I was on the Edmond Fitzgerald for 4 hours in 1973. I was a engineer on the Reserve, a sister ship to the Edmond Fitzgerald. I boarded the Edmond to get spare parts for my ship. The crew of the Edmond were so kind and friendly. The engineers on board gave me beers for 4 hours and I left with my spare parts. I will never forget how nice the crew was to me.
@@EiffelTower8931 when I sailed on the Great Lakes the crew members knew all about which ships were associated with other ships ect. I did not know about other vessels except the one I sailed on. Thank you for your input.
On the night of Gordon’s passing, a spring squall rolled through Northern Michigan, I broadcast this tune for all the souls to hear on the shores of Lake Huron. Like the lighthouses of old, I relay the presence of a great man in this world as a tribute to an amazing artist. This man personally played for my elementary school when I was 9 years old. Thank you Mr. Lightfoot
I was pulled from the ocean 20 years ago, suffering a severely sprained neck and concussed from the waves. Gordon's line, "Does anyone know where the love of God goes when the waves turn the minutes to hours?" is the most powerful, empathetic line I have ever heard ever. Incredible, truly incredible songwriter. RIP Mr Lightooft, and thank you for understanding.
Lightfoot is one of the greatest story tellers through song of all time. Black Day In July and the unofficial Canadian national anthem "Canadian Railarod Trilogy " are two of ny favorites.
@@alphadog1961 He kind of got some crap at the time because he basically just copied the lyrics from a newspaper article for the song. But the song did have the important effect of preserving the memory of the wreck much better than any news article would have. I mean, this happened a few years before I was born, and I probably would not have even heard of it if not for the song.
@Fjrbrbrg Actually, they don't. None of my history books mentioned anything about it. 90% of the material in my history classes focused on the history of Europe and Napoleon. Outside of the Colonial period and Revolutionary and Civil Wars, there was very little about North American history. I didn't even know until I was in college that Texas was briefly an independent country.
My dad told me to get dressed late one night when I was about 12 and said, "Come on, we're going for a drive." He played me this song along with several others from another band and we had zero conversation during the entire drive, just filled the silence with music. Music was our love language. I'll never forget that drive, it's one of my most cherished memories. Dad died last year and the recent passing of Gordon Lightfoot is very sad to me because this song is why that memory is so wonderful.
I bought my dad a best of Gordon Lightfoot CD for father's day a few years ago. When he opened it he was delighted, and said "How did you know I liked Gordon Lightfoot?", as he'd never once mentioned Lightfoot to me before. We had an intuitive understanding of what the other liked, so I just knew he'd like it. My dad also passed away last year. Just gone a year.
@pjsmoulder that's how my dad and I were too, musical soulmates. Always swapping songs and new bands with total certainty that the other would love it. I'm sorry to hear about your dad's passing, time moves strangely now and things are a little emptier than they were before.
My father passed away last night. He spent his entire career steering lake freighters across the Great Lakes. (He retired from the Sam Laud.) The Edmund Fitzgerald wrecked the November before I was born. I grew up with stories about it every winter. This song will remain part of the story of my dad's life. ❤
Same here...im w hours from Superior on canadian side and there is a storm warning with brutal winds...the weather turns so fast...can not imagine what those men went through...RIP
Gordon Lightfoot, who wrote and performed this song, died last night, May 1, 2023. International Workers' Day. He wrote this song to honor those regular men, who suffered a horrific death while they were just doing their everyday job. Let us all pause to remember and give thanks for the everyday working people, those people we never see or think of who make our own lives easier by their labor and sacrifices. Sailors, soldiers, truckers, longshoremen, farmers, pilots, firefighters, nurses, teachers, veterinarians, caregivers... So many people who are on the fronlines yet in the background, working hard, just struggling to survive and take care of their families and others and do good things in this life. Some of them do not make it out alive. Honor them. ❤
My great uncle Ernest McSorley was the captain of the Edmund Fitzgerald. Rip to my great uncle and the crew. You gentlemen died doing what you loved and are heroes in my books
Sorry for the loss- I graduated from Piney Point- deep sea Steward Dept. from 1979-1982. Loved every minute of it. Goggle the “SS Poet” disappearance in 1983. I lost 2 close classmates when she went down. I m 63 and would love to walk up a gangway - sail- 1 last time. Just show me the galley 😁. People have no idea , once you get seawater in your veins, it stays with you for life. RIP crew of the “ Fitz”
"Mariners’ Church of Detroit Mourns the Passing of Gordon Lightfoot Mariners’ Church of Detroit is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Gordon Lightfoot on May 1st. We are forever grateful to him for honoring the 29 men who lost their lives on November 10, 1975, in his immortal song, “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.” That song referenced Mariners' Church and its late Rector, Bishop Richard Ingalls Sr., ringing the bell 29 times to honor the crew of the Fitzgerald. Lightfoot’s song included the line, “The church bell chimed ‘til it rang twenty-nine times…” recalling the early morning of November 11, 1975, as word of the Fitzgerald tragedy began to spread. Bishop Ingalls woke early that morning to ring the church’s Brotherhood Bell to honor the Fitzgerald. Ingalls said he paused between each of the 29 pulls, allowing the sound to echo over the quiet city on that cold November dawn. In honor of Gordon Lightfoot, Mariners’ Church will ring its bell 30 times today, May 2 at 3:00 p.m. We invite you to join us in a moment of silence as the bell tolls. The Trustees of Mariners’ Church of Detroit"
God bless you for honoring the memory of Gordon Lightfoot in such a beautiful manner . He will live in our minds and hearts forever through his amazing music .
“Does any one know where the love of God goes When the waves turn the minutes to hours?” … is one of the most haunting lyrics I’ve ever heard. And when he goes on to sing about the Great Lakes. Such a genius songwriter. RIP Mr. Lightfoot.
I first heard this song in 1978. It really floored me. Before there was steel, there was iron ore. The ore had to get to the steel mill - men had to haul the ore. Sometimes it did not go well. 😢
And the church bells chimed till they rang “30” times, for each man on the Edmund Fitzgerald, and once for Gordon Lightfoot who died today at 84😢 This is the greatest memorial ballad of all time. RIP Gordon “ It’s been good to know yeh”.
I had this same thought that they should ring the bell a 30th time in memory of Gordon Lightfoot for making this song as a tribute to the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.
As a former sailor, this is the most haunting song I've ever listened to. As a blue-collar worker who has lost family to job-related incidents, this may be the best tribute ever written.
There trip would have been the last before they would dock for winter .such a sad story told so well vocally and musically .A masterpiece !! I can here God using Gordon’s voice to eulogies the men on board he loved!!!
@William Cooper... I couldn't agree with you more. The music is so beautiful, hauntingly beautiful. I've never heard a story put into a song so deep in ones soul and again, expressed so hauntingly beautiful.
I always get very misty and sad when I hear this song. I was a young girl and I remember the song more than the ship and it's death But listening to it right this minute 45 years later and I have tears in my eyes..One of those songs that gives you the feels.
RIP Gordon Lightfoot. This is one of the most haunting and beautiful songs ever. It's very special to me. My uncle Roger was a Sailor and Merchant Marine and worked those Lakes for many years. At 6'5", he was a bear of a man and tough as nails. Rest in Peace to the 29 souls of the Fitzgerald.
Through fate or chance I happened to live by a daughter of a Great Lake's freighter Captain. One of our last conversations he showed me pictures he had taken of other freighters. He mentioned he was in awe of the Edmund Fitzgerald's light stand. He told me took a picture of it alight at night, the night before, when they all were tucked in on the leeward side of the Keewanaw Peninsula. When I asked if I could see those pictures he grew silent and wiped a tear from his eye. I pray those pictures won't be lost to humanity.
I’m a heavy metal , black metal, guitarist and the first time I heard this song it blew the bells from hell out of me, it’s been the greatest and most honorable song in existence to all who have perished in the oceans and rivers and lakes, magically written mr. light foot. Rest wherever you may roam.
I'm a crappy guitarist / lifelong metalhead, and I've always felt that the world needs a metal cover of this song. But it needs to stay true. Not flashy, not gore and horror; something that pays solemn respect to the men (and their families) that perished.
Gordon was one of the greatest storytellers of all time.And his songs will give me memories to last a lifetime.You'll be dearly missed,but not forgotten. RIP Gordon Lightfoot,RIP.
Sitting in Two Harbors, MN as I listen to this on November 10, 2022, 47 years to the day after the Edmund Fitzgerald and her crew perished. Tonight my wife and I will be going to Split Rock Lighthouse for the annual lighting of the beacon in honor of the crew. It’s the only night of the year they light the beacon as maritime navigation is radio and satellite based now. We have wanted to make this pilgrimage for years and finally are making it happen. There was thunder, lightning and heavy rains over night and gale force winds this morning. There will be rain and strong winds all day so we expect an eerily reminiscent ceremony this evening when they ring the bell once for each of the 29 souls who gave their lives. I first heard Gordon’s song in college, well before ever knowing the story. It has been a haunting song for 47 years, one I can put on ‘repeat’ and listen to for hours. Blessings to the families who have lost loved ones at sea!
When I read the words you wrote I felt very sad for the crew, this song and the tale it tells is a haunting reminder that we are at the mercy of the awesome power of nature... but to hear that the remembrance ceremony is accompanied by ringing the bell 29 times immediately brought tears to my eyes. I never knew anyone directly affected by this tragedy, and of course, you and I have never met either, but I feel that I want to say "Thank you" for attending on behalf in some small way, of those of us who cannot.
Gordon Lightfoot and this song were mentioned on the CBC this morning, so I thought I would listen to it. Your story, and my listening to the song, have given me a much greater appreciation of this tragic event. Thanks.
It occurs to me that turning off the lights in favor of electromagnetic navigational aids, is a _grave mistake._ A grave, grave mistake. I'm hardly a technophobe, quite the opposite, but eschewing _proven_ technologies that are reliable and idiot-proof is a bad idea. I mean, I'm obviously just talking nonsense, I mean, it's an absolutely inconceivable, nonsense scenario to imagine a ship that has lost its communications ability but is still under power, right?!
I still remember the night the Edmund Fitzgerald sunk. My husband & I were driving on the TransCanada highway headed for Thunder Bay. We were somewhere east of the town of Marathon when that fierce storm hit. Such furious wind, sleet and waves on the lake. Storm had been building up throughout the day, making driving very difficult. Managed to safely shelter that night. Next morning, weather was calm, cold and overcast. Just before arriving into Thunder Bay, heard about the wreck on the radio. Entire city was sombre and sad about the loss. Still live in Northern Ontario and have never experienced a fall storm quite like that one. Whenever I hear this song, it instantly takes me back to that day and night. A moving tribute to those brave men. Now he is with them.❤
@@ricklane9360 Today is the 48th anniversary of the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald, November 10, 1975. I believe she sunk in the early evening between 7 or 8 pm, that's when they heard the last Mayday signal. She was trying to get to the nearest sheltered bay, Whitefish Bay on the Canadian side. The storm as I remembered was at its peak then, just wild. You couldn't see anything and there were high winds. Even blew transport trucks on their sides, accidents on the TransCanada highway all over the place. We had to stop driving, barely made it into Gore Bay, Ontario to seek shelter.
I am not from the Great Lakes region, but because of the song, I've tried to learn about the sinking over the years; I was very young when this happened, but recall my parents discussing it. Two days ago, I read some historical recaps of the weather from 11/10/75. They did not have the sophisticated radar available today. The program showed the progression and buildup of the storm: the worst of the waves, wind and snow converged on the Fitz's position as she approached Whitefish Bay. Gordon Lightfoot's song appears to be correct: "The searchers all say they'd have made Whitefish Bay if they put fifteen more miles behind her". I watched the memorial ceremonies from Split Rock Lighthiuse and the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum (both on livestream) - these were incredibly dignified and moving. RIP to Edmund Fitzgerald: never forgotten.
Today the bell at the Maritime Sailor's Cathedral in Detroit rang an extra time in memory of Gordon Lightfoot for this incredible salute to the men who died on "The Fitz" as the ship RIP Mr Lightfoot, Canada's greatest balladeer and a true son of the Great Lakes region. He joins the crew and enters the records as a truly great songster and poet.
You know sir if my memory serves me correctly I remember exactly where I was when I heard this ballad the first time at maybe 12 years old on a small battery powered am radio, at the time I couldn't fully comprehend the magnitude of the songs story while at the same time it made me shiver...... I can almost visualize the scene as the good shipping crew all jovial and grinning take Mr. Lightfoot by the arm while thinking him for the song...... John Prine taking it all in while he smokes a ciggeratte nine miles long......
I was working at Durty Nellie’s Irish Pub in 1976. This song was played on the jukebox at least once an hour. All conversations stopped. The whole bar knew the lyrics and sang along, patrons, waitresses, bartenders, everyone. We all loved it. To this day, I get a chill down my spine as soon as I hear the opening steel strings of this song. For the haunting story, the men lost in that horrible storm, and for the men who work on the Great Lakes freighters every night since.
@@billyjoe415- Durty Nellie’s truly was one heck of a place. I worked at the original ancient ramshackle one on Bothwell, across from Mac & Al’s (now Lamplighter.) Everyone went there every night, it was the place to be. A good old bar where you ran into people you knew forever. The current one by the train station is so shiny and new, only the name is the same.
@@galechicago325 My old group from Motorola go there every December. (Even though most of us don't work there anymore) We are planning to be there this December, but since they will tear down for condos, sadly I think this will be the last year.
A trucker here that cut my teeth in the 70's & 80's hauling steel all over the great lakes region, when that was considered the industrial steel belt. The song is loaded with history and now nostalgia of bygone days of good Ole USA.
The legendary folk singer himself has joined those 29 men on the Fitz as it sails to eternal life. Rest easy Gord! Thanks for one great tune after another!
"Does anyone know where the love of God goes when the waves turn the minutes to hours" These lyrics give me chills every time; in a few words he fully captured human helplessness and awe of facing nature's immense power.
Hearing the entire bridge hurt me, as a native Clevelander. I grew up on stories of the Edmund Fitzgerald from my daddy, and a southern upbringing doesn't soothe that hurt.
Not sure if God had much to do with the wreck, except maybe Mammon. According to a documentary I watched, it was a poorly designed ship and maintenence was lacking. It shouldn't have gone out in those conditions, and the captain must have known that, but there was money to be made. And we all know how much lives are worth to corporations when profit is on the line...
I love this line, it really makes you think of what those men went through, and how long their fight to survive felt. It's hard to imagine what that would've been like but this line really brings it home. I feel the loss every time I hear this song, even though I didn't know anyone affected, and that's what makes this one of the best songs I've ever heard.
Having just heard that he passed, I came here to listen to one of Gordon's most beautiful songs; Rest in Peace, sir, and may you sail on peaceful waters...
I am from Michiggan but live and work in the oilfields of North Dakota. I met an elderly man when i was home visiting family in the U. P. OF Mchigan. I was helping him put his wheelchair in his van when he asked if i was from Michigan. I said yes but i lived in North Dakota now. He asked what i was doing there and i told him i worked in the oilfields. He said wow thats very cool but i have a cool story also. When i was young i worked for the people that owned the Edmond Fitzgerald. I was stunned... he said yeah we were in Northern Lake Huron that night when she went down and we went into Superior to try and help.... i lost a lot of friends that night (with tesrs in his eyes). All i could say (with tears in mine) was im honored to have met you.
!When supper time came the old cook came on deck saying fellows its to rough feed ya, @ 11 pm the main hatchway caved in fellows its been good to know ya.
This was my Dad's favorite song, when I bought a cassette tape with this song it dissapeared, I found it in my Dad's collection, he passed away in 2018, I made sure this song was played at his funeral, it still brings tears to my eyes, I miss you Dad
RIP Gordon, being a retired trucker with over 4 million miles this song helped me through many lonely,sleepless nights,it seemed a haunting tribute to those who traveled for a living.
My grandfather was on the lake that night, second in command on another freighter. He said they hugged the shoreline rather than risked it out in the open, and luckily made it. This song played at his funeral when he passed 20 years ago this past April. Miss you, grandpa.
What a fascinating story, thank you for sharing. Your grandfather sounds like he was an amazing man. I bet you have many more interesting stories. I recently watched a great National Geographic documentary on Disney Plus called "Drain the Great Lakes" and it mentions the Edmund Fitzgerald.
30 And Hating It thank you and my condolences. My late paternal grandfather was a World War II Army veteran whose brother in law (my grandma's youngest brother) was a Navy veteran so the water and the seashore has always been a special refuge for me.
@@megatuanis His grandpa may well have been an amazing man, but it takes more than a two-sentence story about how he played it safe and suffered no harm to establish that.
Kris Kringle no, he said that their ship hugged the shore, whereas the Anderson was behind the Fitz in the middle of the lake. He was probably on the Wilfred Sykes as they predicted the storm and used the northern shore for protection.
I wrote extensively about the Edmund Fitzgerald yesterday and again this morning online. I even went so far as to write about the 7 souls lost on the Edmond Fitzgerald in 1883 and waited until tonight to open a nice porter beer and listen to this song. I’ll probably listen to 4 or 5 more renditions before the night is over.
Being that I was born and raised in Michigan, this song always gives me goosebumps. Yesterday being the anniversary I always think back to that day and just wonder what the poor crew was thinking and also think about their respective family members.
This song is synonymous with my father and my favorite teacher. They bother loved this song and Gordon Lightfoot. Now hearing of his passing, I am so deeply saddened. He was a wonderful man and I loved his messages in his music. Rest In Peace, Gordon. You’ve inspired generations. I’ll always love you.
From the bottom of our hearts, as Canadians, Thank You, Gordon, for telling our stories to the world🇨🇦We'll always miss you, but we thank you for leaving us a rich musical legacy that'll live for eternity🙏🇨🇦🎶💔😥
"Does anyone know where the love of God goes, when the waves turn the minutes to hours?" This has to be the most powerful and evocative lyric ever written.
Out of all of the many, MANY videos Ive watched on YT, the comments in this one have touched my heart more than any other. The memories shared and the heartfelt condolences to Mr Lightfoot are just incredible. Thank you to everyone who left such profound comments. I'd like to think that when he stepped into eternity that he was met by the 29 souls whose story is told in this hauntingly beautiful song by this iconic singer/songwriter. Rest peacefully Gordon; thank you for sharing your music with us.
What a beautiful awesome thought, having 29 Mariners meet Gordon Lightfoot at The Golden Gates of Heaven! Thank you for posting this, very heartwarming. I was privileged to see him in concert
I remember seeing her go by my Grandfathers house on the ST Clair River many times. It was a ship everyone knew. I myself was enamored with it I would sit and wait for her to go by day after day. Someone in my family knew someone on the ship and got me a tour on her a few times. I loved the crew they would take me all over the ship and for an 8 or 9 year old it was awesome. I would get back to school and tell all my friends about it and they wouldn't believe me. Then came that day, it came over the announcements at school that she sank and we were having a minute of silence. I hear this song and it still brings a tear to my eye at 56 years of age remembering the crew that made a 8 year olds dream of being on that ship a reality. TO the Crew of the Fitz RIP. Thank You your still missed.
WOW! Your post really gave me "chills" all over! What precious, priceless memories you have! I don't know why that whole story and song are so captivating all these many years later! I grew up in Indian River, Mich., 30 miles south of the Straits. I remember well when that happened, and when Gordon's song came out. I listened to it every chance I got! My family & I watched the Mighty Mac being built! That was exciting history to be a part of also, but of course in a very different way.
thanks for this....where would the crew have been during the storm--in their rooms on the ship---were there bunk beds/a a large galley for meals?--at the front/back of the ship? did they have a protocol for what to do during a storm? etc
I imagine that was an amazing sight. I lived in Duluth when I was young and loved to go down to the canal and watch the boats come and go. When we'd go down by the lake, I'd see the freighters come in and imagine the Fitz coming through, but I was born in the 80s, well after she sank. It always blew my mind seeing how big those boats are.
I cannot listen to this song without getting choked up. Every time. Not just the oh so incredibly sad lyrics, and the moaning guitar work in the song,... I found out that Gordon Lightfoot contributes all his profits from this, his song, to the families of the lost crew. They're all American citizens. Gordon is Canadian, a national treasure.
I’m reading this, tears streaming down my muttonchopped face, thinking of those brave souls who go out to this day to keep things rolling for OUR SAKE! Thank you for all your efforts, all who sail on the lakes. Past, present, and future.
As a former member of the U.S. Navy whose ship was once caught by the edge of a Typhoon about 100 miles out of Subic Bay in The Philippines, this song scares the living shit out of me every time I hear it.
I was on the USS Enterprise out of Subic Bay in 1979 and we got caught in a typhoon too. Had to leave port for fear of damage to the pier. I remember to this day waves rolling over bow of the ship and that's 90'!! We were in a GQ lockdown almost the whole day with every hatch sealed. I was 18 and didn't quite feel the magnitude of the storm and that nothing could happen to a ship that size and perhaps the EF felt the same way when they headed out. But Mother Nature can never be taken for granted.
@@packman5906 We were far enough out on the edge that we never got waves over the railing, just spray, but we were on Condition Dog Zebra for almost a day. I was on the Acadia. Just a big old Destroyer Tender. We had roughly 20 meters of Freeboard between the water and the fo'c'sle, and while I was on Starboard Lookout that afternoon I was watching the waves hit our anchor, which was only about 2 meters below the fo'c'sle. (Forward Anchor Room was the first compartment below the fo'c'sle.) Only time I ever had to stand Lookout with a safety harness attached to the gunnel. Thankfully the Yellowstone class are a tough ship, so we made it through fine. But I kept seeing in my mind the time a couple of days earlier when I looked over the railing and saw a massive school of sharks, pressed up against the hull, reaching as far out as I could see to each side of the ship, and in a line that trailed the ship for at least half a mile.
@PatCapp -- I was a US Marine on board the USS Point Defiance in South China Sea, 1965 sailing through the wake of some damn typhoon. We were confined to our compartments and strapped into our racks. Galley was closed because you can't cook when the deck is always pitching and rolling. It was baloney sandwiches, apple or orange; an Oreo; and a half-pint of milk 3X a day for 2 days. Even the sailors were throwing up ! The noises coming from the ship's hull and deck plates was really scary. Popping; banging; groaning and screeching the entire time. No sleeping.....waiting to hear abandon ship orders. No thanks....
@@thetigerstripes thanks for your service. I love to hear tales of the things that happened during Vietnam. My uncle was infantry in Vietnam 68’ and Vietnam changed him forever.
My father was working a construction job in Duluth MN at the time of the sinking , there was a waitress at restaurant He ate at , that waitress had family on that ship . Dad told me this story This has always been deep in my heart Rest in peace all the crew . And God be with the family and friends of the crew.
I will never forget the wreck of the Fitzgerald - a high school clasmate of mine was one of the 29 who died- only 20 years old. And what a beautiful song memorializing these men.
My uncle died at sea during WWII. Hearing the line "Does anyone know where the love of God goes when the waves turn the minutes to hours" sends shivers up my spine and chills clear through to my heart. No amount of praying could help. R.I.P. all lost crew members everywhere and kindest regards to their families.
Yep cause I can honestly tell anyone when your out in the middle of nowhere on 15 foot seas it is truly when you grasp just how small you really are in our world and just how powerless you are compared to the earth's mite
@@bigbillhenry Can you imagine it? The men on the Fitzgerald must have felt that smallness 1000 times as the ship was literally torn apart, and they never. Stopped. Fighting.
It’s been almost fifty years since I first heard this song. Gave me chills then and still does this day. And on the day of Mr. Lightfoot’s passing I felt the Witch of November as perhaps many fans of this man did. If there is an afterlife perhaps she helped to gently carry Gordon to the other side of the veil. Woulnn’t it be great if Mr. Lightfoot got to finally meet the valiant crew of the Edmund Fitzgerald! We can dream, right?
The crew is thanking him right now for bringing awareness and recognition of such a tragedy to the next generation,RIP Gordon Lightfoot and the crew of the Edmund Fitzgerald.
Kevin ~ Mee too! l was ten when the song came out, and l liked it then. But hearing it again as an adult, and reading the words l am _blown away_ at the impact of the words, and phrasing! lt was done in _one take_ too! STUNNING! ~ Vancouver BC. :D
Well, if he was drunk, I'd like to get torn off like that because that was an incredible piece of music and storytelling. Someone should do a song about petty little negative people.
@merclb56 *Those family members of the deceased souls are also remembered! We know that your men's hard work allowed us to live our lives well.* God Bless
This has to be one of the best ballads ever written. Gives me chills. I love the way he tells the story of the ship, the storm, the 29 men, and even throws in a great lakes geography lesson.
Wasnt there a TV movie done about the EG? Imagine if not, with CGI they could make it really realistic. Would be sad but a tremendous honor to those who died.
I saw Gordon Lightfoot play in my Hometown of Halifax Nova Scotia with my father a number of years ago now. He was pretty old, and I could tell that he wasn’t going to be with us for too long a time. But he put on a wonderful performance, and everyone in the crowd was very pleased. Continue to rest in Paradise Gordon. You were a wonderful man and an absolutely brilliant musician. You inspired so many other great future talents. G-d love you.
RIP Gordon Lightfoot... One of the greatest singer songwriter musicians ever. Being a retired trucker with over 4 million miles the song helped me through many long lonely sleepless nights, I looked at it as a haunting tribute to those who make their living traveling.
*A true Canadian legend and icon.* Thank you for everything Gordon, you were so talented and shared it with the world. Canada has lost a Northern Star... a guiding light to all of us. Travel well, you have earned your rest , but do share a song or two while you go. *RIP Mr Lightfoot, may your guitar always be in tune and your voice strong and clear.*
I was a combat medic in veitnam in 69. I now have pending terminal bone cancer. Gords songs helped me to cope and reajust. I live near lake superior, and go there often. This song gives me solace to look at the reality of how we have to eventually face our own death with honor and dignity. I have been very close to many forms of death in its manner of being. This song comforts me in the unusual sense of completion. Thank you gordon for all you have done for all of us with your music. From the silence of the north.
Thank you for your service in Vietnam and care for our wounded soldiers....you saw the worst of what humanity can inflict upon one another. I pray that the VA is helping you and your family during your health crisis, and agree that the quiet peace of nature can reduce stress and pain. God bless.
Today marks 49 years. I did a humanities paper in college on the Mariners Museum. It was very somber and eerie. I listened to the chimes...so sad. All of the Great Lakes ghost ships are there...all you have to do is listen.......
"We're holding our own, going along like an old shoe." - Last transmission from the Edmund Fitzgerald. Rest in peace to all the fine men lost on that night.
My WW2 veteran great stepdad got me this album recently he’s 102 years old and still kicking this guy walks with two canes instead of a Walker, he said this song described his life in then navy during the Normandy landings. And to be honest I believe him! Old guys just have that vibe that you just HAVE to believe. When he heard of Lightfoot passing he said he’d listen to this song 31 times over 30 for the crew and one more for Lightfoot
I remember this song from hearing it every morning for probably 2 months. It was something that wrapped around your throat and made you feel the loss of the 29 crewmembers.
Exactly! As is inscribed on the Peace Arch we are "Children of a Common Mother". I'm suddenly reminded of a youtube video I've seen: an NHL game,played in Canada,between a US team and a Canadian team. As the US National Anthem was being sung the singer's microphone went out half way through. The crowd, in unison, then proceeded to finish it...perfectly! I'm embarrassed to admit that all I know of the Canadian National Anthem is "we stand on guard for thee".
I was 12 when this happened, spent three days on the shore with a group of my best pals searching for what we could (wreckage, bodies, anything). Dumb kids just trying to help sure, but we were genuine. It's the reason most of us joined the Coast Guard & Fire / EMS service. God bless those brave souls.
My father was lost overboard in the Med, around the time you would have been born. He left a wife and a son and a daughter. I was 5 years old and I spend several years as a little girl wondering if he'd managed to get ashore where someone could help him and he'd walk in the door one day. I realise this sounds completely daft, but I thank you for searching.
I’m now 61. My dad was a commercial fisherman in New Bedford Mass the biggest fishing fleet in America in the 60’s/70’s. I followed his footsteps in the 90’s. I was 14 when she sank. I’ll never forget the day it happened. Hard working good men went into eternity. Sons, brothers, fathers, uncles all perished. This song always gets me in the heart.
I'm 59,my dad was a commercial fisherman in BILOXI,MS. WHERE I grew up.. he quit school in the 6th grade to work boats and later he built 3 of his own to use, and was in the process of building his 4th when he passed away in 1977 of cancer and chirrosh of the liver. He was a hard working man who lived his family and worked his WHOLE life to take care of his family.
I've always loved this song as well and I never knew it was real till I got older once we got the internet and I got a phone I was able to look it up and Discover it was based on a true story so sad that everybody lost their lies especially since the Edmund Fitzgerald was the biggest of her kind at the time so damn sad
When I joined the coast guard in 1977 our boot camp training commander played us this song on our 2nd day.. He was stationed at Coast Guard Station Portage when the Edmond Fitzgearld went down. He was very emotional about this incident because he was a 3rd class petty officer who was called on for the search. He wanted to explain to us "boots" how important it was to make our missions a life saving realization. I will never forget this story or song. God bless those lost lives.
Here I am listening to this on the 45 anniversary of the Edmund Fitzgerald's demise. While in the Duluth/Superior area as a kid on the family vacation many years ago. I was photographed by my father while a Great Lakes Freighter was in the background. Years later I came across this photo and observed that it was the Edmund Fitzgerald in the background.
@@aquaprofile With patience and fortune, that cloak around your conscience will lift, and you'll add years to your life with the sudden ability to envision detail from the experience.
@@Krusty-kl5ej the song is repetitive and lacks musical variation. It maintains the same melody, key, and tempo throughout, and the chorus is repeated several times. I find it monotonous and boring. It’s like somehow you find the lack of musical ideas for over 7 minutes “powerful and emotive” as some form of grand masterpiece. It just makes you sound pretentious and condescending
The older I get, the more I appreciate this song. The terror those men suffered. The loss to their families. Good to find so many other fine comments about this tragic event. May we all pledge to keep their memory going.
If it helps you, I doubt the crew experienced much terror. The great lakes are extremely wild bodies of water, so the crew knew that, and the Fitz went down so fast there was no time for reactions
@@RJ1999x she smacked into the 6th fathom shoal and went vertical. Anyone in the hull died on the impact. The bridge crew probably drowned. And I don't even want to think of what happend to the deck hands. Gives me shivers
*RIP* *10 NOVEMBER 1975* _Ernest McSorley - Captain born in 1912._ _John McCarthy - First mate born in 1913._ _James Pratt - Second mate born in 1931._ _Michael Armagost - Third mate born in 1938._ _David Weiss - Cadet born in 1953._ _Ransom Cundy - Watchman born in 1922._ _Karl Peckol - Watchman born in 1955._ _William Spengler - Watchman born in 1916._ _John Simmons - Senior wheelman born in 1913._ _Eugene O’Brien - Wheelman born in 1925._ _John Poviach - Wheelman born in 1916._ _Paul Riippa - Deckhand born in 1953._ _Mark Thomas - Deckhand born in 1954._ _Bruce Hudson - Deckhand born in 1953._ _George Holl - Chief engineer born in 1915._ _Edward Bindon - First assistant engineer born in 1928._ _Thomas Edwards - Second assistant engineer born in 1925._ _Russell Haskell - Second assistant engineer born in 1935._ _Oliver Champeau - Third assistant engineer born in 1934._ _Ralph Walton - Oiler born in 1917._ _Blaine Wilhelm - Oiler born in 1923._ _Thomas Bentsen - Oiler born in 1952._ _Gordon MacLellan - Wiper born in 1945._ _Robert Rafferty - Steward born in 1913._ _Allen Kalmon - Second steward born in 1932._ _Joseph Mazes - Special maintenance man born in 1916._ _Thomas Borgeson - Maintenance man born in 1934._ _Frederick Beetcher - Porter born in 1919._ _Nolan Church - Porter born in 1920._
48th anniversary now, first one without Gordon. Few disasters are remembered after six months, this day will be remembered for the rest of my life. One man and one song did that, that is a power so few in history have ever held. I'm glad this event will never be forgotten, thank you Mr. Lightfoot.
1976 I was with my mother in a bar, and I remember that song it was the first I ever heard. I was only 9 years old then, I'm 55 now. Song brings tears to my eyes just listening to it. Memories never die.
In case anybody's interested, the last ship to have radio and radar contact with the Edmund Fitzgerald - the Arthur M. Anderson - is still plying the Great Lakes. It's currently laid up for the winter in Toledo, Ohio. Amazing.
"Does anyone know where the love of God goes when the waves turn the minutes to hours" I'm not particularly religious but that line still brings tears to my eyes every time. What an amazing tribute. Also I really appreciate everyone who shared their stories and connection to the song here. I've lived near Lake Michigan my whole life and my dad served in the Navy, so I have a big respect for the power of nature and everyone who has to face up to it as part of their livelihoods. RIP to the crew of the Edmund Fitzgerald.
I love seeing all these comments about their fathers loving this song. My dad’s been gone 28 years and this song still makes me think of him. God bless all of your fathers and everyone this song is in tribute to
I was recently at my town's farmers market, and I passed by a small band, a violinist, a lead singer playing a banjo, and a violist. I stood in front of the band and heard them play this song from beginning to finish and it was the first time I heard the song. It was peaceful and moving and after it was finished beautifully with the strums of the bajo and viola my dad told me what the song was about and I was shocked. I'm here now, after listening to this song and I'm in tears for those lost to this ship wreck. May the souls lost on the Edmund Fitzgerald, rest in peace in Lake Superior and may their families and loved ones they left behind have a good life.
Gordon Lightfoot was actually at the lakeshore watching the storm when it went down. He wrote this song from his heart. An older guy I knew years ago had worked the ore docks and he knew every man on the Edmund Fitzgerald. In fact they always did a book exchange with the crew each time they were at the ore docks he worked at.
Thank you Mr. Lightfoot for this beautiful ballad, truly a masterpiece. You are now among the 29 you bestowed this tribute too. May you along with them, forever, rest in peace.
I think that my uncle (Tom)Thomas and shipmates would have been pleased with the tribute that Mr. Gordon Lightfoot created in their honor. Thanks you Gordon Lightfoot!
Gordon Lightfoot is like a renowned medieval bard. Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald is a North American Saga on the level of the Icelandic Sagas and you can't change my mind.
This song is very close to my heart. I had the honor to work on this great ship three tines when it was in dry dock over winter in Milwaukee Wi. the lasst year was 73. CAPTAIN McSorley became a good freinds and I thought he was a GREAT man. I will always value his freindship. THANK YOU, Gordon Lightfoot Great song.. GORDIE AHLF SR>
GORDIE, This song is a great tribute to "Big Fitz"& crew. Do you know what else it is? It is a great history lesson and a sort of bio. of the crew! Wonderful song! Thank you Gordon!♡♡♡♡♡ Norma Jean Morrissey
One of the most powerful lyrics ever. This ballad will never ever be forgotten nor it's powerful ode be forgotten. Lightfoot is always always remembered
This has always been one of my favorite songs. It is so beautifully written. Gordon Lightfoot was a genius to come up with such a song. My family on my dad’s side were Commercial fishermen out of Morro Bay, California. Four of them were killed in a storm off the California coast many years ago.
I was on the Edmond Fitzgerald for 4 hours in 1973. I was a engineer on the Reserve, a sister ship to the Edmond Fitzgerald. I boarded the Edmond to get spare parts for my ship. The crew of the Edmond were so kind and friendly. The engineers on board gave me beers for 4 hours and I left with my spare parts. I will never forget how nice the crew was to me.
Wow!
@@mikeyboy3054 I don’t get the wow. The beautiful souls on the Fitzgerald who were so kind to me are all gone.
Was the sister ship the Arthur M Anderson or another ship a forgot about
@@EiffelTower8931 when I sailed on the Great Lakes the crew members knew all about which ships were associated with other ships ect. I did not know about other vessels except the one I sailed on. Thank you for your input.
@gregoryprouty4872 wow as in he was enthralled by the story you told in a way
On the night of Gordon’s passing, a spring squall rolled through Northern Michigan, I broadcast this tune for all the souls to hear on the shores of Lake Huron. Like the lighthouses of old, I relay the presence of a great man in this world as a tribute to an amazing artist. This man personally played for my elementary school when I was 9 years old. Thank you Mr. Lightfoot
Well said. Thank you.
A fitting and poetic tribute to Gordan ....thank you!!
RIP Gordon Lightfoot. Hope you and the crew of the Fitzgerald are enjoying whatever comes next. Thanks for all your amazing music.
RIP Gordon .. Thank you for such amazing Lyrics and Music.
What a talent. His music and memory will live on. Thank you Gordon Lightfoot
I was pulled from the ocean 20 years ago, suffering a severely sprained neck and concussed from the waves. Gordon's line, "Does anyone know where the love of God goes when the waves turn the minutes to hours?" is the most powerful, empathetic line I have ever heard ever. Incredible, truly incredible songwriter. RIP Mr Lightooft, and thank you for understanding.
Agreed. You don’t really understand it until you’ve been through it. R.I.P. Gordon Lightfoot.
He was literally singing that line as I read the words in your comment. Hello Gordon! Only you could’ve made that happen! 😊
A legend
This is so freaky as I was reading your post when I got to where you wrote that lyric it was being sung on the video!. God is amazing!
Lightfoot is one of the greatest story tellers through song of all time. Black Day In July and the unofficial Canadian national anthem "Canadian Railarod Trilogy " are two of ny favorites.
Today, the bell will ring 30 times. One extra for the Late Gordon Lightfoot. Rest easy.
Thank you Detroit for that tribute to Gordon Lightfoot. 29 bells for each man lost and the 30th for Gordon Lightfoot. 🔔🇺🇸🇨🇦
It's Fitting...he kept this Legendary Shipwreck alive and well known with his song.He too is a Legend
@@alphadog1961 He kind of got some crap at the time because he basically just copied the lyrics from a newspaper article for the song. But the song did have the important effect of preserving the memory of the wreck much better than any news article would have. I mean, this happened a few years before I was born, and I probably would not have even heard of it if not for the song.
@@michaelorlando4761 Gotta stay in school buddy they teach you these things in history class.
@Fjrbrbrg Actually, they don't. None of my history books mentioned anything about it. 90% of the material in my history classes focused on the history of Europe and Napoleon. Outside of the Colonial period and Revolutionary and Civil Wars, there was very little about North American history. I didn't even know until I was in college that Texas was briefly an independent country.
My dad told me to get dressed late one night when I was about 12 and said, "Come on, we're going for a drive." He played me this song along with several others from another band and we had zero conversation during the entire drive, just filled the silence with music. Music was our love language. I'll never forget that drive, it's one of my most cherished memories. Dad died last year and the recent passing of Gordon Lightfoot is very sad to me because this song is why that memory is so wonderful.
I’ve had friends where we could do that. Deep people. I really miss it.
It's a beautiful and meaningful memory🖤 Ty for sharring
I bought my dad a best of Gordon Lightfoot CD for father's day a few years ago. When he opened it he was delighted, and said "How did you know I liked Gordon Lightfoot?", as he'd never once mentioned Lightfoot to me before. We had an intuitive understanding of what the other liked, so I just knew he'd like it. My dad also passed away last year. Just gone a year.
@pjsmoulder that's how my dad and I were too, musical soulmates. Always swapping songs and new bands with total certainty that the other would love it. I'm sorry to hear about your dad's passing, time moves strangely now and things are a little emptier than they were before.
This was one of my beloved father's favorite songs. I immediately thought of him when I read of Gordon's passing.
RIP Mr. Lightfoot, I've enjoyed your ballads for almost 50 years. You shall be sorely missed, but your music will live on.
A big AMEN from here! One of the all-time greats!
Oh wow, I didn't even think that it's almost half a century since this song came out.
His songs really are timeless. What a very cool legacy.❤
Yes, indeed, but my favorite song is sundown
Meto
Such an amazing story teller. This song is the best "story put to music" that has ever been written, in my opinion (I'm a songwriter too!).
My father passed away last night. He spent his entire career steering lake freighters across the Great Lakes. (He retired from the Sam Laud.) The Edmund Fitzgerald wrecked the November before I was born. I grew up with stories about it every winter. This song will remain part of the story of my dad's life. ❤
Sorry for your loss,
Sorry to hear of your loss, God bless your father, and you yourself and your family stay safe 👏👏👏🏴
A lovely tribute. 💙
My heart goes out to you. A lucky man to live on the sea.
Don't be sad sister .... God has taken your Fathers had ..... You'll meet again !!!!
LOVE NEVER DIES !!!!
49 years. I play this every year on Edmund Fitzgerald day.
Amen! I just started the same tradition last year - and I send it to my family in our group chat whether they like it or not!😉🙂✌️
Same
It’s been on repeat all day
Same here...im w hours from Superior on canadian side and there is a storm warning with brutal winds...the weather turns so fast...can not imagine what those men went through...RIP
Me too. Several times.
It's a haunting masterpiece.
Gordon Lightfoot, who wrote and performed this song, died last night, May 1, 2023. International Workers' Day. He wrote this song to honor those regular men, who suffered a horrific death while they were just doing their everyday job. Let us all pause to remember and give thanks for the everyday working people, those people we never see or think of who make our own lives easier by their labor and sacrifices. Sailors, soldiers, truckers, longshoremen, farmers, pilots, firefighters, nurses, teachers, veterinarians, caregivers... So many people who are on the fronlines yet in the background, working hard, just struggling to survive and take care of their families and others and do good things in this life. Some of them do not make it out alive. Honor them. ❤
@Hunter, thank you for mentioning that, lovely and meaningful comment.
Wow. Well said!!!
Absolutely BEAUTIFUL thoughts ...I'll keep Him and all in prayer!thanks for sharing..this truly touched my heart ❤and soul. 😢
Bravo.
Why did you include teachers on that list and not priests?
My great uncle Ernest McSorley was the captain of the Edmund Fitzgerald. Rip to my great uncle and the crew. You gentlemen died doing what you loved and are heroes in my books
❤️
That's all I can say.
May your uncle& all the crew RIP,, my heart breaks for all the families 💔☮️🙏🏽
Sorry for the loss- I graduated from Piney Point- deep sea Steward Dept. from 1979-1982. Loved every minute of it. Goggle the “SS Poet” disappearance in 1983. I lost 2 close classmates when she went down. I m 63 and would love to walk up a gangway - sail- 1 last time. Just show me the galley 😁. People have no idea , once you get seawater in your veins, it stays with you for life. RIP crew of the “ Fitz”
I wóuld not have known of the peril if not for the song; I did some research. Tragic, tho you called it right.
My great great great uncle died on that boat he worked in the ships boiler room
"Mariners’ Church of Detroit Mourns the Passing of Gordon Lightfoot
Mariners’ Church of Detroit is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Gordon Lightfoot on May 1st.
We are forever grateful to him for honoring the 29 men who lost their lives on November 10, 1975, in his immortal song, “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.” That song referenced Mariners' Church and its late Rector, Bishop Richard Ingalls Sr., ringing the bell 29 times to honor the crew of the Fitzgerald.
Lightfoot’s song included the line, “The church bell chimed ‘til it rang twenty-nine times…” recalling the early morning of November 11, 1975, as word of the Fitzgerald tragedy began to spread. Bishop Ingalls woke early that morning to ring the church’s Brotherhood Bell to honor the Fitzgerald. Ingalls said he paused between each of the 29 pulls, allowing the sound to echo over the quiet city on that cold November dawn.
In honor of Gordon Lightfoot, Mariners’ Church will ring its bell 30 times today, May 2 at 3:00 p.m. We invite you to join us in a moment of silence as the bell tolls.
The Trustees of Mariners’ Church of Detroit"
Wow. Awesome.
I can't even come up with words...
God bless you for honoring the memory of Gordon Lightfoot in such a beautiful manner . He will live in our minds and hearts forever through his amazing music .
This is wonderful, thank you
This brought tears to this old man's eyes.
“Does anyone know where the love of God goes when the waves turn the minutes to hours?” One of the most chilling lines I’ve heard in music.
I also feel that. Brings pain to my heart thinking of those men and wondering if any of them was thinking that.
I was too young to understand that part of the song when it came out, but yeah, hearing it today at 58 years old, it also struck me in my soul.
It hits you deep. Best line.
I completely agree with you, he was a master of writing and telling the story at the same time . 🙏🕊️❤️
Incredible writing. A genius we'll never see the like of again.
R.I.P. Gordon Lightfoot. One of Canada's finest musicians and songwriters. His timeless music will always live on.
One of humanitys finest humans.
Yes, R.I.P. The world wont be the same without him
Yes It Will
“Does any one know where the love of God goes
When the waves turn the minutes to hours?” … is one of the most haunting lyrics I’ve ever heard. And when he goes on to sing about the Great Lakes. Such a genius songwriter.
RIP Mr. Lightfoot.
Possibly one of most amazing lyric lines ever written.
My favorite line
I've always thought the exact same thing.
I first heard this song in 1978. It really floored me. Before there was steel, there was iron ore. The ore had to get to the steel mill - men had to haul the ore. Sometimes it did not go well. 😢
@@TheFarmanimalfriend wouldn't it have to get to the iron mill? Unless there were steel mills before there was steel...?
And the church bells chimed till they rang “30” times, for each man on the Edmund Fitzgerald, and once for Gordon Lightfoot who died today at 84😢 This is the greatest memorial ballad of all time. RIP Gordon “ It’s been good to know yeh”.
That's great, thanx for that, such a beautiful ballad...
They literally rang it 30 times today. A Canadian bag pipe player played amazing grace.
I had this same thought that they should ring the bell a 30th time in memory of Gordon Lightfoot for making this song as a tribute to the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.
@@zepkov th-cam.com/video/PIq1ELxH2do/w-d-xo.html
Stunning. Brought tears to my eyes. 💔
Love seeing everyone gathered here for the crew of the Edmond Fitzgerald and Gordon Lightfoot. Nice to see I'm not alone.
As a former sailor, this is the most haunting song I've ever listened to. As a blue-collar worker who has lost family to job-related incidents, this may be the best tribute ever written.
@@Freudigman Didn't know that
@@Freudigman source? from what I know that is not true; they went down without a call.
@@Freudigman her last ever transmission simply read "We are holding our own"
There trip would have been the last before they would dock for winter .such a sad story told so well vocally and musically .A masterpiece !! I can here God using Gordon’s voice to eulogies the men on board he loved!!!
I concur sir
Arguably one of the best storytelling folk songs - EVER.
@William Cooper... I couldn't agree with you more. The music is so beautiful, hauntingly beautiful. I've never heard a story put into a song so deep in ones soul and again, expressed so hauntingly beautiful.
I guess so
Not even arguably
So it's possible it's not one of the best storytelling folk songs? Nah, lol
I always get very misty and sad when I hear this song. I was a young girl and I remember the song more than the ship and it's death
But listening to it right this minute 45 years later and I have tears in my eyes..One of those songs that gives you the feels.
RIP Gordon Lightfoot. This is one of the most haunting and beautiful songs ever. It's very special to me. My uncle Roger was a Sailor and Merchant Marine and worked those Lakes for many years. At 6'5", he was a bear of a man and tough as nails. Rest in Peace to the 29 souls of the Fitzgerald.
I grew up along Lake Erie south of Buffalo. You don’t mess with the Great Lakes, they will show you who’s boss in a heartbeat.
Through fate or chance I happened to live by a daughter of a Great Lake's freighter Captain. One of our last conversations he showed me pictures he had taken of other freighters. He mentioned he was in awe of the Edmund Fitzgerald's light stand. He told me took a picture of it alight at night, the night before, when they all were tucked in on the leeward side of the Keewanaw Peninsula. When I asked if I could see those pictures he grew silent and wiped a tear from his eye. I pray those pictures won't be lost to humanity.
When I asked him what the Edmund Fitzgerald looked at night with the lights fully on he gleamed and fully smiled "She was beautiful."
I’m a heavy metal , black metal, guitarist and the first time I heard this song it blew the bells from hell out of me, it’s been the greatest and most honorable song in existence to all who have perished in the oceans and rivers and lakes, magically written mr. light foot. Rest wherever you may roam.
One thing about heavy metal musicians. They are some of the humblest and most sincere people when the amps are off. Duality.
Have a listen to "I was only 19" buy redgum, let me know what you think.
I'm a crappy guitarist / lifelong metalhead, and I've always felt that the world needs a metal cover of this song. But it needs to stay true. Not flashy, not gore and horror; something that pays solemn respect to the men (and their families) that perished.
Yeah, I've heard it before, it's so Deep ! 🇦🇺 🫡💯💥 @mattc9009
When I played black/death metal I actually wrote and recorded a song about this called The Witch of November.
Gordon was one of the greatest storytellers of all time.And his songs will give me memories to last a lifetime.You'll be dearly missed,but not forgotten. RIP Gordon Lightfoot,RIP.
Never forgotten.
I put this here in hope that after weeks, months, years , whenever someone likes it I will be reminded of this song.
🫡☮️💖🌬✨️💐
48 years and 3 days
Never forget 🫡
Here you go
All yours Bud ❤
Sitting in Two Harbors, MN as I listen to this on November 10, 2022, 47 years to the day after the Edmund Fitzgerald and her crew perished. Tonight my wife and I will be going to Split Rock Lighthouse for the annual lighting of the beacon in honor of the crew. It’s the only night of the year they light the beacon as maritime navigation is radio and satellite based now.
We have wanted to make this pilgrimage for years and finally are making it happen. There was thunder, lightning and heavy rains over night and gale force winds this morning. There will be rain and strong winds all day so we expect an eerily reminiscent ceremony this evening when they ring the bell once for each of the 29 souls who gave their lives.
I first heard Gordon’s song in college, well before ever knowing the story. It has been a haunting song for 47 years, one I can put on ‘repeat’ and listen to for hours.
Blessings to the families who have lost loved ones at sea!
When I read the words you wrote I felt very sad for the crew, this song and the tale it tells is a haunting reminder that we are at the mercy of the awesome power of nature... but to hear that the remembrance ceremony is accompanied by ringing the bell 29 times immediately brought tears to my eyes.
I never knew anyone directly affected by this tragedy, and of course, you and I have never met either, but I feel that I want to say "Thank you" for attending on behalf in some small way, of those of us who cannot.
Thank You for Sharing!😊
My grandpa died on the might Fitz his name was captin mcsworly
Gordon Lightfoot and this song were mentioned on the CBC this morning, so I thought I would listen to it. Your story, and my listening to the song, have given me a much greater appreciation of this tragic event. Thanks.
It occurs to me that turning off the lights in favor of electromagnetic navigational aids, is a _grave mistake._ A grave, grave mistake. I'm hardly a technophobe, quite the opposite, but eschewing _proven_ technologies that are reliable and idiot-proof is a bad idea. I mean, I'm obviously just talking nonsense, I mean, it's an absolutely inconceivable, nonsense scenario to imagine a ship that has lost its communications ability but is still under power, right?!
Nice to know that people still listen to this song.
Every November 10, bro
I can't help.but listen to it on occasion.
Gets me every time
Love this song and listen to it oft
It never gets old
I still remember the night the Edmund Fitzgerald sunk. My husband & I were driving on the TransCanada highway headed for Thunder Bay. We were somewhere east of the town of Marathon when that fierce storm hit. Such furious wind, sleet and waves on the lake. Storm had been building up throughout the day, making driving very difficult. Managed to safely shelter that night. Next morning, weather was calm, cold and overcast. Just before arriving into Thunder Bay, heard about the wreck on the radio. Entire city was sombre and sad about the loss. Still live in Northern Ontario and have never experienced a fall storm quite like that one. Whenever I hear this song, it instantly takes me back to that day and night. A moving tribute to those brave men. Now he is with them.❤
I remember as a teenager. I still get chills
Wow, my favorite song. To read about real family experiences is pretty cool. Buffalo on the lake
When was THE EDMOND FITZGERALD SINK ?RICKY RICK LANE LANE, DURANGO COLORADO
@@ricklane9360 Today is the 48th anniversary of the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald, November 10, 1975. I believe she sunk in the early evening between 7 or 8 pm, that's when they heard the last Mayday signal. She was trying to get to the nearest sheltered bay, Whitefish Bay on the Canadian side. The storm as I remembered was at its peak then, just wild. You couldn't see anything and there were high winds. Even blew transport trucks on their sides, accidents on the TransCanada highway all over the place. We had to stop driving, barely made it into Gore Bay, Ontario to seek shelter.
I am not from the Great Lakes region, but because of the song, I've tried to learn about the sinking over the years; I was very young when this happened, but recall my parents discussing it.
Two days ago, I read some historical recaps of the weather from 11/10/75. They did not have the sophisticated radar available today.
The program showed the progression and buildup of the storm: the worst of the waves, wind and snow converged on the Fitz's position as she approached Whitefish Bay.
Gordon Lightfoot's song appears to be correct: "The searchers all say they'd have made Whitefish Bay if they put fifteen more miles behind her".
I watched the memorial ceremonies from Split Rock Lighthiuse and the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum (both on livestream) - these were incredibly dignified and moving.
RIP to Edmund Fitzgerald: never forgotten.
Today the bell at the Maritime Sailor's Cathedral in Detroit rang an extra time in memory of Gordon Lightfoot for this incredible salute to the men who died on "The Fitz" as the ship RIP Mr Lightfoot, Canada's greatest balladeer and a true son of the Great Lakes region. He joins the crew and enters the records as a truly great songster and poet.
"The Fitz" as the ship was called (I meant to say)
Beautiful. Thank you.
Fitting. He never forgot those who perished and neither have their family and friends .
You know sir if my memory serves me correctly I remember exactly where I was when I heard this ballad the first time at maybe 12 years old on a small battery powered am radio, at the time I couldn't fully comprehend the magnitude of the songs story while at the same time it made me shiver...... I can almost visualize the scene as the good shipping crew all jovial and grinning take Mr. Lightfoot by the arm while thinking him for the song...... John Prine taking it all in while he smokes a ciggeratte nine miles long......
How Beautiful! ❤🦋
I was working at Durty Nellie’s Irish Pub in 1976. This song was played on the jukebox at least once an hour. All conversations stopped. The whole bar knew the lyrics and sang along, patrons, waitresses, bartenders, everyone. We all loved it. To this day, I get a chill down my spine as soon as I hear the opening steel strings of this song. For the haunting story, the men lost in that horrible storm, and for the men who work on the Great Lakes freighters every night since.
OMG, I remember Durty Nellie's!!!! That was a heck of a place!
@@billyjoe415- Durty Nellie’s truly was one heck of a place. I worked at the original ancient ramshackle one on Bothwell, across from Mac & Al’s (now Lamplighter.) Everyone went there every night, it was the place to be. A good old bar where you ran into people you knew forever. The current one by the train station is so shiny and new, only the name is the same.
I wish I could go to durty Nellies haha rip to all the forgotten of the sea
@@galechicago325 My old group from Motorola go there every December. (Even though most of us don't work there anymore) We are planning to be there this December, but since they will tear down for condos, sadly I think this will be the last year.
A trucker here that cut my teeth in the 70's & 80's hauling steel all over the great lakes region, when that was considered the industrial steel belt.
The song is loaded with history and now nostalgia of bygone days of good Ole USA.
49th Anniversary today. Song is hauntingly beautiful.
The legendary folk singer himself has joined those 29 men on the Fitz as it sails to eternal life. Rest easy Gord! Thanks for one great tune after another!
"Fellas it's been good to know you " absolutely bone chilling.
Love ya brother.....💖
always hits me hard.
His last quoted words
Words of a man who knows he's doomed (on earth, but he hopefully went to heaven)
@@shannondove9029 I'm an atheist but I agree if there is a heaven he deserves to go to it
"Does anyone know where the love of God goes when the waves turn the minutes to hours" These lyrics give me chills every time; in a few words he fully captured human helplessness and awe of facing nature's immense power.
after seeing the utter destruction of Ian, I came here to listen to this haunting beautiful song
Hearing the entire bridge hurt me, as a native Clevelander. I grew up on stories of the Edmund Fitzgerald from my daddy, and a southern upbringing doesn't soothe that hurt.
Makes a person really think if there really is a god.
So, global warming sunk the Fitz? Mother nature has always been a bitch and we are like ants.
Not sure if God had much to do with the wreck, except maybe Mammon. According to a documentary I watched, it was a poorly designed ship and maintenence was lacking. It shouldn't have gone out in those conditions, and the captain must have known that, but there was money to be made. And we all know how much lives are worth to corporations when profit is on the line...
Nov 4 2024. Roll call. Who's still listening to this?
11.6.24
11.6.24
06.11.2024
11.08.2024
9/11/24 ( UK so day before month here)
"Does anyone know where the love of god goes when the waves turn the minutes to hours"............One of the best lyrics ever written
I came on ur comment and the very second I read ur comment it sang that same part cool
My thoughts exactly
I love this line, it really makes you think of what those men went through, and how long their fight to survive felt. It's hard to imagine what that would've been like but this line really brings it home. I feel the loss every time I hear this song, even though I didn't know anyone affected, and that's what makes this one of the best songs I've ever heard.
Absolutely one of the best. Chills everytime I hear it.
Mortifying and melancholy...all the same....crazy sad.
RIP Gordon Lightfoot. I’m a generation behind you, but really appreciate the art you left us to enjoy forever.
Having just heard that he passed, I came here to listen to one of Gordon's most beautiful songs; Rest in Peace, sir, and may you sail on peaceful waters...
I am from Michiggan but live and work in the oilfields of North Dakota. I met an elderly man when i was home visiting family in the U. P. OF Mchigan. I was helping him put his wheelchair in his van when he asked if i was from Michigan. I said yes but i lived in North Dakota now. He asked what i was doing there and i told him i worked in the oilfields. He said wow thats very cool but i have a cool story also. When i was young i worked for the people that owned the Edmond Fitzgerald. I was stunned... he said yeah we were in Northern Lake Huron that night when she went down and we went into Superior to try and help.... i lost a lot of friends that night (with tesrs in his eyes). All i could say (with tears in mine) was im honored to have met you.
What a beautiful memory. Thank you for sharing it.
Today is the 46th anniversary of that sad day. Only Gordon Lightfoot could have written and sung such a fitting and appropriate tribute.
I WOULD NEVER SAID IT BETTER, U SIR ARE 100 PERCENT RIGHT
I visit this site every year,Nov 10...It's Rememberance Day Eve
@@martytruelove5026 Me too Marty
@@kosh2001 me Three folks!
@@ronbonora7872 four
Gordon Lightfoot was a supreme songwriter... a poet... a story teller... RIP, sir.
"The church bell chimed, 'til it rang 29 times
For each man on the Edmund Fitzgerald."
Choked up at that line.
I did too😢
Same here...I just played it for my three grandchikdren...my tears were flowing..
For me its the " All that remains is the faces and the names of the wives and the sons and the daughters" line just brings it home
The chilling line is does anyone knows where the love of God goes when the waves turn the minutes to hours
!When supper time came the old cook came on deck saying fellows its to rough feed ya, @ 11 pm the main hatchway caved in fellows its been good to know ya.
Yearly listen of this song.
This was my Dad's favorite song, when I bought a cassette tape with this song it dissapeared, I found it in my Dad's collection, he passed away in 2018, I made sure this song was played at his funeral, it still brings tears to my eyes, I miss you Dad
Bless you and your Pops, man.
My Dad really liked this song, too. He passed away 2017. I miss him all the time. R.I.P. Gordon Lightfoot.
A fitting Tribute to your Father. May he rest in peace..
My Dad loved this song too! We both did. I can't hear it without thinking about my Dad who passed in 2008. RIP Dad I love you. RIP Gordon as well!
RIP Gordon, being a retired trucker with over 4 million miles this song helped me through many lonely,sleepless nights,it seemed a haunting tribute to those who traveled for a living.
Such a moving tribute to the 29 crew members that perished. RIP to the Edmund Fitzgerald, her crew, and Gordon Lightfoot.
My grandfather was on the lake that night, second in command on another freighter. He said they hugged the shoreline rather than risked it out in the open, and luckily made it. This song played at his funeral when he passed 20 years ago this past April. Miss you, grandpa.
What a fascinating story, thank you for sharing. Your grandfather sounds like he was an amazing man. I bet you have many more interesting stories. I recently watched a great National Geographic documentary on Disney Plus called "Drain the Great Lakes" and it mentions the Edmund Fitzgerald.
30 And Hating It thank you and my condolences. My late paternal grandfather was a World War II Army veteran whose brother in law (my grandma's youngest brother) was a Navy veteran so the water and the seashore has always been a special refuge for me.
What a cool story.
@@megatuanis His grandpa may well have been an amazing man, but it takes more than a two-sentence story about how he played it safe and suffered no harm to establish that.
Kris Kringle no, he said that their ship hugged the shore, whereas the Anderson was behind the Fitz in the middle of the lake. He was probably on the Wilfred Sykes as they predicted the storm and used the northern shore for protection.
Married a Merchant Marine- grateful he made it home. Everyday is a blessing.
Tomorrow is 45 years since this tragedy. May the crew of the big Fitz be remembered for all of time.
Amen
I wrote extensively about the Edmund Fitzgerald yesterday and again this morning online. I even went so far as to write about the 7 souls lost on the Edmond Fitzgerald in 1883 and waited until tonight to open a nice porter beer and listen to this song. I’ll probably listen to 4 or 5 more renditions before the night is over.
Yesterday was 45 years? Damn. I didn't know.
Being that I was born and raised in Michigan, this song always gives me goosebumps. Yesterday being the anniversary I always think back to that day and just wonder what the poor crew was thinking and also think about their respective family members.
Glad I didn't come to long after. I almost forgot about this.
This song is synonymous with my father and my favorite teacher. They bother loved this song and Gordon Lightfoot. Now hearing of his passing, I am so deeply saddened. He was a wonderful man and I loved his messages in his music. Rest In Peace, Gordon. You’ve inspired generations. I’ll always love you.
Gordon Lightfoot is a Canadian National treasure, and for good reason.
This song is just hauntingly beautiful.
It really iss....scary great song
Music just has that unexplainable affect on us all in many ways simultaneously.
That steel guitar part is truly bewitching. Has always chilled me to the bone since I was a young lad.
And an honorary American treasure
And may he rest easy as well.
Still watching in 2024, who's listening with me?
Watching til my last breath
I am still it's one of my top favorite
Right here.
From the bottom of our hearts, as Canadians, Thank You, Gordon, for telling our stories to the world🇨🇦We'll always miss you, but we thank you for leaving us a rich musical legacy that'll live for eternity🙏🇨🇦🎶💔😥
He was a true legend and this song is one of the best 👌
"Does anyone know where the love of God goes, when the waves turn the minutes to hours?" This has to be the most powerful and evocative lyric ever written.
That line, and "Fellas, it's been good to know ya." get me every time.
Both lines give me shivers every time I hear them.
That lyric could be the saddest most haunting lyric ever written.
Amen
That line instantly makes every hair on my arm stand up, while also getting a lump in my throat. The horror those men must have went through.
“Does anyone know where the love of God goes when the waves turn the minutes to hours”?
Absolutely heart wrenching. Rest In Peace, gentlemen.
Brutal
That line brings a tear every single time
Rest in peace
Dear Lord thy sea is so great and my ship is so small. Have mercy on me. -A sailor's prayer.
"He said fellas, its been good to know ya"
Out of all of the many, MANY videos Ive watched on YT, the comments in this one have touched my heart more than any other. The memories shared and the heartfelt condolences to Mr Lightfoot are just incredible. Thank you to everyone who left such profound comments. I'd like to think that when he stepped into eternity that he was met by the 29 souls whose story is told in this hauntingly beautiful song by this iconic singer/songwriter. Rest peacefully Gordon; thank you for sharing your music with us.
What a beautiful awesome thought, having 29 Mariners meet Gordon Lightfoot at The Golden Gates of Heaven! Thank you for posting this, very heartwarming. I was privileged to see him in concert
I remember seeing her go by my Grandfathers house on the ST Clair River many times. It was a ship everyone knew. I myself was enamored with it I would sit and wait for her to go by day after day. Someone in my family knew someone on the ship and got me a tour on her a few times. I loved the crew they would take me all over the ship and for an 8 or 9 year old it was awesome. I would get back to school and tell all my friends about it and they wouldn't believe me. Then came that day, it came over the announcements at school that she sank and we were having a minute of silence. I hear this song and it still brings a tear to my eye at 56 years of age remembering the crew that made a 8 year olds dream of being on that ship a reality. TO the Crew of the Fitz RIP. Thank You your still missed.
WOW! Your post really gave me "chills" all over! What precious, priceless memories you have!
I don't know why that whole story and song are so captivating all these many years later! I grew up in Indian River, Mich., 30 miles south of the Straits. I remember well when that happened, and when Gordon's song came out. I listened to it every chance I got!
My family & I watched the Mighty Mac being built! That was exciting history to be a part of also, but of course in a very different way.
thanks for this....where would the crew have been during the storm--in their rooms on the ship---were there bunk beds/a a large galley for meals?--at the front/back of the ship? did they have a protocol for what to do during a storm? etc
Respect
I imagine that was an amazing sight.
I lived in Duluth when I was young and loved to go down to the canal and watch the boats come and go. When we'd go down by the lake, I'd see the freighters come in and imagine the Fitz coming through, but I was born in the 80s, well after she sank. It always blew my mind seeing how big those boats are.
Great story , thanks for telling, respect from Baltimore MD. ...n best wishes....!
I cannot listen to this song without getting choked up. Every time.
Not just the oh so incredibly sad lyrics, and the moaning guitar work in the song,... I found out that Gordon Lightfoot contributes all his profits from this, his song, to the families of the lost crew. They're all American citizens. Gordon is Canadian, a national treasure.
I’m reading this, tears streaming down my muttonchopped face, thinking of those brave souls who go out to this day to keep things rolling for OUR SAKE! Thank you for all your efforts, all who sail on the lakes. Past, present, and future.
I cry every time I hear this song , so heart touching. You can visually see it happening. To the 29 men .. RIP, your never forgotten. ♥️🙏
@@pacificcoastpiper3949 Me too
I'm 58 years young this is a great song sad they didn't make it now the guitar is excellent many years have gone by but RIP to all that went down .
Me as well ...
As a former member of the U.S. Navy whose ship was once caught by the edge of a Typhoon about 100 miles out of Subic Bay in The Philippines, this song scares the living shit out of me every time I hear it.
I was on the USS Enterprise out of Subic Bay in 1979 and we got caught in a typhoon too. Had to leave port for fear of damage to the pier. I remember to this day waves rolling over bow of the ship and that's 90'!! We were in a GQ lockdown almost the whole day with every hatch sealed. I was 18 and didn't quite feel the magnitude of the storm and that nothing could happen to a ship that size and perhaps the EF felt the same way when they headed out. But Mother Nature can never be taken for granted.
@@packman5906 We were far enough out on the edge that we never got waves over the railing, just spray, but we were on Condition Dog Zebra for almost a day.
I was on the Acadia. Just a big old Destroyer Tender. We had roughly 20 meters of Freeboard between the water and the fo'c'sle, and while I was on Starboard Lookout that afternoon I was watching the waves hit our anchor, which was only about 2 meters below the fo'c'sle. (Forward Anchor Room was the first compartment below the fo'c'sle.) Only time I ever had to stand Lookout with a safety harness attached to the gunnel.
Thankfully the Yellowstone class are a tough ship, so we made it through fine. But I kept seeing in my mind the time a couple of days earlier when I looked over the railing and saw a massive school of sharks, pressed up against the hull, reaching as far out as I could see to each side of the ship, and in a line that trailed the ship for at least half a mile.
@PatCapp -- I was a US Marine on board the USS Point Defiance in South China Sea, 1965 sailing through the wake of some damn typhoon. We were confined to our compartments and strapped into our racks. Galley was closed because you can't cook when the deck is always pitching and rolling. It was baloney sandwiches, apple or orange; an Oreo; and a half-pint of milk 3X a day for 2 days. Even the sailors were throwing up ! The noises coming from the ship's hull and deck plates was really scary. Popping; banging; groaning and screeching the entire time. No sleeping.....waiting to hear abandon ship orders. No thanks....
@@thetigerstripes thanks for your service. I love to hear tales of the things that happened during Vietnam. My uncle was infantry in Vietnam 68’ and Vietnam changed him forever.
The furthest I’ve been into the water is in a ferry and the waters still terrify me
My father was working a construction job in Duluth MN at the time of the sinking , there was a waitress at restaurant He ate at , that waitress had family on that ship .
Dad told me this story
This has always been deep in my heart
Rest in peace all the crew .
And God be with the family and friends of the crew.
I will never forget the wreck of the Fitzgerald - a high school clasmate of mine was one of the 29 who died- only 20 years old. And what a beautiful song memorializing these men.
My heart goes out to you for the loss of your classmate. 🙏❤
Oh honey
I'm sorry for your loss, and also his loss and everyone that lost him which again includes you. 😔
@@gentlespiritjw4904 jEkkehg
Which one? What was his name?
@Ann Rebera ▪︎¤▪︎🌿🕊🥀💔🥀
My uncle died at sea during WWII. Hearing the line "Does anyone know where the love of God goes when the waves turn the minutes to hours" sends shivers up my spine and chills clear through to my heart. No amount of praying could help. R.I.P. all lost crew members everywhere and kindest regards to their families.
Yep cause I can honestly tell anyone when your out in the middle of nowhere on 15 foot seas it is truly when you grasp just how small you really are in our world and just how powerless you are compared to the earth's mite
@@bigbillhenry Can you imagine it? The men on the Fitzgerald must have felt that smallness 1000 times as the ship was literally torn apart, and they never. Stopped. Fighting.
@@ireviewshtuff Best line of the song.
Any disaster feels like eternity
@@steventiley-xw2md You said a mouthful. Thanks!
It’s been almost fifty years since I first heard this song. Gave me chills then and still does this day. And on the day of Mr. Lightfoot’s passing I felt the Witch of November as perhaps many fans of this man did. If there is an afterlife perhaps she helped to gently carry Gordon to the other side of the veil.
Woulnn’t it be great if Mr. Lightfoot got to finally meet the valiant crew of the Edmund Fitzgerald!
We can dream, right?
Rush to the veil
They’re having a dinner and toast in his honor of joining them 🥂
@@jstoli996c4s That would be wonderful.
How touching!
The crew is thanking him right now for bringing awareness and recognition of such a tragedy to the next generation,RIP Gordon Lightfoot and the crew of the Edmund Fitzgerald.
How fitting I found this on November 10, 2023 - 48 years later. A fine tribute for a great song and incomparable singer/songwriter.
Greatest song ever. Canada's best storyteller. I get goosebumps every time I hear this classic. RIP
Kevin ~ Mee too! l was ten when the song came out, and l liked it then. But hearing it again as an adult, and reading the words l am _blown away_ at the impact of the words, and phrasing! lt was done in _one take_ too! STUNNING! ~ Vancouver BC. :D
he was a drunk
@@blowme6345 And? That's not the point.
Same and I've heard it a lot
Well, if he was drunk, I'd like to get torn off like that because that was an incredible piece of music and storytelling. Someone should do a song about petty little negative people.
I'm a metalhead, but this music has always resonated with me. RIP Gordon Lightfoot.
Exactly.
Great balard
Truth, same
You don't have to be just one thing my friend
I’m a metal head and listen to the BeeGee’s .. don’t ever let one thing define you.. you end up missing out..
Almost forgot to play this today...you are not forgotten men.
Same here... So glad I caught it before it was to late
@@AnarKirby 100% agree.
@merclb56
*Those family members of the deceased souls are also remembered!
We know that your men's hard work allowed us to live our lives well.*
God Bless
Same here, rip to those 29 men and condolences to their families.
Same
This is always been a special song. Not only is it a history lesson but it's just a beautiful masterpiece
RIP to Gordon, this song has been a haunting tribute to the men on the Edmund Fitzgerald. Gordon will be much missed.
I was just thinking haunting.
This has to be one of the best ballads ever written. Gives me chills. I love the way he tells the story of the ship, the storm, the 29 men, and even throws in a great lakes geography lesson.
Yeah Paul. I have always loved this song. I still listen to it. 🥲
I cry every time I listen to this song
I dont cry but it gives me chills with its haunting melody
The tune of this song moves like waves, guys. Just listen to it
a beautiful tribute the men live on through this master piece
We need a Edmund Fitzgerald Movie, who else would pay to watch
i would
@Jayden Richards I would
I would
Wasnt there a TV movie done about the EG? Imagine if not, with CGI they could make it really realistic. Would be sad but a tremendous honor to those who died.
Anyone that ship is one of the most popular shipwrecks of all time
I saw Gordon Lightfoot play in my Hometown of Halifax Nova Scotia with my father a number of years ago now. He was pretty old, and I could tell that he wasn’t going to be with us for too long a time. But he put on a wonderful performance, and everyone in the crowd was very pleased. Continue to rest in Paradise Gordon. You were a wonderful man and an absolutely brilliant musician. You inspired so many other great future talents. G-d love you.
RIP Gordon Lightfoot... One of the greatest singer songwriter musicians ever. Being a retired trucker with over 4 million miles the song helped me through many long lonely sleepless nights, I looked at it as a haunting tribute to those who make their living traveling.
brings to mind the Haynesville Woods in Maine..Hwy 2A. Tombstone Every Mile. You just dont forget the stories.
@@orangeandblackattack what happened there?
I know all this to well got 2 more years thank you for your service trucker
As a current trucker this song still brings me to tears
*A true Canadian legend and icon.* Thank you for everything Gordon, you were so talented and shared it with the world. Canada has lost a Northern Star... a guiding light to all of us. Travel well, you have earned your rest , but do share a song or two while you go. *RIP Mr Lightfoot, may your guitar always be in tune and your voice strong and clear.*
I was a combat medic in veitnam in 69. I now have pending terminal bone cancer. Gords songs helped me to cope and reajust. I live near lake superior, and go there often. This song gives me solace to look at the reality of how we have to eventually face our own death with honor and dignity. I have been very close to many forms of death in its manner of being. This song comforts me in the unusual sense of completion. Thank you gordon for all you have done for all of us with your music. From the silence of the north.
Bless you sir
God bless you bud!
Thank you for your service in Vietnam and care for our wounded soldiers....you saw the worst of what humanity can inflict upon one another. I pray that the VA is helping you and your family during your health crisis, and agree that the quiet peace of nature can reduce stress and pain. God bless.
Welcome home. We will never forget!
Hey man, Thanks...and if you go on, just know that there are those that thank you for every kindness . God Bless brother
Today marks 49 years. I did a humanities paper in college on the Mariners Museum. It was very somber and eerie. I listened to the chimes...so sad. All of the Great Lakes ghost ships are there...all you have to do is listen.......
"We're holding our own, going along like an old shoe." - Last transmission from the Edmund Fitzgerald. Rest in peace to all the fine men lost on that night.
Love ya brother....💝
rest in peace gentleman
@@bernardshodeke33 this is a real tragedy not a joke
👍🙏👍
Did every single person die in that wreck?
My WW2 veteran great stepdad got me this album recently he’s 102 years old and still kicking this guy walks with two canes instead of a Walker, he said this song described his life in then navy during the Normandy landings. And to be honest I believe him! Old guys just have that vibe that you just HAVE to believe. When he heard of Lightfoot passing he said he’d listen to this song 31 times over 30 for the crew and one more for Lightfoot
I remember this song from hearing it every morning for probably 2 months. It was something that wrapped around your throat and made you feel the loss of the 29 crewmembers.
Ol man gots some stories we'll never hear 😭
Normandy landings? My God what that man has seen.
Yep and he’s still alive, recently turned 103 also fun fact his first name is also Gordon
@@artichokedip5.972 Amazing
Canadians and Americans can see their reflections in one anothers tears. RIP 29 souls. You are not forgotten. ❤
This may be the most profound comment in this thread I have read. Thank you for writing it.
Exactly! As is inscribed on the Peace Arch we are "Children of a Common Mother".
I'm suddenly reminded of a youtube video I've seen: an NHL game,played in Canada,between a US team and a Canadian team. As the US National Anthem was being sung the singer's microphone went out half way through. The crowd, in unison, then proceeded to finish it...perfectly!
I'm embarrassed to admit that all I know of the Canadian National Anthem is "we stand on guard for thee".
Beautiful.
Bless all their hearts
Wow, I've listened to this song for over 40 years, still brings tears. Thank Gord. John P.
Same here😢
I love how the comments are all so positive showing the better side of humanity while listening to this beautiful song
I'm glad I showed up. I needed that.
Absolutely. In our world right now it's so great to hear positive thoughts. Beautiful song. I grew up in Goderich Ontario right on Lake Huron.
70s rock
@@cynthiamarin1836 streema.com/radios/The_Eagle_2
It’s right where I want you , that’s good keep up the good work
I was 12 when this happened, spent three days on the shore with a group of my best pals searching for what we could (wreckage, bodies, anything). Dumb kids just trying to help sure, but we were genuine. It's the reason most of us joined the Coast Guard & Fire / EMS service. God bless those brave souls.
Wow, that amazing! Did you guys find anything?
Salute
It meant what they wanted it to be,,,, without ,,,,
My father was lost overboard in the Med, around the time you would have been born. He left a wife and a son and a daughter. I was 5 years old and I spend several years as a little girl wondering if he'd managed to get ashore where someone could help him and he'd walk in the door one day.
I realise this sounds completely daft, but I thank you for searching.
@@dorsetgirl9667 💔
I’m now 61. My dad was a commercial fisherman in New Bedford Mass the biggest fishing fleet in America in the 60’s/70’s. I followed his footsteps in the 90’s. I was 14 when she sank. I’ll never forget the day it happened.
Hard working good men went into eternity. Sons, brothers, fathers, uncles all perished. This song always gets me in the heart.
I'm 59,my dad was a commercial fisherman in BILOXI,MS. WHERE I grew up.. he quit school in the 6th grade to work boats and later he built 3 of his own to use, and was in the process of building his 4th when he passed away in 1977 of cancer and chirrosh of the liver. He was a hard working man who lived his family and worked his WHOLE life to take care of his family.
I've always loved this song as well and I never knew it was real till I got older once we got the internet and I got a phone I was able to look it up and Discover it was based on a true story so sad that everybody lost their lies especially since the Edmund Fitzgerald was the biggest of her kind at the time so damn sad
I still cry even having listened for 8 hours monthly
I am 61 as well. I absolutely feel your chills and sorrow.
@@Alethiometer anyone who’s ever been caught in truly terrifying storm on the water knows exactly what the fateful trip was like.
When I joined the coast guard in 1977 our boot camp training commander played us this song on our 2nd day.. He was stationed at Coast Guard Station Portage when the Edmond Fitzgearld went down. He was very emotional about this incident because he was a 3rd class petty officer who was called on for the search. He wanted to explain to us "boots" how important it was to make our missions a life saving realization. I will never forget this story or song. God bless those lost lives.
❤
Semper Pratus ⚓❤️🇺🇸 from a CG mama. Thank you for your service.
Here I am listening to this on the 45 anniversary of the Edmund Fitzgerald's demise. While in the Duluth/Superior area as a kid on the family vacation many years ago. I was photographed by my father while a Great Lakes Freighter was in the background. Years later I came across this photo and observed that it was the Edmund Fitzgerald in the background.
Wow that's wild, surely something to hold onto
@joshua ashley , yes, her cargo was iron ore.
A haunting moment, to be sure.
I got chill bumps reading your comment. That always happens when the spirits Beyond the Veil reach out to me! Wow!
You are a lucky man! Absolutely love this tribute.
Unbelievably haunting yet beautiful song. I've been listening to it for decades now, and it never fails to move me.
Agree
@@lynnmahan154 sadly it’s very repetitive with no musical development.
I don’t cry often.
@@aquaprofile With patience and fortune, that cloak around your conscience will lift, and you'll add years to your life with the sudden ability to envision detail from the experience.
@@Krusty-kl5ej the song is repetitive and lacks musical variation. It maintains the same melody, key, and tempo throughout, and the chorus is repeated several times. I find it monotonous and boring.
It’s like somehow you find the lack of musical ideas for over 7 minutes “powerful and emotive” as some form of grand masterpiece. It just makes you sound pretentious and condescending
The older I get, the more I appreciate this song. The terror those men suffered. The loss to their families. Good to find so many other fine comments about this tragic event. May we all pledge to keep their memory going.
I also would like a movie made of this
If it helps you, I doubt the crew experienced much terror. The great lakes are extremely wild bodies of water, so the crew knew that, and the Fitz went down so fast there was no time for reactions
@@RJ1999x thank you RJ 1999. I figured as much. Just the thought of it, makes you pray they went fast. I love the song, it tells very chilling story.
@@RJ1999x she smacked into the 6th fathom shoal and went vertical. Anyone in the hull died on the impact. The bridge crew probably drowned. And I don't even want to think of what happend to the deck hands. Gives me shivers
@@brecibros2469 You have no idea what you're talking about, or how a freighter works.
Go lay down
Always felt the fierceness of the storm and the dread of impending peril through Lightfoot's tribute to the brave men of that fateful voyage.
Rest in peace Gordon you are one of the greatest writers of all time. This is a lyrical masterpiece
*RIP*
*10 NOVEMBER 1975*
_Ernest McSorley - Captain born in 1912._
_John McCarthy - First mate born in 1913._
_James Pratt - Second mate born in 1931._
_Michael Armagost - Third mate born in 1938._
_David Weiss - Cadet born in 1953._
_Ransom Cundy - Watchman born in 1922._
_Karl Peckol - Watchman born in 1955._
_William Spengler - Watchman born in 1916._
_John Simmons - Senior wheelman born in 1913._
_Eugene O’Brien - Wheelman born in 1925._
_John Poviach - Wheelman born in 1916._
_Paul Riippa - Deckhand born in 1953._
_Mark Thomas - Deckhand born in 1954._
_Bruce Hudson - Deckhand born in 1953._
_George Holl - Chief engineer born in 1915._
_Edward Bindon - First assistant engineer born in 1928._
_Thomas Edwards - Second assistant engineer born in 1925._
_Russell Haskell - Second assistant engineer born in 1935._
_Oliver Champeau - Third assistant engineer born in 1934._
_Ralph Walton - Oiler born in 1917._
_Blaine Wilhelm - Oiler born in 1923._
_Thomas Bentsen - Oiler born in 1952._
_Gordon MacLellan - Wiper born in 1945._
_Robert Rafferty - Steward born in 1913._
_Allen Kalmon - Second steward born in 1932._
_Joseph Mazes - Special maintenance man born in 1916._
_Thomas Borgeson - Maintenance man born in 1934._
_Frederick Beetcher - Porter born in 1919._
_Nolan Church - Porter born in 1920._
🌟👏🏻🎶💔🙏🏿😭💦👏🏾🌟
Thank you for posting the names of these brave men. God has them in His keeping;
we have them in our hearts.
💓Now & always.💓
What a hauntingly beautiful song
Thank you !!!! May no man's name be forgotten !!!
@@shannongaines8615 they won't be forgotten x
RIP all 29 men who died on the Big E. AKA the Edmund Fitzgerald
I could compose music for a hundred years and never come close to this songwriting...I salute you Mr. Lightfoot, a true Canadian legend.
I got the same problem. They don't give out genius in big numbers. Gordo got his full share and we're lucky to hear it.
48th anniversary now, first one without Gordon. Few disasters are remembered after six months, this day will be remembered for the rest of my life. One man and one song did that, that is a power so few in history have ever held. I'm glad this event will never be forgotten, thank you Mr. Lightfoot.
1976 I was with my mother in a bar, and I remember that song it was the first I ever heard. I was only 9 years old then, I'm 55 now. Song brings tears to my eyes just listening to it. Memories never die.
I was 9 years old in 1976 too when this song came out.
This song is haunting. I don’t know how in the word he could put the words together.
I was 8, being slung around in the back seat of a car, by my strung out parents, in pursuit!
We are the FERAL, GEN X❤
In case anybody's interested, the last ship to have radio and radar contact with the Edmund Fitzgerald - the Arthur M. Anderson - is still plying the Great Lakes. It's currently laid up for the winter in Toledo, Ohio. Amazing.
cool !
Launched on 16 February 1952, she is almost 68 years old
Wow...thanks for that nugget...I guess I never thought about it!! Very cool info...
I LIVE NEAR TOLEDO!!!
Hey thanks! I live tidbits like this.
"Does anyone know where the love of God goes when the waves turn the minutes to hours"
I'm not particularly religious but that line still brings tears to my eyes every time. What an amazing tribute. Also I really appreciate everyone who shared their stories and connection to the song here. I've lived near Lake Michigan my whole life and my dad served in the Navy, so I have a big respect for the power of nature and everyone who has to face up to it as part of their livelihoods. RIP to the crew of the Edmund Fitzgerald.
same
That's almost exactly the way I've felt . When you're trapped in and waiting for death, it puts a whole different light on eternity
I love seeing all these comments about their fathers loving this song. My dad’s been gone 28 years and this song still makes me think of him. God bless all of your fathers and everyone this song is in tribute to
I was recently at my town's farmers market, and I passed by a small band, a violinist, a lead singer playing a banjo, and a violist. I stood in front of the band and heard them play this song from beginning to finish and it was the first time I heard the song. It was peaceful and moving and after it was finished beautifully with the strums of the bajo and viola my dad told me what the song was about and I was shocked. I'm here now, after listening to this song and I'm in tears for those lost to this ship wreck. May the souls lost on the Edmund Fitzgerald, rest in peace in Lake Superior and may their families and loved ones they left behind have a good life.
May God bless & keep the crew & their loved ones safe, always
Gordon Lightfoot was actually at the lakeshore watching the storm when it went down. He wrote this song from his heart. An older guy I knew years ago had worked the ore docks and he knew every man on the Edmund Fitzgerald. In fact they always did a book exchange with the crew each time they were at the ore docks he worked at.
Tears bro? Sheesh
Go listen to Waves by Imagine Dragons THAT is a song that is all WHOA....
@@kevinspry5171 they all died. Jesus a 2 second Google search dude
Thank you Mr. Lightfoot for this beautiful ballad, truly a masterpiece.
You are now among the 29 you bestowed this tribute too.
May you along with them, forever, rest in peace.
I think that my uncle (Tom)Thomas and shipmates would have been pleased with the tribute that Mr. Gordon Lightfoot created in their honor. Thanks you Gordon Lightfoot!
Absolutely very very sad a tragic event 😢😢
Thanks for reply take care
Love ya brother....💖
/if it wasn't for Gordon I would never had known of the Fitz. My regards Jonathan stay safe in these scary times
@@jonsebastian95 You to.
49 years. Rest in Peace.
Gordon Lightfoot is like a renowned medieval bard. Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald is a North American Saga on the level of the Icelandic Sagas and you can't change my mind.
I agree
Nobody’s trying
Why should we try? This is haunting on a level few pieces of music in human history have ever been.
Well chosen analogy.
Who would want to.
This song is very close to my heart. I had the honor to work on this great ship three tines when it was in dry dock over winter in Milwaukee Wi. the lasst year was 73. CAPTAIN McSorley became a good freinds and I thought he was a GREAT man. I will always value his freindship. THANK YOU, Gordon Lightfoot Great song.. GORDIE AHLF SR>
GORDIE, This song is a great tribute to "Big Fitz"& crew. Do you know what else it is? It is a great history lesson and a sort of bio. of the crew! Wonderful song! Thank you Gordon!♡♡♡♡♡ Norma Jean Morrissey
I’m glad all them people died.
@@justinjenkins3064 👎
@@justinjenkins3064 🖕
@@Steve-rv9vx People die every day. So what if the people on that boat Died. Who gives a fuck.
One of the most powerful lyrics ever. This ballad will never ever be forgotten nor it's powerful ode be forgotten.
Lightfoot is always always remembered
Absolutely right! What would have been forgotten by all but the families by now is immortalized by the master storyteller.
I know the feeling C.E. Michael Broussard me and my Crew came Home busted up bruises and All David Jones locker God Bless All Sailor's
I spent 27 years out there. A lonely fucking job. I know
This has always been one of my favorite songs. It is so beautifully written. Gordon Lightfoot was a genius to come up with such a song. My family on my dad’s side were Commercial fishermen out of Morro Bay, California. Four of them were killed in a storm off the California coast many years ago.