines I have ever heard....
Yes, the media was saying the crew didn't secure the hatches, and that would have done something. The crew had been working on the Fitz for a while, they knew what they were doing. I like the way that the words of the song were found to be true, there was a dive on the Fitz at the families request, and it was finally proven that even today, the hatches are intact, and the ship did indeed break deep because of the wave action, and took water. Thank you Gordon.
I live right across from Detroit and as a child I would see the ship as it passed through the Detroit river. He had visited the Detroit church a few times. As a matter of fact One of the mothers scolded him for saying Musky old hall. So he changed the words to say Rustic hall in Detroit . Every year you can hear the church bells when they chime 29 now 30 times. The last one was for him. That was a great tribute to him as well. He wrote the song on a flight to Florida from Toronto Reading it in the paper.
The Fitz went down Nov 10th 1975. Lightfoot was annoyed by the media blowing the story off and wrote this song. He donated all proceeds to the families. The bell have rung 29 times on the anniversay of the loss. After Lightfoot passed away, the bells were rung 30 times. 29 times for the crew and once for Gordon Lightfoot.
I was a teenager when this came out. I'm a native Central Floridan, so before that The Great Lakes were just big blue dots on the North American map up near the Canadian border. We had studied lock systems in school and I knew they had them, but that was it. When I really pay attention to this song I still go right back to feeling what you just did all these years later. I was glad to learn that both countries have made Superior an official grave site and nobody can dive there even to document without special permission. Lake Superior's depths are near freezing. The bodies down there don't decompose, the usual gases don't form, and the lake never gives up her dead. The local Chippewa tribe have also knows.
My uncle knew a guy who was on a coast guard boat leaving Duluth Minnesota for the approximate location of the fitzgerald and for some reason the engine lube pumps failed and they had to turn back into harbor and didn't get there until late the next day
I try every year to play this song on Nov 10th. I remember this. I was about 11. Just lost my momma yesterday, this song first thing i seen this morning.😢❤love this song.
This is such a hard song for young people to react to. Shipwrecks are ancient; couldn't possibly be, "Modern." I was 8 years old in 1975 and being raised in Michigan. Big story in my family at the time. Modern history. This is years after the 1960's.
YOU reacted exactly the same way I do....every time....for decades....I remember the original news reports & how we all hoped for a better outcome.....THANK YOU for your candid reaction EH!🍁🍁🍁🍁
At 7:10 pm the Fitzgerald spoke to the Anderson, at which time Captain McSorley stated, “We are holding our own.” Those were the last words heard from the Fitzgerald.
The Arthur M. Anderson was about 10 miles behind, guiding them because the Fitz was running blind because the storm had taken out both it's radars systems. The were the last ship to see them too. The Coast Guard asked the Anderson to go back out and look for survivors because they were the closest ship. There are recordings of the radio conversations, and you could tell the Captain of the Anderson was terrified to go back out there, but they did anyway. And their ship was just as big and fully loaded like the Fitz. That's bravery.
I saw pictures of the Arthur M Anderson after she'd arrived at port and she had been chewed up pretty good by the waves and wind and her crew still voted to go back out into the storm. There was another freighter, the SS William Clay Ford that also went back out to look for survivors - the crew voting to join the search.@@ffjsb
The Arthur Anderson is still sailing the Great Lakes. I was surprised a couple years ago, when I saw on live cam that she was the first ship to leave the Duluth harbor for the year.
The bodies remain in Superior; the cold, deep water preserves them. The site is protected by the Canadian government from exploration, recovery, etc., as it is a tomb.
Going back to the 17th century, there are around 6,000 shipwrecks in the great lakes, from rowboats to the Edmund Fitzgerald, the largest ship to sink in the Great Lakes. The Great Lakes are beautiful on nice sunny days, but storms can be severe and brutal on any of the lakes, and on Superior, waves up to 35+ feet can occur.
I remember when the ship went down, we lived in the upper peninsula of Michigan for a few years, the water temperature would be in the mid 50’s in July so you can imagine what it was like in the winter. Those guys didn’t stand a chance.
I do like to see some of your reactions as you do have a good, sensitive nature to the content of songs & pay attention to them. This was a great song in the very lyrical way Gordon Lightfoot pays tribute to the memory of those lost in this shipwreck (& also brings attention & tribute to those left behind by such a sad story.) I don't remember the details but I believe that the profits he received from this song went to the families of those left behind? I could be mistaken on this. I am glad that you are starting to expand the number of artists you react to & explore some Canadian artists also, as we have a LOT of talent in a lot of different styles that have been EXTREMELY good - (as government policies in this country made sure to support Canadian artists.) I hope this (& your reaction to Alannah Myles & some others?) is just the start of your discovery of what my country has to offer. All the best. ❤
This was a huge story at the time, especially for the folks around the Great Lakes like me. The Edmund Fitzgerald was the biggest ship that ever sank in the Lakes.
Gordon Lightfoot was a Canadian singer/songwriter. In the 1970s, this was a timely story in the news, so he wrote and recorded a song about it, and it was a hit record for Lightfoot.
Why this song was never picked up by a screenwriter I just don’t know. This would be such an amazing movie . I just believe it. The movie with George Clooney was decent but this could be better with the right team!
Lightfoot donated all proceeds from the song to the families of the men who died in this tragedy..
A Trust was established so the proceeds continue to flow to the families after his death.
Also he remained an active member of their families throughout his career. They all adopted each other with open arms. After Gordon's death the church bells were rung 30 times. One for Gordon.
It did also this past NOVEMBER as well.
I did not know this....what a truly generous man, R.I.P.
@@shellyfox863 They recovered the bell from the Fitzgerald. It's at the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum at Whitefish Point. They still ring it 30 times every year on the anniversary of the ships sinking.
He donated all of his profits from this song to a charity for the families of dead mariners. And when Gordon Lightfoot died, he was honored at the Maritime Sailors Cathedral with an extra bell rung: one for each of the lost men on the ship, and one more for the artist who wrote about them.
😥
I'd also heard from people who run freight on Lake Superior that whenever they cross where the Edmund Fitzgerald now lays, they'd toll the bell in remembrance of the Edmund Fitzgerald her crew
"Does anyone know where the love of God goes when the waves turn minutes to hours?" Some of the most haunting lyrics of all time right there.
Puts you right in there in a way that a dry history read wouldn’t give you.
I've heard this song a hundred times (cos I've been around for a min) and that line gets me every time.
I am USN Retired. The North Atlantic can be real rough. We were in the galley preparing meals and you have to hang on a lot.🇺🇸🇺🇸
That lyric- right there- is chilling
As a mariner, you feel every bit of that
They rang the church bells 30 times. 29 for the lost souls and 1:for Gordon Lightfoot.
Such a tribute!!!!
My father worked on the boats as a cook for many years.....including the Fitz....
I've been aboard her a few times myself....
We knew many of the men personally......
Rest in Peace....
Michael Armagost- 37- Third Mate- Iron River, Wisconsin
Fred Beetcher- 56- Porter- Superior, Wisconsin
Thomas Bentsen- 23- Oiler- St. Joseph, Michigan
Edward Bindon -47- First Asst. Engineer- Fairport Harbor, Ohio
Thomas Borgeson -41- Maintenance Man- Duluth, Minnesota
Oliver Champeau- 41-Third Asst. Engineer- Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin
Nolan Church -55 -Porter -Silver Bay, Minnesota
Ransom Cundy- 53- Watchman- Superior, Wisconsin
Thomas Edwards-50- Second Asst. Engineer- Oregon, Ohio
Russell Haskell -40- Second Asst. Engineer- Millbury, Ohio
George Holl -60- Chief Engineer- Cabot, Pennsylvania
Bruce Hudson- 22- Deck Hand -North Olmsted, Ohio
Allen Kalmon -43- Second Cook- Washburn, Wisconsin
Gordon MacLellan- 30- Wiper- Clearwater, Florida
Joseph Mazes- 59- Special Maintenance Man -Ashland, Wisconsin
John McCarthy -62-First Mate -Bay Village, Ohio
Ernest McSorley -63 -Captain -Toledo, Ohio
Eugene O'Brien- 50- Wheelsman -Toledo, Ohio
Karl Peckol -20- Watchman -Ashtabula, Ohio
John Poviach -59- Wheelsman- Bradenton, Florida
James Pratt -44- Second Mate- Lakewood, Ohio
Robert Rafferty -62 -Steward -Toledo, Ohio
Paul Riippa -22 -Deck Hand -Ashtabula, Ohio
John Simmons -63 -Wheelsman -Ashland, Wisconsin
William Spengler -59- Watchman- Toledo, Ohio
Mark Thomas -21- Deck Hand- Richmond Heights, Ohio
Ralph Walton -58- Oiler- Fremont, Ohio
David Weiss -22 -Cadet -Agoura, California
Blaine Wilhelm -52- Oiler- Moquah, Wisconsin
R.I.P. to all.
thank you for that memorial
Thank you. The video that shows footage and lists them all rarely gets played. Mostly this one. ❤
That's interesting to know the captain was from here in my home town, I grew up on lake Erie boating with my grandpa
That was beautiful, thank you for the names.
Gordon Lightfoot wrote this song after reading an article in Newsweek magazine about this tragedy. He was so moved by the story, he memorialize the wreck of this ship into a song. Incidentally, he considered this song to be one of his finest.
It’s still a big deal to us who are still here in Michigan.
Not sure he reacted to the article. He was from the area and knew what was going on....
@@CaptainAngelo Yep. I don't think anyone can forget. It was the last run of the season. All the guys were supposed to be coming home, after that, for the winter. Captain McSorley was retiring and that was his last run. It was supposed to be happy.
The church bell chimes 30 times now, 29 for the crew and for Gordon, a Canadian artist admired by Bob Dylan.
@@kevinminne1460 There's another video made from a live version of the song, featuring underwater clips of the wreck and photos of the crewmen (alive, of course.) It opens with a snippet from ABC with Harry Reasoner telling the audience about the tragedy.
I remember the song when I was only 11 years old and it was quite the song I would listen to it on the radio every couple of hours they would play it I actually knew a child in North Vancouver BC my friend from school what's the weather for 2 weeks and then he came back and he told me that his cousin was on that ship because the family moved to BC but his cousin was still living in the US Gordon Lightfoot is now gone but the year that he passed away in November though the year that he passed away they rang the bell in Detroit and remembrance of both the crew members and Gordon Lightfoot so there was 30 times it rang
For reference from somebody who has sailed on Superior and Michigan. Lake Superior is so cold, even in summer, you have 30 minutes to get out of the water. There are up to 2500 shipwrecks on Superior. During one storm, I watched the lake literally tear a dock to kindling.
This is more than a song, its a tribute!
A memorialization, though it borders on being a funereal dirge. But definitely a song well worth hearing, learning from, and learning about the subject.
i don't comment on most of the reactions for this one but... I LOVE that you were so emotional about it. That's exactly what Gordan was going for, and it's so important that we care for the people on the ship.
i also don't know at all if it will help you with your emotions, but caitlin doughty who runs ask a mortician has done a video about the ship with a person who's family member was on it and it's pretty beautiful. Look up "the lake that never gives up her dead".
No one could tell a story in a song like Gordon. He was the Master.
RIP Gordon
The line 'Superior never gives up her dead ' is literally true. The lake is cold and deep so the bodies do decompose and rise to the surface like they do in warmer waters. They are still there in and around the wreck. The families have sued documentary film makers to prevent them from publishing video and photos of the crew! They also petitioned the Canadian government , and had it designated a gravesite to prevent people from diving on the wreck.
I think all ship wrecks should be respected as grave sites. I'm glad this one is!
Gordon is a master storyteller singer songwriter
It’s a history lesson, a geography lesson, a eulogy, a sermon and a banging great song.
I saw this ship go through the Sault locks in 1973. Hold it close to my heart.
1) "Gitche Gumee" means "deep sea." -- Lake Superior is more than 1,300 feet deep.
2) "The lake, it is said, never gives up her dead." -- So deep and cold that the dead remain on the bottom, intact.
3) We call them "lakes," but they're really inland seas, large enough to create their own weather. The Great Lakes are no joke.
The Edmund Fitzgerald sank in 1975. It was all over the news when it happened. Lake Superior and the rest of the Great Lakes are no joke. They're like fresh water seas, and the storms that come up on them sometimes are massive. I live less than 5 miles from Lake Michigan. Looking to the north from local beaches here, you see nothing but water, no land in sight. It's 307 miles long and 118 miles across...
Lake Superior is gorgeous, but oh so cold, eerie, and desolate. At least that’s how I feel when I visit. Lake Michigan gives me different vibes. Gorgeous too, but warmer and not as desolate. I grew up near Lake Michigan. Sad song. He captures it well.
"All that remains are the faces and the names of the wives and the sons and the daughters" and Gordon donated all royalties from this song, which are substantial as this was arguably his biggest hit, to those who lost their loved ones in this tragedy.
When Gordon passed away, the Maritime Cathedral rang the bell 30 times - one of each of the crewmen, and one more for Mr. Lightfoot.
I was so sad to hear of Gordon Lightfoot's passing away recently. Loved his music. One of the best songwriters & storytellers. He was a Canadian legend. This song is a beautiful tribute & is based on a true story & the lyrics tell the sad tale of the sinking of the ship & loss of lives in 1975. Gordon Lightfoot has had many hits through his long career such as "If You Could Read My Mind", "Early Morning Rain", "Sundown", "Steel Rail Blues", "Ribbon Of Darkness", "Carefree Highway", "Rainy Day People", "Cotton Jenny", "Black Day In July", "Canadian Railroad Trilogy" etc.
I remember when this happened, and they announced it the next day in high school. Some of my friends had family on the Fitz, so people were screaming. They gave a pass to anyone who wanted the day off to go to church, because there were church services for the dead, even in Ohio. It meant a lot to everyone when this song came out.
That was a terrible day for those family members
Fourteen of the crew were from Ohio, 2 from my hometown of Ashtabula, OH.
@@LoriMills-k4s Ohmigod, my condolences. Yes, people mentioned family in Ashtabula. I'm from Norwalk. My brother was a musician, and he covered a lot of Gordon Lightfoot songs, and he said every place he played at always ended with requests for the Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. The song brought a lot of closure for people who had no other closure.
We are so proud of this Canadian Icon. We lost him a few months ago. He has quite the list of amazing songs ... RIP Gordie
i'm from marquette, michigan. (upper peninsula of michigan). about 3 hours west of whitefish point. i remember that night that "the fitz" sank. marquette is right on lake superior. i'm about 2 miles from the lakeshore. it was a nasty storm, even inland. 50+ mph winds, thundering and lightening like mad. i was 11 yrs. old at the time. i remember standing out on my porch, just watching the storm, just thinking that i was glad that i wasn't on one of those ore ships out on the lake that night. i knew lake superior was in a pissed off mood that night. the waves were reaching up to 20 to 25 feet, with an occassional 30 foot waves. i had a neighbor who was on the anderson ship that followed and was in radio and radar contact with "the fitz".
I live near the Lake Erie shore. Yes, November is the worst month of the year, out on the Great Lakes. Beware the Witch.
I only heard this song and story a few years ago. I have cried for your fine American sailors. I am British btw.
That's thoughtful of you, thank you. The Great Lakes are strange, huge, like little seas. You could compare Lake Superior to the North Sea for unpredictability and rough waters.
Thank you for your kind words, brother!
I remember this having lived near Lake Erie and Detroit.
I don't have the words for what can happen on Superior in the winter.
This song never fails to give me chills. He does such a great job of making you feel like you were there. Great, honest reaction, Jayy!
This happened on Lake Superior, which is essentially an inland sea, so large and deep.
We all knew about the Edmund Fitzgerald. I remember seeing it on tv. Then later this song came out. It played everywhere. Didn't matter what type of music you listened to, you heard this song & you stopped what you were doing & listened. I always felt so sad for the families. I will NEVER forget hearing the news.
Love the way Gordon wrote and performed this song in the style of a sea shanty.
Melissa Ward here.. as an ohioan ive known this story since I was in my midteens,sadly it was a heartbreaking tragedy We all knew of this when it sunk. My brother inlaw lives up on lake Erie. He was a fishing captain for many years. Rip to all that died and now to Gordon.
Wonderful Lyricist. “If You Could Read My Mind”, “Sundown”, “ Carefree Highway” , “Song For a Winter’s Night” and “The Last Time I Saw Her Face” are some of his big hits andfavorites.
Amazing lyrics telling the story behind this tragedy! Amazing singer and songwriter!
Thanks to Gordon for giving the souls of those 29 men their release from Lake Superior. Just a tragedy. Great rection.
Omg. Haven't heard this in YEARS. Very special song and a true memorial about this infamous shipwreck in the Great Lakes. 🙏🏻 Always brings a tear to my eye. 🚢
"We're holding our own" has never had the same meaning since. I appreciate that Gordon Lightfoot changed some of the song when it was discovered that the Fitz was stove in from the waves, and it wasn't the fault of the crew maybe not securing the hatches. He could have left it, but he wrote a hol other version of the song.
This happened on Lake Superior.
Dude was an absolute song writing icon. Extremely well crafted songs almost every time.
I lived in Detroit and worked in the aeras where they unloaded the ore ships At Ford motor company. and I have heard the bell ring 29 times for each man on that Ship. After this many years it still brings sadness to my Heart.
Gordon caught some heat for comparing the Maritime Sailors Cathedral as "musty." He later changed that lyric in later versions of the song. Yes, It's a real place too.
Lightfoot has the most "haunting" voice ever. After you hear him sing one song you can't unhear it.
Agreed
November 10, 1975. I was 10 years old, and just moved in with my grandparents. I now live on the southern shore of Lake Superior, literally just minutes from the lake. Those winter storms are brutal!
The haunting music between verses was Gordons way of honoring the memory of the sailors.❤
the bell ringing is an annual event it rang 29 times and one more for Gordon upon his passing. Lived near Lake Ontario , the lake is smaller than Superior but the waves can reach 20 ft +
I remember when this happened me and my dad just got into the upper peninsula of Michigan my dad had a cb radio in the car it was picking up the transmissions from the Edmund Fitzgerald my dad pulled into a marina on us2 heading west...we pulled into a marina..my dad told about the may day transmissions..I was 13 at the time I didn't understand what was happening but I still remember it until this day
This was the first song that showed me a deep appreciation of music as a kid. From the words to the instrumental. It’s great.
After Gordon passed in 2023, the bells rang 30 times in respect. His masterpiece was an inspiration and hope for the betterment of the families.
I live in Michigan and have saw storms out on Superior that are horrifying... In the song he says that she never likes to give up her dead... This comes from the fact that the water is so cold year round that it's too cold to allow the body to produce the bacteria that causes it to float after a human passes.. They sink to the bottom....
I was 15 still remember
November 10, 1975. 😢 never forget.
I live in the upper peninsula of michigan, not far from where this happened. My house is teo blocks from lake superior and its coooooldddd, even in the summer. michigan has two separate peninsulas, the upper peninsula and the lower peninsula, only connected by a 5 mile long bridge called the mackinac bridge, so essentially two different states in one. Such a great and tragic song.
I saw Gordon Lightfoot in concert in about 1976. You could have heard a pin drop when he sang this song. When the sound filled the concert hall, it added to the sound of peril and mourning. Wonderful and tragic song.
The bells ring 30 times now in detroit .. Gordon lightfoot was honored with that ..
Gordon was a gifted artist, and a kind person. He contacted the families before releasing the song to make sure he had their consent. RIP.
Lady, I like this setup. Face to face again. It personable. Thumbs up!! This song is a tearjerker and a classic.
Lightfoot was Canadian and given the proximity of the Edmund Fitgerald's wreck, the incident was well-known in Canada.
I remember when this happened. It was definitely big news around the Great Lakes. We live near Lake Erie and when storms come across the lakes the winds are unreal. What was so shocking was that it was a huge ship. Mother Nature rules the world.
Gordon Lightfoot is an Canadian legend! Love his music!
The wreck of The Fitz hit my family hard as years before The Fitz went down we lost my grandmother, 2 of her siblings & the pilot to Lake Superior near Isle Royale & neither the plane or the bodies were ever found. The water is too cold. This was supposed to be the captain's final voyage before retirement. Another amazing story is of the captain & crew of another ship that made port safely but went back out into that storm looking for The Fitz. True courage! Lake Superior is absolutely beautiful but is really more of an inland ocean. It's huge, cold & can be very dangerous. And huge storms can develop quickly! But as final resting places go...it certainly is stunningly gorgeous.
Thank you Ma'am. I appreciate your input.
I've watched a dozen or more folks 'reacting' to this song (i love it) and your reaction was the most human I've seen. You wear your heart on your sleeve. I've been listening to this song since it came out in the 70s and I've never gotten tired of it. When Gordon Lightfoot died, a local radio station played this song on loop all day.
one of the best songwriters ever
I lived in Duluth Minnesot irember when that happened
I moved to Michigan in 1978, less than three years after the tragedy of the Edmund Fitzgerald. The Great Lakes are amazing. I don't how anyone not acquainted with very large bodies of water could comprehend it. Knowing the geography greatly helps in understanding this song, but it's still powerful without it. I'm just so grateful to the late Mr. Gordon Lightfoot for composing and performing this song, it illustrates the common culture among those who live around the Great Lakes, whether Canadian or American--the perils they face are the same.
Yes. there's an interview with the captain of the Arthur Anderson, who had radio contact with the Fitz, and the both of them were ploughing through the storm together, and the Fitz almost made it. Cooper said there was a huge wave that rolled right over his ship when they were by White Fish I think, and he was sure the Fitz would make it because it was bigger. He radioed McSorley, who answered "We're holding our own." and nothing else was heard after that. They were almost home.
I visited Michigan with family once and swam in Lake Huron. I found it hard to comprehend that it was fresh water. It was so huge..
Me, my parents, and my future husband saw Gordon Lightfoot back in 1977 at the Niagara Falls Convention Center. Awesome! Thank you for the reaction Jayy! God Bless!🐢🇺🇲
Glad you enjoyed it!
Beautiful reaction, Miss Jayy!
I remember clearly when that happened. It happened here on Lake Superior. I'm about 15-20 minutes from the Maritime Sailors Cathedral. It's sad to go there. People around here have a long memory for those 29 men. Last May the Mariners Cathedral rang the bell 30 times...29 for each man lost and the 30th for Gordon Lightfoot. I still cry every time I hear this. Thank you for remembering them.
That’s So sad
If you're interested, there's a tribute to the Fitz on the channel Ask a Mortician. She's actually covering the issue of diving on ship wrecks that are considered gravesites, and she goes into the history of the ship and crew, and the wishes of the families involved. Very respectful, and a good tribute. It'll make you cry.
@@Hollylivengood I will. Thank you!!
Still remember that storm standing on the shore of Lake Erie in Fair Port Harbor Ohio. The waves were incredible.I was around 15 years old !!! Woke to the news the next morning. I am 63 now.
A major reason Gordon Lightfoot wrote this song, was because he noticed that the stories on the news and in that papers kept misspelling the name of the ship, and the inquest more or less blamed the crew at the time. Lightfoot decided that the media should at least get it right, and proceeded to make sure the public knew the name of the ship, and that the crew was probably NOT to blame.
"Does any man know where the love of God goes, when the waves turn the minutes to hours?" One of the saddest lines I have ever heard....
Yes, the media was saying the crew didn't secure the hatches, and that would have done something. The crew had been working on the Fitz for a while, they knew what they were doing. I like the way that the words of the song were found to be true, there was a dive on the Fitz at the families request, and it was finally proven that even today, the hatches are intact, and the ship did indeed break deep because of the wave action, and took water. Thank you Gordon.
I live right across from Detroit and as a child I would see the ship as it passed through the Detroit river. He had visited the Detroit church a few times. As a matter of fact One of the mothers scolded him for saying Musky old hall. So he changed the words to say Rustic hall in Detroit . Every year you can hear the church bells when they chime 29 now 30 times. The last one was for him. That was a great tribute to him as well. He wrote the song on a flight to Florida from Toronto Reading it in the paper.
When storms come up on the Great Lakes they can be day.
The Fitz went down Nov 10th 1975. Lightfoot was annoyed by the media blowing the story off and wrote this song. He donated all proceeds to the families. The bell have rung 29 times on the anniversay of the loss. After Lightfoot passed away, the bells were rung 30 times. 29 times for the crew and once for Gordon Lightfoot.
I was a teenager when this came out. I'm a native Central Floridan, so before that The Great Lakes were just big blue dots on the North American map up near the Canadian border. We had studied lock systems in school and I knew they had them, but that was it.
When I really pay attention to this song I still go right back to feeling what you just did all these years later.
I was glad to learn that both countries have made Superior an official grave site and nobody can dive there even to document without special permission. Lake Superior's depths are near freezing. The bodies down there don't decompose, the usual gases don't form, and the lake never gives up her dead. The local Chippewa tribe have also knows.
Even as small as Lake Erie is, you can't see across it to Canada. And they can be extremely dangerous.
My uncle knew a guy who was on a coast guard boat leaving Duluth Minnesota for the approximate location of the fitzgerald and for some reason the engine lube pumps failed and they had to turn back into harbor and didn't get there until late the next day
The Edmund Fitzgerald sank in 1975. Gordon Lightfoot didn't think it got the coverage it should have, so he wrote this song about it
Gitchee gumee (sp?) Is an Ojibwa term meaning great sea,...
Gordon Lightfoot asked permission from the families before releasing the song.
I try every year to play this song on Nov 10th. I remember this. I was about 11. Just lost my momma yesterday, this song first thing i seen this morning.😢❤love this song.
❤️
This is such a hard song for young people to react to. Shipwrecks are ancient; couldn't possibly be, "Modern." I was 8 years old in 1975 and being raised in Michigan. Big story in my family at the time.
Modern history. This is years after the 1960's.
YOU reacted exactly the same way I do....every time....for decades....I remember the original news reports & how we all hoped for a better outcome.....THANK YOU for your candid reaction EH!🍁🍁🍁🍁
4:33.... ish
"Does anyone know where the love of God goes when the waves turn the minutes to hours?"
What an intensely descriptive lyric!
This is the profound and deepy sad tale of the loss of an entire crew of a Great Lakes ore carrier. This song is so deeply touching.
Technically, the Edmund Fitzgerald was headed for Zug Island in Detroit, not Cleveland. Maybe it was headed for Cleveland to reload.
One of the very best story songs ever although it is a sad true story.
At 7:10 pm the Fitzgerald spoke to the Anderson, at which time Captain McSorley stated, “We are holding our own.”
Those were the last words heard from the Fitzgerald.
The Arthur M. Anderson was about 10 miles behind, guiding them because the Fitz was running blind because the storm had taken out both it's radars systems. The were the last ship to see them too. The Coast Guard asked the Anderson to go back out and look for survivors because they were the closest ship. There are recordings of the radio conversations, and you could tell the Captain of the Anderson was terrified to go back out there, but they did anyway. And their ship was just as big and fully loaded like the Fitz. That's bravery.
I saw pictures of the Arthur M Anderson after she'd arrived at port and she had been chewed up pretty good by the waves and wind and her crew still voted to go back out into the storm. There was another freighter, the SS William Clay Ford that also went back out to look for survivors - the crew voting to join the search.@@ffjsb
@@audreyjohnson4599 That's correct. Sad thing is, even if they'd had survival suits, they never would've survived that storm.
@@audreyjohnson4599the Ford was unloaded with only ballast water.
The Arthur Anderson is still sailing the Great Lakes. I was surprised a couple years ago, when I saw on live cam that she was the first ship to leave the Duluth harbor for the year.
That church next to the Ren Cen in downtown Detroit is the Mariners church. They still ring the bell every year for the lost.
There is another video out there showing the underwater footage when they found the ship
I am a retired US Navy Cook! 🇺🇸🇺🇸 This song is near and dear to my heart 💜
Thank you for your service
True story,happened in november 1975. Last radio transmisson was,(were holding our own).
The bodies remain in Superior; the cold, deep water preserves them. The site is protected by the Canadian government from exploration, recovery, etc., as it is a tomb.
Going back to the 17th century, there are around 6,000 shipwrecks in the great lakes, from rowboats to the Edmund Fitzgerald, the largest ship to sink in the Great Lakes. The Great Lakes are beautiful on nice sunny days, but storms can be severe and brutal on any of the lakes, and on Superior, waves up to 35+ feet can occur.
Gitchee Gumee is Native American/ Ojibwe name for Lake Superior. Longfellow's poem "Hiawatha's Childhood" also refers to the lake as Gitchee Gumee.
I remember when the ship went down, we lived in the upper peninsula of Michigan for a few years, the water temperature would be in the mid 50’s in July so you can imagine what it was like in the winter. Those guys didn’t stand a chance.
I do like to see some of your reactions as you do have a good, sensitive nature to the content of songs & pay attention to them. This was a great song in the very lyrical way Gordon Lightfoot pays tribute to the memory of those lost in this shipwreck (& also brings attention & tribute to those left behind by such a sad story.) I don't remember the details but I believe that the profits he received from this song went to the families of those left behind? I could be mistaken on this.
I am glad that you are starting to expand the number of artists you react to & explore some Canadian artists also, as we have a LOT of talent in a lot of different styles that have been EXTREMELY good - (as government policies in this country made sure to support Canadian artists.) I hope this (& your reaction to Alannah Myles & some others?) is just the start of your discovery of what my country has to offer.
All the best. ❤
Lake Superior is huge. It took me a day and a half to drive over her top half before properly heading west when driving to Vancouver.
This was a huge story at the time, especially for the folks around the Great Lakes like me. The Edmund Fitzgerald was the biggest ship that ever sank in the Lakes.
Oh my
Gordon Lightfoot was a Canadian singer/songwriter. In the 1970s, this was a timely story in the news, so he wrote and recorded a song about it, and it was a hit record for Lightfoot.
"Does anyone know where
The love of God goes,
When waves turn minutes
To hours"
Pretty amazing that a 6 minute song about a shipwreck went to #2 on the US charts (#1 in Canada)
Why this song was never picked up by a screenwriter I just don’t know. This would be such an amazing movie . I just believe it. The movie with George Clooney was decent but this could be better with the right team!