The Mariner's Church of Detroit rang the bell 30 times today. 29 times for the mariners that died on the Edmund Fitzgerald and 1 time for Gord. Classy gesture. RIP Gord
Gales are extremely strong winds in a storm. As he mentions in the song, the winds were hurricane force. Plus, it was sleeting. Imagine, being out in a hurricane and you're hit with ice instead of rain. The song is very special to me. I worked on the team who reviewed footage of the Edmund Fitzgerald shot by submersibles to determine if the ship need to be raised. It was not in a shipping lane, so the determination to leave it in its grave was made. Gordon Lightfoot's song is a beautiful tribute.
Marlene Clausen I have been listening to this for the better part of 50 years, and I personally think it is the most hauntingly beautiful American ballad ever written and sung.
@@jaycorby Canadian, since the singer songwriter, Gordon Lightfoot, is Canadian. ...Of course, it's about an American ship, and Canada is "American" too, since it's in the New World, so maybe it's okay to call it an American ballad? I remember, when I was in Argentina decades ago. They'd ask me, where I was from. If I answered, "America", they'd reply, "I'm from America too. ...What part are you from?". They wanted the answer, North America or more specifically, the United States. They were friendly about it. It made me feel more connected to them in a Monroe Doctrine sort of way!
This is a true story. This happened in 1975. Gordon Lightfoot wrote this because the news reports were so poor. he donated all moneys he received from the song to the Edmuund Fitzgerald's sailors Families and attended every annual memorial service until he Died on May 2 of this year. he was a wonderful singer-songwriter from Canada.
I am glad you mentioned his donation of the proceeds to the families. I knew I’d read that years ago but couldn’t find anything in a quick search to verify. He also changed some of the lyrics that were slightly different from what actually happened for the families.
Not saying he was a nasty person as he might have many good traits but he was not perfect. He regularly cheated on 2 of his wives but obviously did good things. does that make him good or bad ?
@Gordon Lightfoot Thank you for all the beauty you've brought to the world. I've been a lifelong fan, listening to your music since I was born back in the 70's, and my mum always had your records on. Just last year we saw you play in Hamilton, and it was a brilliant experience. My mum is no longer with us, but your music means that much more to me now. Thanks again, for all the good times.
Brilliant evocative lyrics. I was fortunate to hear him in concert in Edmonton, Alberta. He ended with this song, and recieved a well deserved ovation.
On May 2, 2023 the Maritimes Sailors' Cathedral in Detroit rang the church bell 30 times. One for each of the 29 members lost from the Edmund Fitzgerald and once for Gordon Lightfoot to honour him after his passing. Such a beautiful and respectful tribute.
I was sitting in a bar in Superior, WI (my home town). The TV cut out and called for all Coast Guardsmen to report to their ships. I had no idea at the time how important that moment was.
One thing it wasn't in 2023 because I've been listen to the song for the past 15 years the church bell ring 29 times not 30 for each man on the Edmund Fitzgerald
I sailed for 23 years in the US Navy and all Mainers know what the seas can do and what the consequences are. This song hits close to home for me as I was raised in northern Minnesota and sailed all those years!
My dear father was the radio operator on duty at the Sault Ste. Marie Canadian Coast Guard station when the Edmund Fitzgerald went down on that fateful November day in 1975. It haunted my poor dad for the rest of his days.
“All that remains are the faces and the names of the wives, the sons and the daughters” chokes me up every time I hear this. Even when I was kid in the 70’s hearing it for the first time.
One of the greatest lines ever written “Does anyone know where the love of God goes when the waves turn the minutes to hours?” Gordon Lightfoot is a master at telling stories though music. This song is still on my regular music rotation. RIP Gordon 🇨🇦👍
I'm a Michigander, and a friend of mine lost his uncle on the Edmund Fitzgerald. Lake Superior never gives up her dead is from the fact the water is so cold decomposition doesn't happen, gases do not fill the body, and they don't rise to the top. They sink and get consumed. The Witch refers to a type of storm (A Gale is a storm with 32-63 miles per hour winds.) Superior is famous for sudden onset gales with no prior warning, that is what is referred to as the Witch. November is the most common month, and historically one of the most deadly on the Great Lakes. The storm that sunk the Big Fitz had steady 50 mph winds with gusts to 75 mph. The waves were between 18-25 feet tall. Lightfoot helped create a fund to send the children of the dead to college. Amber picked up on a new sound, but it isn't a futuristic one, it is a very old one. The tuning and style of the song are based on old Irish folk music, which was also the source of many sea shanties as well.
old style yes, but at one point there's a keyboard part in the background with a twirly circular sound of fast notes repeating which sounds like a sequencer, it does sound modern compared to the rest of the song, i think that's what she's referring to
As a Michigander, who remembers when the the Edmund Fitzgerald sank and what a tragedy it was, this song makes me cry every time I hear it. The storm of November 10, 1975 came barreling out of the Arctic with winds of 50-100 m/h, making waves 35 ft high, with freezing rain and sleet. They think that the Fitz was caught by three rogue waves that broke her in two. Lake Superior is the largest and deepest of the Great Lakes and is very cold once you go down more than 6 ft year round. She doesn't give up her dead because the water is so cold that bacteria can't grow to bloat the bodies and raise them to the surface. After they located the wreck it was designated a burial site and you can't dive to it without special permission, the bodies are still there.
I am from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario and remember that storm vividly... I was still in high school when the storm hit and we lost power for over 24hrs ... the winds that night were hurricane force with gusts between 90 to over 100mph and I have heard the waves on Superior that night were over 40' and even up to 60' .... anyone who has never seen Superior can't comprehend just how big it is...and it's over 1800' deep at it's deepest ...Gordon's ballad is a truly amazing and haunting song.... the line that gets me every time is "Does anyone know were the love of God goes when the waves turn the minutes to hours".... that line just invokes what that crew went thru that night....... May Gordon RIP...
I’m a western kid with southern roots. I saw Lake Michigan once around 2000. It was so big, I couldn’t see across it! The thing Gordon Lightfoot did for me, was put me in that environment. I could feel the rain driving into my face so hard it stung. I could hear the sound of the ships wires. I swear I know exactly what ol’ cook looks like… And I suppose, in some way, when we all listen to this song we remember….
@@mattiemathis9549 Mattie, it’s a big lake indeed-yet not compared to Lake Superior where the Fitz went down! Just FYI Superior is so big that it’s the only body of fresh water that actually has it’s own tide! I stood on a North cliff & looked south, nothing but blue water, it makes you understand just how small you are & how wide & deep that lake really is. This song went through my mind verbatim as I stood atop that cliff. I wept.
The word choices that he used really help not only in telling the story but set the tone. Phrases like "the ship was a bone to be chewed", "the winds and the wires made a tattle tale sound", and my personal favorite "does any man knows where the love of God goes when the waves turns the minutes to hours" all create a feeling of deep despair. The wailing of that guitar really makes you feel how bitter cold the storm was.
I still think it is "the good ship and crew was a bone to be chewed" and not what the lyric video showed "the good ship and true was a bone to be chewed", which doesn't even make sense.
Virginia...this ballad is an American masterpiece. I've been listening to it for the better part of 5 decades, and still get goosebumps at some of the lines, especially your personal favorite, which is also mine.
"Does anyone know where the love of God goes when the waves turn the minutes to hours" has got to be one of the best and most haunting lines ever written.
For me it's the line right after: "The searchers all say they'd have made Whitefish Bay if they put 15 more miles behind her" Which at the Edmund Fitzgerald's top speed, was a bit over an hour They were only one hour from safety and telling tales of a harrowing journey to family, but now they're at the bottom of the lake forever and ever
The wreck has been located years ago. All the bodies are still there, preserved in the crazy cold water. It is an official memorial site now and no diving is allowed.
Gordon Lightfoot died today at 84. You've done a great review of this classic song, and I'm happy his words and music moved you so much. Thanks for these intelligent, heartfelt reactions.
The Maritime Sailors' Cathedral rang the bell 30 times in his honour - once for each crewman, and one extra for Lightfoot himself. Almost as if they were declaring him to be an honorary member of the ship's crew?
@@WRLO56 My brother graduated from the Great Lakes Maritime Academy. He participated in the annual remembrance where they rang the bell and each cadet named one of the lost sailors, many of whom were either graduates of GLMA or were cadets doin an internship.
My Mother was a ship to shore marine operator and was in communication that faithful day with the Fitzgerald when it unfortunately went down. RIP to the 29 souls😥🙏🏻
Sad to hear. A friend of mine worked for the police union in Stockholm doing routine administration. When a ferry went down killing mostly people from those families, she had a horrific year dealing with all their grief, benefits, bureaucracy. It was so difficult she left Sweden and only moved back a few years with her Canadian husband to get his EU visa. Someone had that job in 1975 too. I hope they weren't scarred for life.
I was a Michigan boy in my teens when this happened. Here we are, nearly fifty years later and whenever I hear this song. I sit in reverent silence, feeling every line in my heart until the last melancholy note is finished.
I was 9 and I grew up in the Great Lakes region, and every time I hear this song I get moved. Sailing those waters is a real risk and sadly under appreciated by too many. This song caries their story on forever.
I’m from Illinois and also remember when this happened when I was in Junior High. I too get very reverent when I hear this song and you get a lump in your throat for those families who lost their loved ones.
For 2 summers during college, I worked on the lake freighters and saw the Fitz a number of times. This isn't a song, it's a hymn. Thanks for having the courage to do a react.
Working on lake freighters was a part of how I payed my way through school too! I've lived my entire life on the Great Lakes, and have nothing but respect for them. Sail through a couple of storms knowing every word to this song, and you know the meaning of fear.
Born and raised, and still live in the Marquette Michigan area. It is indeed a hymn, and still amazes me to this day how much of an emotional connection all of us "Yoopers" have with this song. I've been listening to it for over 40 years, and it still tugs at the heart strings.
Most people don't know that Gordon Lightfoot donated all the proceeds from this song to the families of the lost men. I was 19 at the time of the tragedy and remember it well. So proud of Gordon Lightfoot for doing this song. He has other great music.
Yes, I learned that in another comments section when someone else reacted to this song. Also someone in the comments said Gordon and the band had just arrived at a studio to rehearse when they heard the news, and they were talking about it. He wrote the song then and there.
@@NavvyMomBoth of those stories are untrue. Lightfoot remained close to the families, and set up a scholarship fund for the children, but he did not donate all royalties. And he wrote the song after reading newspaper accounts and being upset because he felt that the deaths of the 29 men were not being given the recognition they deserved.
“Fellas, it’s been good to know ya” raises the hairs on the back of my neck, every time. “Does anyone know where the love of God goes when the waves turn the minutes to hours” is one of THE best lines ever written in rock/folk/pop music. Just hits you hard, in your soul.
Someone posted elsewhere when they ring the bell in the Mariner's Cathedral in Detroit as they do every year, this past time it rang thirty times, one more tolling for Gordon Lightfoot for keeping the memory of that good ship and crew.
This tragedy occurred on my 17th birthday, November 10, 1975. Although it was an American vessel, it sank in Canadian waters on Lake Superior, about 4 hours’ drive from where I lived in northern Ontario, Canada. It was big news at the time, the disappearance and the subsequent search were frequently reported on Canadian msm. Gordon saw a newspaper headline that prompted his writing of the song. All proceeds from sales went to the surviving family members. How’s that for a legacy?
I recall reading that when Gordon read that newspaper that one of the names had been misspelled and he found that very disrespectful all those on the ship. Which prompted him to write this song. Think about it. Without this song no body would know of what was The Edmund Fitzgerald as I am Michigan born and raised but have never heard of this Ship nor the story about said ship. We had a Plane crash in Lake Michigan in the 50s or 60s and I never heard about it and I live near the city where Museum for this Plane crash victims is until Expedition Unknown aired.
Lake Superior is a deadly lake. Gordon Lightfoot really told this story. I was 11 when it sank and it was big news. This song was such a tribute to the crew.
“Does anyone know, where the love of God goes, when the waves turn the minutes to hours” That still gives me the shivers after all these years. Great video, J & A. Thank you as always.
Best line of the song. Maybe one of the best lyrics Lightfoot wrote. And he wrote a LOT of great songs. As a kid my parents played his music and Anne Murray all the time. They are both Canadian music icons.
This is, singularly, the best line of any song written in the last 100 years, in my humble opinion. And pretty much sums up how every mariner feels when you hit the trough (hopefully not still going on down), and a mountain of water looms above you.
@@Kayenne54 as professional mariner of 28 years now I can tell you that line does resonate right out at sea in a storm. It will humble you in a way only those who go to sea truly understand deeply. Aloha, Walt
Its very thoughtful of Gordon Lightfoot to comemorate the wreck and donate the proceeds to the families who lost their loved ones. Im from Minnesota and it's a legend for both states. I was 23 yrs old when this happened... remember it well.
Read the detailed history of the boat and the wreck. Only then can you truly appreciate the brilliance and emotion of Lightfoot’s lyrics. The storytelling here is impeccable.
This is probably my favorite song by Gordon Lightfoot cause of the story it tells and that guitar has such a haunting melody that as soon as any old Canadian hears it knows what song it is
The Mariner’s Sailor’s Cathedral is an Episcopal Church in Detroit, Michigan, which ministers to sailors on the Great Lakes. Every time there are lives lost on the Lakes they hold a memorial service and toll the bells for each life lost.
@@laurabailey1054 Im too young to know if the bell was ever displayed at the church, but it is now on display at the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum at Whitefish Point. The Bow anchor of the Fitzgerald is on display at the Dodson Great Lakes Museum on Belle Isle
yeah, really appreciated your reactions! thanks for saying what the instrumentation meant to you!!! over forty years ago I heard this song when it started with acoustic guitars and after the words, ...."fellas it's been good ta know ya....".....it switched to electric guitars! the change was soooh subtle and smooth, you couldn't even tell the switch had been made. HAVING A HARD TIME FINDING THAT VERSION!!! thank you ever so much for this song!
I went to a bar one evening located west of Cleveland to see a friends band. In the middle of the evening, my friend stopped to introduce a special friend of his to the crowd. It was the Brother of the Captain of the Edmund Fitzgerald. The band then went on to play The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. It was very moving experience.
@@crhu319 I ALMOST beg to differ, but not in a bad way. As a lifelong sailor on the ocean, before I spent years living in MN and learned the different quirks of Lake Superior, I can promise you that it's a solemn hymn not just around the lakes but everywhere you might meet a sailor. I certainly knew it and felt it that way long before I lived in the USA. The folk music canon is literally full of songs about famous or infamous ships and in many cases they tell of how that ship met its end but a few of them hold a special place to all of us that have spent time on, or lived by, the water. This is one such. The road trip I made to Whitefish point to watch the sunset from the memorial one November 10th was a pilgrimage. There isn't an old sailor anywhere in the world who doesn't carry memories of other sailors who didn't get to grow old, every one of them a "brother of the soul" whether we knew them personally or not.
As a meteorologist for the past 42 years, I can tell you that a "gale" is a strong wind. Gale-force winds start at about 40 mph and can be hurricane-force. The gales across the Great Lakes are caused by storm systems, low pressure areas, that are more common from November through April. These storm systems are generally hundreds of miles across. It was such a storm that was the culprit. The SS Edmund Fitzgerald sailed from northern Wisconsin, near Duluth, MN. That's the southwest tip of Superior. They sailed all the way across Superior and almost reached port at Whitefish Bay, the southeastern tip of Superior. Lake superior is about 300 miles wide from west to east. With the wind coming from the west it had plenty of open water to build huge waves. Winds were reported to be up to 70 mph with gusts to 85-90 mph in the area, with waves 25-30 ft and possibly peaks of 35-40 ft. These waves would have been coming from the stern (back of the ship). Sometimes, if the waves are the "right" distance apart, a ship can be suspended by the bow and the stern with no support mid-ship. This can cause the ship to break in two. You can read about the shipwreck here (it was a real shipwreck): en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Edmund_Fitzgerald
Thank you, Chris, killer info for those not aware of the ferocity of these lakes - I'm way down here on Erie, south of Buffalo (lake effect anyone ?) Our little pond can get crazy during those storms and the saiche is incredible, due to how shallow it is...
You can see photos of the Author m Anderson showing damage to the railings and other parts of the ship above the stern superstructure from the waves that hit the Fitz a short time later.
Lake Superior is a deadly place to be in a ship in a storm - the waves are absolutely crazy, as they bounce back and forth between all of the shores, making them totally unpredictable and dangerous - there are over 6000 shipwrecks at the bottom of that lake. Absolutely haunting song, and a great memorial to those lost on that ship. A gale is a strong wind - generally 40 to over 55 mph. On the night of this sinking, the winds were over 60 mph, and the waves over 35 feet.
Junior...thank you for that info! I knew what a gale is, but had no clue about the specific wind velocity! Absolutely amazing that there winds 60mph and waves that high. Could they have dropped anchor and rode it out, or had they already done that?
Yes! Lake Superior is fierce!! I live in the U.P. Of Michigan or upper Michigan or Michigan’s upper peninsula.. So, yes when the winds pick up a smidge.. it’s advised to stay out of the lake!!✌️
@@jaycorby While I grew up on the coast, I'm not much of a sailor, so my knowledge is pretty limited. From what little I know, I believe that it is safer for a ship to NOT drop an anchor as it would severely limit what the ship can do to point itself into the wind and the waves - never mind that with winds like that, it would just get dragged as the ship gets pushed about by the winds, and with those sort of waves, the up and down motion of the ship would most likely have the anchor not on the bottom half the time. They were also in 530 feet of water, and no ship that I know of carries anchor chains that are that long!
@@juniorjohnson9509 I do live in the U.P. And yes, I know where Bohemia is… I wish I could ski there.. but, unfortunately I have Cerebral Palsy.. So, with my Balance issues.. not a good idea! Lol!! But, It was really great talking to you!!✌️
I am from Cleveland and i remember the night the Edmund Fitzgerald...I remember the dark the wind and watching TV...becasue the weather was the breaking news of the night and then the reports came in of the Edmund Fitzgerald going down....there was nothing anyone could do until the storm stopped. My God bless those men....and thanks for bring this song to a new generation of people
@wendellwilson One of my coworkers was in the merchant marine; he told me about one of his shipmates who talked about that night. This guy was on the Arthur Anderson I believe; the ship that was ahead of the Edmund Fitz. Terrible weather-being a sailor can be a dangerous job.
I'll bet all 29 mariners were waiting at the Pearly Gates for their 30th shipmate! Rest in Piece Gordon Lightfoot! Thanks for the memories, I'm Andy Annmarie's husband!
This is absolutely the most haunting song ever performed. A classic among classics. Much respect to G.L. for writing this song and singing it with respect and grace.
@anthonysardone723 - For me the absolute most haunting song ever is 'If You Could Read My Mind' by - you guessed it - Gordon Lightfoot. I can occasionally get through Edmund Fitzgerald without breaking down, but I can never get through Read My Mind without crying like a baby. If nothing else brings me to tears by then, when he gets to "But heroes often fail" I completely lose it. I find most of the lyrics sad and usually break down in tears during the first 30 seconds, but that one line shatters me like no other song I've ever heard or hopefully ever will hear.
Lake Superior. They built a boardwalk in Duluth, MN along the shore. It was destroyed twice in a couple of years by massive waves. They had to build a cement base to keep it there. It’s a beautiful lake, but to be respected.
The best ballad ever written, and the most haunting melody ever written, the drummer didn't even know when he was to come in, he waited for Gordon to give him a nod from his head. Gordon has never taken a dime for this song, everything this song has made has been donated to the family's of the men who were killed
"The lake never gives up her dead" refers to the coldness of the water. Keeps the body so cold that it doesn't create the gas that would typically float a body to the surface of the water.
My father sailed on the Great Lakes in the 50s with the Merchant Marines. He was on a ship on Lake Superior when they docked someone took a picture of my dad standing in front of the ship. It must of had ice a foot thick all over the exposed decks. They were so top heavy, my father said, that a good shove would have capsized her. The gales of November are the storm winds, creating huge waves (25-30 feet) and pick up the warm (relative to the air temp) water and deposit it as freezing rain. Sailing the Great Lakes is no joke. They are inland fresh water oceans.
This song is an example of a ballad. Ballads are songs and poems that recount real events, passed down through the generations. Some ballads date bake to medieval times
@@MrBonners I was thinkin that as well. Ballots are much older than the Middle Ages too . The Iliad and odyssey, both ballot forms, was written about 500 -480 BC and The Canterbury Tales were written in ballot stanza forme about a hundred years before the Middle Ages
His phrase, "the lake never gives up her dead" refers to the fact that they rarely find any bodies from the wrecks. Superior is an extremely cold lake at depth. Because of the cold there are very few microbes/bacteria to cause the bodies to bloat and rise to the surface to be discovered.
The most heartbreaking part of this song is when it says "The mariners say they'd have made Whitefish Bay if she'd put fifteen more miles behind her. " Only fifteen miles away from safe harbor, but it was too late...
One thing many people didn't know is that Gordon Lightfoot set up a trust for the surviving family members and that all the royalties from this song go into that trust.
My father ride the oar boats in the late 40's as a high schooler. Can remember the look on his face when the news came over the radio about the Edmund Fitzgerald. He could imagine the whole thing too clearly and he knew just where the ship went down. Here in the shore the shore of Lake MI, the winds can blow furiously, but, nothing is like Lake Superior during a gale. The Great Lakes are full of 19th century ship wrecks.
nebbin dog Before white Europeans came to the Great Lakes region, I wonder what the Native Americans thought of these bodies of water. How far did they venture out on them? Were they considered as 'gods' because of their awesome size and force?
This song always makes me cry every time I hear it because it always hits home where my Father was a fisherman and he'd be out weeks at a time never knowing how he was or if he'd return home to us.
One of Gordon's biggest hits reached number 4 on Billboard pop singles chart in March of 1977 I think was the best of his story telling songs RIP GORDON 🌺
@@keiths81ca In the United States, it reached number 1 in Cashbox and number 2 for two weeks in the Billboard Hot 100 (behind Rod Stewart's "Tonight's the Night"), making it Lightfoot's second-most successful single, behind only "Sundown" This is phenomenal for a song of its length and content.
knight nurse Each time I have listened to this over the decades I see each scene unfold like on a film loop of some sort, and I can feel the terror in the hearts of the crew that perished that night.
@@jaycorby i know, I feel the same way. It must have been horrible for them to realize they would never kiss their wives or hold their children again. I am a native Michigander, and I am old enough to remember this event. It was so heartbreaking.
"Gale of November", if not already given, is a November winter storm with high wind (gales). Lake Superior can get huge waves just like in the ocean. And as others may have mentioned, this is true. Some of the details of what the crewmen did prior to the sinking is speculation, but plausible. Wikipedia has a good article on this, including the discovery of the wreckage and how the ship likely sank.
The waves in the ocean are more like swells, the ones in the great lakes are rougher and more frequent. It's been discovered that the lake freighters are subject to more stress than an ocean freighter.
It was found 4 days later by a US Nave airplane by detecting magnetic anomalies, backed up by side-scanning sonar a week later. The next May, the US Navy sent down an unmanned deep diving submersible and found it broken into 2 pieces, 530 feet down.
Captain and Crew of the Edmund Fitzgerald..... RIP Ernest McSorley - Captain born in 1912 in Canada and lived in Toledo, Ohio. He started command of the Fitzgerald in 1972 with more than 40 years of experience navigating oceans and the Great Lakes. McSorley was highly regarded for his skills, especially in heavy weather. He intended to retire after the 1975 shipping season but was survived by wife Nellie Pollock. John McCarthy - First mate born in 1913 and lived in Bay Village, Ohio. James Pratt - Second mate born in 1931 and lived in Lakewood, Ohio. Michael Armagost - Third mate born in 1938 and lived in Iron River, Wisconsin. David Weiss - Cadet born in 1953 and lived in Agoura, California. Ransom Cundy - Watchman born in 1922 on Easter Sunday in Houghton, Michigan, and lived in Superior, Wisconsin. He was in the Marine Corp and fought in the Battle of Iwo Jima during WWII. Fortunate to survive, Cundy was awarded several commendations and medals for his service. He was sailing with his friend Frederick J. Beetcher at the time of the sinking. Cundy was survived by his daughter Cheryl, her husband, and their seven children as well as three grandchildren from his youngest daughter Janice who passed away in 1974. Karl Peckol - Watchman born in 1955 and lived in Ashtabula, Ohio. William Spengler - Watchman born in 1916 and lived in Toledo, Ohio. John Simmons - Senior wheelman born in 1913 in Ashland, Wisconsin, where he also lived. He was known as a storyteller, jokester, and pool shark, and he loved sailing. Friends with Captain McSorley for more than 30 years, the ill-fated Fitzgerald trip was going to be his last before retirement. Simmons was survived by wife Florence (who never dated or remarried after his death) and two daughters Mary and Patricia. Eugene O’Brien - Wheelman born in 1925 in Minnesota and lived in Toledo, Ohio. Nicknamed the “Great Lakes Gambler,” he worked on ships from age 16 and only took a four-year hiatus as a glass factory worker. He loved casinos and playing cards. O’Brien was survived by wife Nancy and son John, who was just 17 when he lost his father. John Poviach - Wheelman born in 1916 and lived in Bradenton, Florida. Paul Riippa - Deckhand born in 1953 and lived in Ashtabula, Ohio. Mark Thomas - Deckhand born in 1954 and lived in Richmond Heights, Ohio. Bruce Hudson - Deckhand born in 1953 and lived in North Olmsted, Ohio. George Holl - Chief engineer born in 1915 and lived in Cabot, Pennsylvania. Edward Bindon - First assistant engineer born in 1928 and lived in Fairport Harbor, Ohio. Thomas Edwards - Second assistant engineer born in 1925 and lived in Oregon, Ohio. Russell Haskell - Second assistant engineer born in 1935 and lived in Millbury, Ohio. Oliver Champeau - Third assistant engineer born in 1934 and lived in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. Nicknamed “Buck,” he quit school at age 13 to raise four siblings after his father died. During his life, Champeau fought in the Korean War with the Marine Corps. Ralph Walton - Oiler born in 1917 and lived in Fremont, Ohio. He and his brother Wade sailed on many Columbia Transportation ships, including the Fitzgerald, but only he was on board when it sank. He often volunteered to maintain the ships during winter and gave his nephews tours of the vessels. Walton was survived by a wife and son Alan who worked on freighters too. Blaine Wilhelm - Oiler born in 1923 in Big Bay, Michigan, and lived in Moquah, Wisconsin. He was in the Navy for 11 years, serving in WWII and the Korean War before being discharged as a first class fireman. Afterward, Wilhelm sailed for 19 years. He liked to go fishing and deer hunting and enjoyed playing pool, barbecuing, spending time with family and friends, and eating blueberry pie. Wilhelm was survived by wife Lorraine, seven children, and a grandchild born just four days after the Fitzgerald sank. Thomas Bentsen - Oiler born in 1952 and lived in St. Joseph, Michigan. Gordon MacLellan - Wiper born in 1945 and lived in Clearwater, Florida. Less than one month before the tragic Fitzgerald journey, he built a home in Presque Isle, Michigan, to make travel between the two states easier. MacLellan took after his father, Master Captain Donald MacLellan who traveled the Great Lakes route several times. Robert Rafferty - Steward and cook born in 1913 in Toledo, Ohio, where he also lived. After 30 years of sailing, he started just filling in for crew members. Rafferty wasn’t supposed to be on the fateful journey but was called to fill in for the regular steward. He was actually considering retiring altogether. Rafferty was survived by wife Brooksie, daughter Pam, and several grandchildren. Allen Kalmon - Second cook born in 1932 and lived in Washburn, Wisconsin. Joseph Mazes - Special maintenance man born in 1916 in Ashland, Wisconsin, where he also lived. He sailed for 30 years on the Great Lakes and loved his job. At one point, he saved another crewman’s life. Sadly, the 1975 season would have been his last because he planned to retire. Mazes loved ice fishing, deer hunting, and snowmobiling in his free time. His siblings, nieces, and nephews remember how kind and generous he was. They recall him being afraid of Captain McSorley’s habit of never pulling out of a storm. Thomas Borgeson - Maintenance man born in 1934 and lived in Duluth, Minnesota. Frederick Beetcher - Porter born in 1919 and lived in Superior, Wisconsin. Nolan Church - Porter born in 1920 and lived in Silver Bay, Minnesota. He didn’t start sailing until his 40s after watching the freighters pass by his home and thinking that the job would be fun. He was survived by multiple children who say that he loved the job. Son Rick recalls his father joking that the Great Lakes didn’t have a hole big enough for the Fitzgerald. Church didn’t think that such a tragedy could happen.
My grandfather lived next door to the McSorleys in Toledo, and were friends. I supposedly met him on a trip to visit my grandfather with my Dad. I was four or five at hhe time, and just remember the lady next door giving me a cookie as my grandfather's friend told me about the model ships he had in his den. When the song came out, my, Dad told me the Captain of the Edmund Fitzgerald was that man next door. I was ten, and I remember crying, and said a prayer for him.
RIP Gordon Lightfoot. "At 3 p.m. Tuesday (5/2/23), the bell at Mariners’ Church rang out again - now chiming 30 times to honor those perished sailors along with the artist who famously memorialized them in song”
"If You Could Read My Mind" is probably Gordon Lightfoot's biggest hit and a great song. And yes he is a Canadian treasure. If you grew up here you heard a lot of his music on the radio. Great songwriter for sure.
I was lucky to see him concert. It was just like he sat down to play his guitar for you in your backyard. You felt like he was singing just for you. No one else around you mattered.
“Does anyone know where the love of God goes when the waves turn the minutes to hours?” Haunting lyrics. I still get a tear in my eye all of these years later.
Some 30-odd years ago, I was in the Air Force and stationed in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. I was driving along the shore of Superior one cold November day, watching snow squalls out on the water and the waves crashing ashore while fiddling with the radio dial, trying to find something to listen to. Far out in the static of the AM band, I could barely make out this song starting... listening to it as all this was happening around me, looking out at the same sort of slate-gray sky and ice-cold unforgiving waves where all this happened ten years or so before was just about the eeriest thing that has ever happened to me in my life. This video of the tune, with clips of the actual radio transmissions from other ships out on the lake during the storm and subsequent vanishing of the Edmund Fitzgerald has sent almost the same chill up my spine as I had that long-ago night listening to the static-filled song on the car radio: th-cam.com/video/hgI8bta-7aw/w-d-xo.html
This song is always emotional for me. My father was an able-bodied seaman aboard the Great Lakes ore freighter the William A. Irvin, launched in 1938 and now a National Historic Monument on display in Duluth. Dad left the Irvin to join the Merchant Marine during WWII, where after a transatlantic tour he was assigned to navigation. From the 1970’s we lived in Grand Marais, MN and would always follow the ore freighters using binoculars. Late in the season, especially in November, we knew that they were taking calculated risks out on Lake Superior. The combination of the “Gales of November” the frigid water, and the very short period of the waves made any travel on Superior (truly an inland sea) perilous. My dad passed ten years ago, but I still think of him every time I hear this song. Thank you for reacting.
I took two rather different tours of the William Irvin in Duluth harbor. I regret that I was married to someone from Duluth, and we took the regular tourist tour. My most distinct memory from that is that in addition to hauling freight, they entertained VIP guests on that ship and had staterooms for them in which the mirrors were tinted pink, so that if they got seasick, they did not look so white in the mirror. Literally rose-colored glasses. My second time, I was an expert speaker at a seminar for environmental reporters, and that time one of the focuses was to take people into the ballast tank to show how complex the support structure of the ship is inside that tank, making it difficult to thoroughly flush out all of the ballast water, which is a main technique used to keep invasive species from hitching a ride across the world on a ship.
"Does anyone know where the love of God goes when the waves turn the minutes to hours?!" That lyric pretty much sums it up right there and Gordon Lightfoot's uncanny ability to make you feel you're right there sends chills down your spine when listening to this Epic song..If this song doesn't tug at your old heartstrings you might want to check your pulse..
My Dad was in the U.S. Merchant Marine in the 1930s, but heard this song but once when it came out; he never wanted to hear the story again. One of the very few times in his/my life I saw tears coursing down his whiskery cheeks. He did describe how insignificant and vulnerable he felt compared to the 70'-high seas blown up by a North Atlantic nor'easter; it was always a crap-shoot whether you get safely into port. What a fantastic story-song; thanks for your reactions!
Dad sailed on the Edmund Fitzgerald at one time. It would be such an event when he came home, Mom was tiny, he was huge, bigger than life and when he would arrive home with presents for everyone, Mom would climb on a chair and give him a big welcome home kiss....... until this song came out, the underground fears I had didn't surface, but after this hit, they never submerged again..... He survived it all, the freighters, but he wasn't on this boat when it sunk, but we sure felt for those family's whose men did not come home....
You know what's funny - growing up - it was all Zeppelin, Aerosmith, etc. Heavy rock we all listened to. But everybody LOVED this non-rock song. It's greatness just transcended. Just undeniable.
Another detail I love about the instrumentation in this song is that, whenever he talks about the storm beginning to kick up, the drums come in and hit heavier and the instrumentation also becomes more intense. Gotta love when the arrangement of a song isn't just a chord progression with words over it but is actually designed to reinforce the emotion of the lyric.
That is called the "conversation" of the piece. It is the story told by the music itself. Very few artists and songwriters have the ability to make their music speak beyond the supporting lyrics.
Hi Guys. In November 1975, I was a recent university grad working on a fishing boat operating out of Michipicoten Harbour, near Wawa, Ontario, on the north shore of Lake Superior. One morning, we were visited by a couple of RCMP officers. They asked us to help them look for any survivors from a ship that vanished the night before, called the Edmund Fitzgerald. No other captain along the coast would agree to go. Too rough, they said. But our captain, a cantankerous character, said yes and we all went. We never found anything, but I still remember getting very seasick, since it was still very rough. That's how I came to be on the only (to my knowledge) search vessel for the Edmund Fitzgerald. To answer Amber's question, the gales of November are hurricane-like winds that occur when cold, dry northern air, mixes with warmer, moister, southern air over the Great Lakes, which commonly occurs in November. I love your music reactions! Thank you for all you do. James, Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Gordon Lightfoot. His song really brought the sinking of the ship to a lot of people! I was 27 years old I remember this vividly. And when the song came on the airwaves, it was almost like a funeral remembrance for those who are lost. It really did hit your soul and I think it was meant to
This is a beautiful tribute by one of the best Canadian singer songwriters. This is based on a true story & the lyrics tell the sad tale of the sinking of the ship & loss of lives in 1975. Gordon Lightfoot has had many hits through his long career such as "If You Could Read My Mind", "Sundown", "Carefree Highway", "Rainy Day People", Canadian Railroad Trilogy" & many more.
"Does anyone know where the love of God goes, when the waves turn the minutes to hours?" So damn true 😕 I always get chills listening to this song. Gordon takes a little artistic license with the lyrics, but he succeeds in putting you in the shoes of the Edmund Fitzgeralds crew, and giving you a sense of what they must have felt in their final few hours.
I was ten yrs old living in Wisconsin when the Fitzgerald went down. I cried for the crew and families. It marked me. I can't hear this song without crying to this day.
Gordon Lightfoot is a real treasure. Not only did he make you feel as if you were on the Edmund Fitzgerald with this incredibly beautiful and tragic song, but he donated every cent he made on it to the families of the men lost in the wreck. I cannot listen to a chord of this song without tearing up. "Does anyone know where the love of God goes when the waves turn the minutes to hours" is the most haunting lyrics I have ever heard.
I remember the news coverage and then mich, much later when the wreck was found and examined. Mr. Lightfoot is still connected to the families when it comes to this song and performances/use.
A great Canadian folk sung by one of the best folk singers ever. However, it is an American tragedy and I always tear up hearing this song. Sad loss in Canadian waters. Gale are winds that are extremely powerful almost in a hurricane sense. Blessed be the people who perished and their families. Love your channel.
I tear up, too. I listen to it every November 10th and shed a few tears in memory of the crew of the Edmund Fitzgerald. I lived in Albany, NY when the ship sank. I remember when it happened. It was widely reported in Albany. A few years later, I moved to Buffalo near Lake Erie for 16 1/2 years and then to a Milwaukee suburb, about 10 minutes from Lake Michigan, where I've lived for almost 24 years. The lakes are as powerful as the sea. This song is a reminder.
Rest In Peace Storyteller, And Song Writer Gordon Lightfoot . . . Thank You Very Much For Making My Growing Up In The 1970's A Fun Filled One, While Enjoying Your Amazingly Beautiful Story Telling Songs . . . ;-) R.I.P. Gordon Lightfoot . . .
Saw Gordon on Wednesday evening. Even at 83, frailer of voice and appearance, it’s still a powerful song. The lyric “Does anyone know where the love of God goes when the waves turn the minutes to hours?” just hits me in the feels every time.
Bonjour from a licensed Skipper in France ... once took a rented Baja 25' (twin engine/screwed 454 cubic inch) boat out in Toulon; site of the annual 'Wind Kite Surfing Championship Competition" due to repeatable Wind conditions. Went out past the bay and in a matter of minutes, the Wind whipped up 20 meter waves ... no way to take them head on nor take them beam on for certain rolling over ... had to "traverse" those rollers but almost steadfast with both engines at full throttle. Don't know how we ( 3 persons on board) made it back to the calm of the Bay ... but we did. THESE are the times when Mariners pray to God and know full well the outcome depends upon the Lord's plan for you in this Life. Hence, I've always loved this song and the powerful lyrics.
It does but we can turn to the Bible for comfort... My brothers boat went down, we went out in the storm to rescue him... We never found him, he was gone.... When I looked to God, the only being who could give me what I desperately needed to know, Jonah 2:5-7 feel into my need and I saw that yes... This... Was what my little brother experienced that terrible night! It's what he saw, and, what he felt.... It was his truth and probably those men on the Edmund Fitzgerald too. They are one and all safe. Safe in Jehovah God's memory until the resurrection of the dead ( Acts 24:15) And I have no doubt that when he recounts his experience to me it will be like that in the Scripture that came my way when needed.
This song gives me chills every time I hear it. Thank you so much for your wonderful video - it truly honors this wonderful song! Interesting weather fact: the Edmund Fitzgerald went down in what is termed a Bomb Cyclone - basically (in simple terms) a hurricane over the Great Lakes. They're terrifying for mariners, and I could not imagine sailing the Great Lakes without the technology we have today.
A beautiful, haunting song and story by an amazing musician. Thank you for paying tribute to this song. By doing so, you help to keep alive the spirit of the 29 lost in the tragedy. I get weepy every time I listen to this. Hugs.
"Does anyone know where the love of God goes, when the waves turn the minutes to hours?" EVERY single time I hear that line I get an immediate chill. The man is a born poet when he can evoke an entire scene with one simple line. One of the greatest lyric lines ever written, in my humble opinion.
YES. That’s the line that always gets me, too. Combined with the music, it really conveys a sense of mortality & humility that sailors must feel, when faced with the power of those waves.
The boat was bound for Cleveland, and some of the crew were returning home there. For many years each year there was a tiny bar on the west side of Cleveland where the local crew's families would gather each year on the anniversary. This was fifteen years ago, they were still gathering together each year, and they may be still. They always started by playing this song. I can't hear it now without thinking of those families.
I am 58 years old and have listened to this truly haunting masterpiece I don't know how many times. To this day I still get choked up imagining how the crewmen might have felt knowing their fates were sealed. Thank you for reacting to this classic.
The most evocative line of this song is "Superior it's said never gives up her dead when the Gales of November come early". What that means is that because Superior is a cold water lake, the bodies will sink instead of floating so you get nothing to bury.
I had the pleasure of seeing Gordon Lightfoot sing this tribute in concert. My brother's father-in-law was a merchant marine captain on the Great Lakes and knew the captain and crew of the Edmund Fitzgerald.
We live in Michigan and this song was a huge part of our childhood. We remember watching the search for the missing on the news. It’s hard for people to understand just how big our lakes are here and they are deadly.
As someone who has lived in Michigan her whole life, I can tell you that this is played every year on the anniversary. I was able to hear GL perform it in person. Such a great story teller. The music and lyrics are on target.
I heard him perform it live as well... at a benefit. He thanked people for giving so generously to, I believe it was a cancer research benefit, but he asked for them to dig a little deeper and give to the survivor's fund that the proceeds of the song he was about to play for them went to. He then proceeded to play this song. There wasn't a sound to be heard other than his voice and instrument. There wasn't a dry eye in the place. When he was done, they didn't even bother with applause, hands just reached for checkbooks. That was applause that he appreciated, he said, and so would the surviving family members. This was years ago when his trust was new. The man was arguably one of the greatest folk singers of all time. Some might even call him the GOAT of folk music. I enjoyed his music growing up and still enjoy it immensely today. He was a rare and charming man, not given to false promises. If he gave you his word on something, he carried through with it. I told him that my sister thought he was the best and that she would enjoy meeting him. He told me to bring her on over. I let him know that she wasn't here. I then made a major ask. I said that she had a birthday party, her 21st, coming up, and that she would love him to come. He said he would be there and had his "guy" take down my info. I figured it was just the politeness of a star who wants to get out of there. Three weeks later, we were holding the party for my sister, and there was a knock at the door. When I answered and saw this wonderful man standing there, guitar case in hand, I was dumbstruck. I let him in and said to wait just a minute before coming around the corner. I went back and said to my sister that I had a special surprise for her. I said to come in, and he walked around the corner and into the main room. He stood there, and my sister said that was Gordon Lightfoot. He said he surely was, and he said he still didn't have a birthday hug from the birthday girl or a piece of cake. She nervously went up and hugged him, and was crying all over him. She apologized for that. He said it was alright and that he remembered meeting Dylan and McCartney. Over the course of the three hours (I know it seems odd that so well known a person would allocate that much time with us, but he did, that's just how nice a man he was) he was there, he played a couple of songs, letting my sister choose each time. She asked why he was here. He said he was here because her brother said I had a very special fan having a very special birthday. When he was ready to leave, he handed her a large envelope he had in his case and said he had a special present for her. It turned out he was in town in concert, and he had given her a handful of backstage VIP passes. I wasn't even sure this man would show up, but he gave his word, and he kept it in style. I became my sister's favorite for years after that. I understand that while rare in the music industry, this was not as rare a thing for him. He would do this sort of thing at least a couple of times every year, just to get a taste of where he came from. He never, he said, wanted to forget where he came from to get to where he was. That was my brush with fame.
The bells still toll at Mariner’s church in Detroit for sailors lost on the big lakes. This was actually a lesson in school when I was a kid. I am old enough to have known relatives of some who were lost. This is part of personal history for those of us old enough. I have dim memory of hearing about it on the news. For me, it is chilling and truly sad, because it reminds me that history is in fact real life.
For all of us that have worked it or loved someone who did this song and the movie "Perfect Storm" are reminders of just what it is like to ride out a storm or sit ashore wondering if you'll ever see your loved ones again. I've both been in storms and sat staring at a VHF radio wishing it would crackle to life with a familiar voice. They might not seem like hero types but they do jobs that are needed at the risk of all they have and it is rare they get appreciated. The world today could use songs like this, I'm honestly tired of "it's too soon" mentality, this song and ones like "I don't like Mondays" helped people grieve and were a benefit to society as a whole during their times of tragedy.
In a musty old hall in Detroit they prayed, In the maritime sailors' cathedral The church bell chimed till it rang twenty-nine times For each man on the Edmund Fitzgerald
@@rebeccaknox2567 Perfect Storm wrecked my soul. I cried so hard at the end in the theater, once in the parking lot, and then later when my friend and I went to Walmart. Just imagining what they went through before death, and what so many sailors have gone through before just got to me for some reason. 😭
@@goldilox369 Says a lot about what a caring person you are deep down. I had a doctor tell me I had at most three months to live once (obviously misdiagnosed!) and knowing you are about to die and not being able to do a thing about it or do those "last things" is horrid, being on a ship and not even being able to say that last "I love you" or "I'm sorry" would be the worst thing I could imagine.
A gale is indeed a strong wind, 39-54 miles an hour. The term 'gale-force winds' used to be used in hurricane warnings, but these days the word is almost exclusively used to describe nautical conditions. Lake Superior is the northernmost and largest of the Great Lakes, and it's known for being very, very cold and having terrible weather. The area where the 'Fitz' went down, Whitefish Point, is also called 'The Graveyard of the Great Lakes', as it's claimed at least 240 ships. The phrase 'the lake never gives up her dead' is actually another reference to the conditions of the lake, as it's so cold down there that bodies don't float to the surface as they do in other waters. What sinks to the bottom of Lake Superior stays at the bottom, and apparently remains very well-preserved.
Today is the 47th anniversary of this tragic event. 11/10/1975. " And all that remains is the faces and the names of the wives and the sons and the daughters." One of the saddest lines of lyrics ever written. R.I.P. to all those 29 souls.
I was a teen living on the shores of one of the lakes when the Edmund Fitzgerald was lost. I remember how shocking it was, and this song was tribute and closure that many of us needed.
RIP Gordon Lightfoot, Canada's greatest storyteller. Having grown up in Michigan during the 1970s I clearly remember this tragedy and this great tune that told the story. It still gives me shivers and brings a tear to my eye.
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The Mariner's Church of Detroit rang the bell 30 times today. 29 times for the mariners that died on the Edmund Fitzgerald and 1 time for Gord. Classy gesture. RIP Gord
I just had a huge emotional spike reading this. RIP beautiful man.
That just made me bawl reading that...thank you, honor is something that should be seen more in this world and that was sure it
That brought tears! I lived in Oscoda MI when the Fitz went down and this song brings back so many memories of this happening and this song.
I bought that album when it came out. This was back when my mother still liked the music I listened to 😁. RIP Gorden
Respect!
Gales are extremely strong winds in a storm. As he mentions in the song, the winds were hurricane force. Plus, it was sleeting. Imagine, being out in a hurricane and you're hit with ice instead of rain. The song is very special to me. I worked on the team who reviewed footage of the Edmund Fitzgerald shot by submersibles to determine if the ship need to be raised. It was not in a shipping lane, so the determination to leave it in its grave was made. Gordon Lightfoot's song is a beautiful tribute.
Marlene Clausen I have been listening to this for the better part of 50 years, and I personally think it is the most hauntingly beautiful American ballad ever written and sung.
@@jaycorby Couldn’t agree more.
Fitz is over 500 feet down, pretty sure it is ZERO threat to the shipping lanes.
it remains a beautiful, haunting, and heartbreaking song. god rest those souls.
@@jaycorby Canadian, since the singer songwriter, Gordon Lightfoot, is Canadian. ...Of course, it's about an American ship, and Canada is "American" too, since it's in the New World, so maybe it's okay to call it an American ballad?
I remember, when I was in Argentina decades ago. They'd ask me, where I was from. If I answered, "America", they'd reply, "I'm from America too. ...What part are you from?". They wanted the answer, North America or more specifically, the United States. They were friendly about it. It made me feel more connected to them in a Monroe Doctrine sort of way!
Gordon did not make a penny off this song.
All proceeds he donated to the families of the 29 men who went down with the ship.
Had his greatest hits and Olivia Newton Johns' in the cassette case amongst the Judas Priest, Ozzy, ACDC,.... used to get so much grief for it.
@@itsmedino That comment cracked me up, I had sarah brightman along side of black sabbath.
@@hiuto2 my brother
Thank you for sharing I did not know that
Truth!!
This is a true story. This happened in 1975. Gordon Lightfoot wrote this because the news reports were so poor. he donated all moneys he received from the song to the Edmuund Fitzgerald's sailors Families and attended every annual memorial service until he Died on May 2 of this year. he was a wonderful singer-songwriter from Canada.
I am glad you mentioned his donation of the proceeds to the families. I knew I’d read that years ago but couldn’t find anything in a quick search to verify. He also changed some of the lyrics that were slightly different from what actually happened for the families.
He was and still is a beautiful man.
I heard he gave Rights for the Song to the Families of the Victims
He was very talented but also a serial adulterer@@caille007
Not saying he was a nasty person as he might have many good traits but he was not perfect. He regularly cheated on 2 of his wives but obviously did good things.
does that make him good or bad ?
“Does anyone know where the love of God goes when the waves turn the minutes to hours?” Beyond outstanding lyrics.
@Gordon Lightfoot
An ardent fan since the '60s. Canadian Railroad Trilogy was my intro. Thank you Gordon for the decades of enjoyment!
@@oltedders The Canadian Railroad Trilogy - also one of my faves. My late father was an engineer with the CPR, so the song holds extra meaning for me.
@Gordon Lightfoot Thank you for all the beauty you've brought to the world. I've been a lifelong fan, listening to your music since I was born back in the 70's, and my mum always had your records on. Just last year we saw you play in Hamilton, and it was a brilliant experience. My mum is no longer with us, but your music means that much more to me now. Thanks again, for all the good times.
Brilliant evocative lyrics. I was fortunate to hear him in concert in Edmonton, Alberta. He ended with this song, and recieved a well deserved ovation.
God's love never goes! He gave his only begotten son.?
On May 2, 2023 the Maritimes Sailors' Cathedral in Detroit rang the church bell 30 times. One for each of the 29 members lost from the Edmund Fitzgerald and once for Gordon Lightfoot to honour him after his passing. Such a beautiful and respectful tribute.
This made me tear up... Rest In Peace Gordon
I love this
I was sitting in a bar in Superior, WI (my home town). The TV cut out and called for all Coast Guardsmen to report to their ships. I had no idea at the time how important that moment was.
One thing it wasn't in 2023 because I've been listen to the song for the past 15 years the church bell ring 29 times not 30 for each man on the Edmund Fitzgerald
The 30th ring was for Gordy because he passed away that year
I am former US Navy. This song brings tears to my eyes.
You are not alone.
Yes it does & thank you for your service👍✌️
I sailed for 23 years in the US Navy and all Mainers know what the seas can do and what the consequences are. This song hits close to home for me as I was raised in northern Minnesota and sailed all those years!
I'm a midwesterner. Same here.
It's not about you
My dear father was the radio operator on duty at the Sault Ste. Marie Canadian Coast Guard station when the Edmund Fitzgerald went down on that fateful November day in 1975. It haunted my poor dad for the rest of his days.
I pray he found peace when he met The 29 (+ 1) on the other side. I'm sorry for your loss.
@@tlgarrison8433 "We are holding our own". Last words.
“All that remains are the faces and the names of the wives, the sons and the daughters” chokes me up every time I hear this. Even when I was kid in the 70’s hearing it for the first time.
I watched a PBS documentary about finding the Edmund Fitzgerald and those lines just kept playing in my head over and over again.
How could this not choke you up?
Yeah. Heavy stuff.
Me too. Always felt the same way in that part, since I was a kid.
I almost wrote this exact entry. Every time.
One of the greatest lines ever written “Does anyone know where the love of God goes when the waves turn the minutes to hours?” Gordon Lightfoot is a master at telling stories though music. This song is still on my regular music rotation. RIP Gordon 🇨🇦👍
If you been out there in weather, this line sums up what it's like.
And she paused it just in time for her to miss it.
Yes
It’s the line that chokes me up every time.
That line really resonates. Beautifully conveys so much in a few words.
I'm a Michigander, and a friend of mine lost his uncle on the Edmund Fitzgerald.
Lake Superior never gives up her dead is from the fact the water is so cold decomposition doesn't happen, gases do not fill the body, and they don't rise to the top. They sink and get consumed.
The Witch refers to a type of storm (A Gale is a storm with 32-63 miles per hour winds.) Superior is famous for sudden onset gales with no prior warning, that is what is referred to as the Witch. November is the most common month, and historically one of the most deadly on the Great Lakes. The storm that sunk the Big Fitz had steady 50 mph winds with gusts to 75 mph. The waves were between 18-25 feet tall.
Lightfoot helped create a fund to send the children of the dead to college.
Amber picked up on a new sound, but it isn't a futuristic one, it is a very old one. The tuning and style of the song are based on old Irish folk music, which was also the source of many sea shanties as well.
old style yes, but at one point there's a keyboard part in the background with a twirly circular sound of fast notes repeating which sounds like a sequencer, it does sound modern compared to the rest of the song, i think that's what she's referring to
Same, and I too, had relatives on that ship. I was 7 when this happened, but I remember it.
@@kevindohn6776 Yes, it is a sequencer... and very effective here in contributing to the atmosphere.
I never knew Gordon Lightfoot helped the children of the people who perished. That is so beautiful. What a kind person!
This comment is a winner. ✔
As a Michigander, who remembers when the the Edmund Fitzgerald sank and what a tragedy it was, this song makes me cry every time I hear it. The storm of November 10, 1975 came barreling out of the Arctic with winds of 50-100 m/h, making waves 35 ft high, with freezing rain and sleet. They think that the Fitz was caught by three rogue waves that broke her in two. Lake Superior is the largest and deepest of the Great Lakes and is very cold once you go down more than 6 ft year round. She doesn't give up her dead because the water is so cold that bacteria can't grow to bloat the bodies and raise them to the surface. After they located the wreck it was designated a burial site and you can't dive to it without special permission, the bodies are still there.
I am from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario and remember that storm vividly... I was still in high school when the storm hit and we lost power for over 24hrs ... the winds that night were hurricane force with gusts between 90 to over 100mph and I have heard the waves on Superior that night were over 40' and even up to 60' .... anyone who has never seen Superior can't comprehend just how big it is...and it's over 1800' deep at it's deepest ...Gordon's ballad is a truly amazing and haunting song.... the line that gets me every time is "Does anyone know were the love of God goes when the waves turn the minutes to hours".... that line just invokes what that crew went thru that night....... May Gordon RIP...
I cry too, my bother, only Gord could do it justice & im glad he did. Time to wipe my eyes, too.
I’m a western kid with southern roots. I saw Lake Michigan once around 2000. It was so big, I couldn’t see across it!
The thing Gordon Lightfoot did for me, was put me in that environment. I could feel the rain driving into my face so hard it stung. I could hear the sound of the ships wires. I swear I know exactly what ol’ cook looks like…
And I suppose, in some way, when we all listen to this song we remember….
@@mattiemathis9549 Mattie, it’s a big lake indeed-yet not compared to Lake Superior where the Fitz went down! Just FYI Superior is so big that it’s the only body of fresh water that actually has it’s own tide! I stood on a North cliff & looked south, nothing but blue water, it makes you understand just how small you are & how wide & deep that lake really is. This song went through my mind verbatim as I stood atop that cliff. I wept.
I remember.I was 25 years old.
The word choices that he used really help not only in telling the story but set the tone. Phrases like "the ship was a bone to be chewed", "the winds and the wires made a tattle tale sound", and my personal favorite "does any man knows where the love of God goes when the waves turns the minutes to hours" all create a feeling of deep despair. The wailing of that guitar really makes you feel how bitter cold the storm was.
I also think the music itself has an eerie tone to it, which places the listener on that boat in Lake Superior that night.
I still think it is "the good ship and crew was a bone to be chewed" and not what the lyric video showed "the good ship and true was a bone to be chewed", which doesn't even make sense.
@@nealm6764 true means the steering is exact and tight. It sails a true course.
@@BillGraper I agree, it's not Pop sounding, it has a sad or funereal sound to it
Virginia...this ballad is an American masterpiece. I've been listening to it for the better part of 5 decades, and still get goosebumps at some of the lines, especially your personal favorite, which is also mine.
"Does anyone know where the love of God goes when the waves turn the minutes to hours" has got to be one of the best and most haunting lines ever written.
always felt the same
100%. The words are so simple, but that line seems almost supernatural to me.
A chilling line
For me it's the line right after:
"The searchers all say they'd have made Whitefish Bay if they put 15 more miles behind her"
Which at the Edmund Fitzgerald's top speed, was a bit over an hour
They were only one hour from safety and telling tales of a harrowing journey to family, but now they're at the bottom of the lake forever and ever
Gordon Lightfoot is a folksinger and gifted storyteller! Most of his songs are magnificent.
The wreck has been located years ago. All the bodies are still there, preserved in the crazy cold water. It is an official memorial site now and no diving is allowed.
Bob Dylan was asked once what does it feel like to be the best song writer ever, he said i don't know ask Gordon Lightfoot
Truth. No one could tell a story better.
Nonsense
Gordon Lightfoot died today at 84. You've done a great review of this classic song, and I'm happy his words and music moved you so much.
Thanks for these intelligent, heartfelt reactions.
I was just about to tell them.
I am saddened to hear he passed but he left a legacy of great music behind him.
The Maritime Sailors' Cathedral rang the bell 30 times in his honour - once for each crewman, and one extra for Lightfoot himself. Almost as if they were declaring him to be an honorary member of the ship's crew?
@@WRLO56
My brother graduated from the Great Lakes Maritime Academy. He participated in the annual remembrance where they rang the bell and each cadet named one of the lost sailors, many of whom were either graduates of GLMA or were cadets doin an internship.
Such a powerful song , such a great artist
My Mother was a ship to shore marine operator and was in communication that faithful day with the Fitzgerald when it unfortunately went down. RIP to the 29 souls😥🙏🏻
Sad to hear. A friend of mine worked for the police union in Stockholm doing routine administration. When a ferry went down killing mostly people from those families, she had a horrific year dealing with all their grief, benefits, bureaucracy. It was so difficult she left Sweden and only moved back a few years with her Canadian husband to get his EU visa.
Someone had that job in 1975 too. I hope they weren't scarred for life.
I can't imagine what your mother went through and how horrific that was.
"Does anyone know where the love of God goes when the waves turn the minutes to hours" one of my all time favorite lines ever written.
I was just about to comment this. It's such a great line that illustrates the dread and resignation of what those men must have felt.
I agree. They paused right in the middle of that line. Hope they still saw/heard it.
Yes! This line always gets me.
A brilliant, brilliant lyric in a song full of them
I was a Michigan boy in my teens when this happened. Here we are, nearly fifty years later and whenever I hear this song. I sit in reverent silence, feeling every line in my heart until the last melancholy note is finished.
I was 9 and I grew up in the Great Lakes region, and every time I hear this song I get moved. Sailing those waters is a real risk and sadly under appreciated by too many. This song caries their story on forever.
Nov. 10, 1975
I’m from Illinois and also remember when this happened when I was in Junior High. I too get very reverent when I hear this song and you get a lump in your throat for those families who lost their loved ones.
I was 17 remember this well, growing up in Cleveland.
My friend's Dad was one of the 29. She goes to every memorial.
For 2 summers during college, I worked on the lake freighters and saw the Fitz a number of times. This isn't a song, it's a hymn. Thanks for having the courage to do a react.
I grew up in Port Huron and watched her and of course so many others pass under the bridge.
Working on lake freighters was a part of how I payed my way through school too! I've lived my entire life on the Great Lakes, and have nothing but respect for them. Sail through a couple of storms knowing every word to this song, and you know the meaning of fear.
Born and raised, and still live in the Marquette Michigan area. It is indeed a hymn, and still amazes me to this day how much of an emotional connection all of us "Yoopers" have with this song. I've been listening to it for over 40 years, and it still tugs at the heart strings.
My Nephew is out right now heading for thunder bay wish i was younger i be joining him
An elegy. Beautiful.
Most people don't know that Gordon Lightfoot donated all the proceeds from this song to the families of the lost men. I was 19 at the time of the tragedy and remember it well. So proud of Gordon Lightfoot for doing this song. He has other great music.
Yes, I learned that in another comments section when someone else reacted to this song. Also someone in the comments said Gordon and the band had just arrived at a studio to rehearse when they heard the news, and they were talking about it. He wrote the song then and there.
@@NavvyMom He was pissed the news didn't know the sailors' names.... He felt they deserve more respect...
He's another example of a kind Canadian.
This is untrue. He was close to the families and set up a scholarship for the children, but did not donate all royalties. Google it.
@@NavvyMomBoth of those stories are untrue. Lightfoot remained close to the families, and set up a scholarship fund for the children, but he did not donate all royalties. And he wrote the song after reading newspaper accounts and being upset because he felt that the deaths of the 29 men were not being given the recognition they deserved.
Edmund Fitzgerald is more than a song. It is an anthem!
“Fellas, it’s been good to know ya” raises the hairs on the back of my neck, every time.
“Does anyone know where the love of God goes when the waves turn the minutes to hours” is one of THE best lines ever written in rock/folk/pop music. Just hits you hard, in your soul.
Yeah, the conscious acknowledgment that this is our last hour…these are some of the toughest lyrics put to story
I posted the same comment, a perfect lyric
"...and all that remains is the faces and the names of the wives and the sons and the daughters." I always get chills when he comes to those lines.
Gordon donated every penny he made from this song to a fund to help the families.
Continues contact with them all to this day. An amazing man, far more than just a musician.
This is untrue. He was close to the families and set up a scholarship for the children, but did not donate all royalties. Google it.
Rest in peace Gordon Lightfoot. You made the world a better place.
At the end ,that is something.
Someone posted elsewhere when they ring the bell in the Mariner's Cathedral in Detroit as they do every year, this past time it rang thirty times, one more tolling for Gordon Lightfoot for keeping the memory of that good ship and crew.
This is a lyrical masterpiece. These men will be remembered forever because of Gordon's song.
This tragedy occurred on my 17th birthday, November 10, 1975. Although it was an American vessel, it sank in Canadian waters on Lake Superior, about 4 hours’ drive from where I lived in northern Ontario, Canada. It was big news at the time, the disappearance and the subsequent search were frequently reported on Canadian msm. Gordon saw a newspaper headline that prompted his writing of the song. All proceeds from sales went to the surviving family members.
How’s that for a legacy?
Thanks for that info.
I think I may have known that but to me it has always felt like a 60's song.
I'm from MN, and was 14 when the Fitz went down.
I recall reading that when Gordon read that newspaper that one of the names had been misspelled and he found that very disrespectful all those on the ship. Which prompted him to write this song. Think about it. Without this song no body would know of what was The Edmund Fitzgerald as I am Michigan born and raised but have never heard of this Ship nor the story about said ship. We had a Plane crash in Lake Michigan in the 50s or 60s and I never heard about it and I live near the city where Museum for this Plane crash victims is until Expedition Unknown aired.
@@stonebringer1 Folk songs have a way of doing that.
Lake Superior is a deadly lake. Gordon Lightfoot really told this story. I was 11 when it sank and it was big news. This song was such a tribute to the crew.
“Does anyone know, where the love of God goes, when the waves turn the minutes to hours”
That still gives me the shivers after all these years. Great video, J & A. Thank you as always.
Unfortunately they paused it right on this line, so they didn't pick up on how incredible this line is. it is my favorite line of the whole song.
Yes, that line and also: 'The faces and names of the wives and the sons and the daughters.' chokes me up every time.
Best line of the song. Maybe one of the best lyrics Lightfoot wrote. And he wrote a LOT of great songs. As a kid my parents played his music and Anne Murray all the time. They are both Canadian music icons.
This is, singularly, the best line of any song written in the last 100 years, in my humble opinion. And pretty much sums up how every mariner feels when you hit the trough (hopefully not still going on down), and a mountain of water looms above you.
@@Kayenne54 as professional mariner of 28 years now I can tell you that line does resonate right out at sea in a storm. It will humble you in a way only those who go to sea truly understand deeply.
Aloha,
Walt
To be able to write a song like this would be the crowning achievement of anyone's life...
Its very thoughtful of Gordon Lightfoot to comemorate the wreck and donate the proceeds to the families who lost their loved ones. Im from Minnesota and it's a legend for both states. I was 23 yrs old when this happened... remember it well.
This is untrue. He was close to the families and set up a scholarship for the children, but did not donate all royalties. Google it.
Read the detailed history of the boat and the wreck. Only then can you truly appreciate the brilliance and emotion of Lightfoot’s lyrics. The storytelling here is impeccable.
This.
No doubt about that...I think it's the most beautiful American ballad even written and performed.
This is probably my favorite song by Gordon Lightfoot cause of the story it tells and that guitar has such a haunting melody that as soon as any old Canadian hears it knows what song it is
There is a great video here on TH-cam, about the Edmund Fitzgerald. It’s about 30 minutes and very well done.
th-cam.com/video/wIg90sVSwSE/w-d-xo.html
The Mariner’s Sailor’s Cathedral is an Episcopal Church in Detroit, Michigan, which ministers to sailors on the Great Lakes. Every time there are lives lost on the Lakes they hold a memorial service and toll the bells for each life lost.
True. I lived a few blocks from Belle Isle, worked downtown, and when the bells tolled, we feared some kind of tragedy.
You know it's a dangerous place when they have a designated church for such a specific reason geez!
The bell from the Fitz is in the church. I remember when they brought it up
@@laurabailey1054 Im too young to know if the bell was ever displayed at the church, but it is now on display at the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum at Whitefish Point.
The Bow anchor of the Fitzgerald is on display at the Dodson Great Lakes Museum on Belle Isle
yeah, really appreciated your reactions! thanks for saying what the instrumentation meant to you!!! over forty years ago I heard this song when it started with acoustic guitars and after the words, ...."fellas it's been good ta know ya....".....it switched to electric guitars! the change was soooh subtle and smooth, you couldn't even tell the switch had been made. HAVING A HARD TIME FINDING THAT VERSION!!! thank you ever so much for this song!
I went to a bar one evening located west of Cleveland to see a friends band. In the middle of the evening, my friend stopped to introduce a special friend of his to the crowd. It was the Brother of the Captain of the Edmund Fitzgerald. The band then went on to play The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. It was very moving experience.
It's a solemn hymn anywhere around the Great Lakes.
@@crhu319 I ALMOST beg to differ, but not in a bad way. As a lifelong sailor on the ocean, before I spent years living in MN and learned the different quirks of Lake Superior, I can promise you that it's a solemn hymn not just around the lakes but everywhere you might meet a sailor. I certainly knew it and felt it that way long before I lived in the USA. The folk music canon is literally full of songs about famous or infamous ships and in many cases they tell of how that ship met its end but a few of them hold a special place to all of us that have spent time on, or lived by, the water. This is one such.
The road trip I made to Whitefish point to watch the sunset from the memorial one November 10th was a pilgrimage. There isn't an old sailor anywhere in the world who doesn't carry memories of other sailors who didn't get to grow old, every one of them a "brother of the soul" whether we knew them personally or not.
As a meteorologist for the past 42 years, I can tell you that a "gale" is a strong wind. Gale-force winds start at about 40 mph and can be hurricane-force. The gales across the Great Lakes are caused by storm systems, low pressure areas, that are more common from November through April. These storm systems are generally hundreds of miles across. It was such a storm that was the culprit. The SS Edmund Fitzgerald sailed from northern Wisconsin, near Duluth, MN. That's the southwest tip of Superior. They sailed all the way across Superior and almost reached port at Whitefish Bay, the southeastern tip of Superior. Lake superior is about 300 miles wide from west to east. With the wind coming from the west it had plenty of open water to build huge waves. Winds were reported to be up to 70 mph with gusts to 85-90 mph in the area, with waves 25-30 ft and possibly peaks of 35-40 ft. These waves would have been coming from the stern (back of the ship). Sometimes, if the waves are the "right" distance apart, a ship can be suspended by the bow and the stern with no support mid-ship. This can cause the ship to break in two. You can read about the shipwreck here (it was a real shipwreck): en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Edmund_Fitzgerald
Thanks much for all the detailed info👍
Thank you, I've always been interested in sea storms. I've watched many documentaries on the Edmund Fitzgerald, it is a haunting story and song.
Thank you, Chris, killer info for those not aware of the ferocity of these lakes - I'm way down here on Erie, south of Buffalo (lake effect anyone ?) Our little pond can get crazy during those storms and the saiche is incredible, due to how shallow it is...
You can see photos of the Author m Anderson showing damage to the railings and other parts of the ship above the stern superstructure from the waves that hit the Fitz a short time later.
Lake Superior is a deadly place to be in a ship in a storm - the waves are absolutely crazy, as they bounce back and forth between all of the shores, making them totally unpredictable and dangerous - there are over 6000 shipwrecks at the bottom of that lake.
Absolutely haunting song, and a great memorial to those lost on that ship.
A gale is a strong wind - generally 40 to over 55 mph. On the night of this sinking, the winds were over 60 mph, and the waves over 35 feet.
Junior...thank you for that info! I knew what a gale is, but had no clue about the specific wind velocity! Absolutely amazing that there winds 60mph and waves that high. Could they have dropped anchor and rode it out, or had they already done that?
Yes! Lake Superior is fierce!! I live in the U.P. Of Michigan or upper Michigan or Michigan’s upper peninsula.. So, yes when the winds pick up a smidge.. it’s advised to stay out of the lake!!✌️
@@jaycorby While I grew up on the coast, I'm not much of a sailor, so my knowledge is pretty limited.
From what little I know, I believe that it is safer for a ship to NOT drop an anchor as it would severely limit what the ship can do to point itself into the wind and the waves - never mind that with winds like that, it would just get dragged as the ship gets pushed about by the winds, and with those sort of waves, the up and down motion of the ship would most likely have the anchor not on the bottom half the time. They were also in 530 feet of water, and no ship that I know of carries anchor chains that are that long!
@@pammym190 You live on the UP? Do you ski Bohemia?
@@juniorjohnson9509 I do live in the U.P. And yes, I know where Bohemia is… I wish I could ski there.. but, unfortunately I have Cerebral Palsy.. So, with my Balance issues.. not a good idea! Lol!! But, It was really great talking to you!!✌️
I am from Cleveland and i remember the night the Edmund Fitzgerald...I remember the dark the wind and watching TV...becasue the weather was the breaking news of the night and then the reports came in of the Edmund Fitzgerald going down....there was nothing anyone could do until the storm stopped. My God bless those men....and thanks for bring this song to a new generation of people
@wendellwilson One of my coworkers was in the merchant marine; he told me about one of his shipmates who talked about that night. This guy was on the Arthur Anderson I believe; the ship that was ahead of the Edmund Fitz. Terrible weather-being a sailor can be a dangerous job.
The Anderson was about 10 minutes behind the Fitzgerald
@@carriekoehler1986 You’re right! I couldn’t remember whether he’d said the Anderson was ahead or behind-I looked it up later and saw that I goofed.
I'll bet all 29 mariners were waiting at the Pearly Gates for their 30th shipmate! Rest in Piece Gordon Lightfoot!
Thanks for the memories, I'm Andy Annmarie's husband!
This is absolutely the most haunting song ever performed. A classic among classics. Much respect to G.L. for writing this song and singing it with respect and grace.
@anthonysardone723 - For me the absolute most haunting song ever is 'If You Could Read My Mind' by - you guessed it - Gordon Lightfoot. I can occasionally get through Edmund Fitzgerald without breaking down, but I can never get through Read My Mind without crying like a baby. If nothing else brings me to tears by then, when he gets to "But heroes often fail" I completely lose it. I find most of the lyrics sad and usually break down in tears during the first 30 seconds, but that one line shatters me like no other song I've ever heard or hopefully ever will hear.
Its Absolutely Beautiful! ❤
Lake Superior. They built a boardwalk in Duluth, MN along the shore. It was destroyed twice in a couple of years by massive waves. They had to build a cement base to keep it there. It’s a beautiful lake, but to be respected.
@@ShadowsGathered It's a beautiful, beautiful song. Like you, I always listen to it in tears.
_ Second only to "Goodnight Saigon" by Billy Joel in the most haunting category.
The best ballad ever written, and the most haunting melody ever written, the drummer didn't even know when he was to come in, he waited for Gordon to give him a nod from his head. Gordon has never taken a dime for this song, everything this song has made has been donated to the family's of the men who were killed
Haunting is correct! Every time I hear this song I can actually see the witch of November
I didn't know that. Thanks
"The lake never gives up her dead" refers to the coldness of the water. Keeps the body so cold that it doesn't create the gas that would typically float a body to the surface of the water.
My father sailed on the Great Lakes in the 50s with the Merchant Marines. He was on a ship on Lake Superior when they docked someone took a picture of my dad standing in front of the ship. It must of had ice a foot thick all over the exposed decks. They were so top heavy, my father said, that a good shove would have capsized her.
The gales of November are the storm winds, creating huge waves (25-30 feet) and pick up the warm (relative to the air temp) water and deposit it as freezing rain. Sailing the Great Lakes is no joke. They are inland fresh water oceans.
Seas. Not oceans. Seas. Our planet only has three oceans and, by definition, none of them are inland.
This song is an example of a ballad. Ballads are songs and poems that recount real events, passed down through the generations. Some ballads date bake to medieval times
True, definitely, but with the even rhythm and pacing, it's as much a sea shanty as it is a ballad.
@@harlechmaker
Sea chanteys have an ascending/descending melody to evoke the feeling of being on a boat
Ballad is a story in song, it does not need to be true. plenty of ballads are not true. This one is.
@@MrBonners I was thinkin that as well. Ballots are much older than the Middle Ages too . The Iliad and odyssey, both ballot forms, was written about 500 -480 BC and The Canterbury Tales were written in ballot stanza forme about a hundred years before the Middle Ages
This is probably the biggest selling sea shanty in history...
His phrase, "the lake never gives up her dead" refers to the fact that they rarely find any bodies from the wrecks. Superior is an extremely cold lake at depth. Because of the cold there are very few microbes/bacteria to cause the bodies to bloat and rise to the surface to be discovered.
And the water pressure prevents bodies from floating back up to the surface.
I think the wreckage is in 200 ft of water, or there about.
@@kenqb5450 actually like 330+
Big Fitz rests around 520 feet down.
The most heartbreaking part of this song is when it says "The mariners say they'd have made Whitefish Bay if she'd put fifteen more miles behind her. " Only fifteen miles away from safe harbor, but it was too late...
The dude does indeed 'paint a picture.' Gordon Lightfoot was one of the Best.
One thing many people didn't know is that Gordon Lightfoot set up a trust for the surviving family members and that all the royalties from this song go into that trust.
My father ride the oar boats in the late 40's as a high schooler. Can remember the look on his face when the news came over the radio about the Edmund Fitzgerald. He could imagine the whole thing too clearly and he knew just where the ship went down. Here in the shore the shore of Lake MI, the winds can blow furiously, but, nothing is like Lake Superior during a gale. The Great Lakes are full of 19th century ship wrecks.
These lakes are much like fresh water inland oceans. I'm about 10 minutes from Lake Michigan myself. Wouldn't live anywhere else in the country!
@@dreamweaver8913 I'd leave in a heart beat.. The wicked witch of Lansing and the U of MI alumni cabal of greed ate just too much.
nebbin dog Before white Europeans came to the Great Lakes region, I wonder what the Native Americans thought of these bodies of water. How far did they venture out on them? Were they considered as 'gods' because of their awesome size and force?
ORE
This song always makes me cry every time I hear it because it always hits home where my Father was a fisherman and he'd be out weeks at a time never knowing how he was or if he'd return home to us.
"Does anyone know where the love of god goes when the waves turn the minutes to hours?"
A Gale is a storm.
One of Gordon's biggest hits reached number 4 on Billboard pop singles chart in March of 1977 I think was the best of his story telling songs RIP GORDON 🌺
That is phenomenal, I was surprised to know it cracked the top 40, let alone the top 5.
@@keiths81ca In the United States, it reached number 1 in Cashbox and number 2 for two weeks in the Billboard Hot 100 (behind Rod Stewart's "Tonight's the Night"), making it Lightfoot's second-most successful single, behind only "Sundown" This is phenomenal for a song of its length and content.
It is the haunting melody that catches your ear, but the lyrics are so well written you can actually see the story unfold in your mind.
knight nurse Each time I have listened to this over the decades I see each scene unfold like on a film loop of some sort, and I can feel the terror in the hearts of the crew that perished that night.
@@jaycorby i know, I feel the same way. It must have been horrible for them to realize they would never kiss their wives or hold their children again. I am a native Michigander, and I am old enough to remember this event. It was so heartbreaking.
Yesterday, that church bell rang 30 times. Twenty-nine times for each man on the Edmund Fitzgerald. And one time for Gordon Lightfoot.
"Gale of November", if not already given, is a November winter storm with high wind (gales). Lake Superior can get huge waves just like in the ocean. And as others may have mentioned, this is true. Some of the details of what the crewmen did prior to the sinking is speculation, but plausible. Wikipedia has a good article on this, including the discovery of the wreckage and how the ship likely sank.
The waves in the ocean are more like swells, the ones in the great lakes are rougher and more frequent. It's been discovered that the lake freighters are subject to more stress than an ocean freighter.
Didn’t it also take years before the wreck was finally found?
@@allieren Yes. Many years.
@@sparky6086 I thought so. I know we have the ship’s bell up north (here in MI). One day I’ll go see it.
It was found 4 days later by a US Nave airplane by detecting magnetic anomalies, backed up by side-scanning sonar a week later. The next May, the US Navy sent down an unmanned deep diving submersible and found it broken into 2 pieces, 530 feet down.
The line that always kills me is "Fellas, it's been great to know ya". Just the quiet acceptance of inevitable death is just so heart wrenching.
Captain and Crew of the Edmund Fitzgerald..... RIP
Ernest McSorley - Captain born in 1912 in Canada and lived in Toledo, Ohio. He started command of the Fitzgerald in 1972 with more than 40 years of experience navigating oceans and the Great Lakes. McSorley was highly regarded for his skills, especially in heavy weather. He intended to retire after the 1975 shipping season but was survived by wife Nellie Pollock.
John McCarthy - First mate born in 1913 and lived in Bay Village, Ohio.
James Pratt - Second mate born in 1931 and lived in Lakewood, Ohio.
Michael Armagost - Third mate born in 1938 and lived in Iron River, Wisconsin.
David Weiss - Cadet born in 1953 and lived in Agoura, California.
Ransom Cundy - Watchman born in 1922 on Easter Sunday in Houghton, Michigan, and lived in Superior, Wisconsin. He was in the Marine Corp and fought in the Battle of Iwo Jima during WWII. Fortunate to survive, Cundy was awarded several commendations and medals for his service. He was sailing with his friend Frederick J. Beetcher at the time of the sinking. Cundy was survived by his daughter Cheryl, her husband, and their seven children as well as three grandchildren from his youngest daughter Janice who passed away in 1974.
Karl Peckol - Watchman born in 1955 and lived in Ashtabula, Ohio.
William Spengler - Watchman born in 1916 and lived in Toledo, Ohio.
John Simmons - Senior wheelman born in 1913 in Ashland, Wisconsin, where he also lived. He was known as a storyteller, jokester, and pool shark, and he loved sailing. Friends with Captain McSorley for more than 30 years, the ill-fated Fitzgerald trip was going to be his last before retirement. Simmons was survived by wife Florence (who never dated or remarried after his death) and two daughters Mary and Patricia.
Eugene O’Brien - Wheelman born in 1925 in Minnesota and lived in Toledo, Ohio. Nicknamed the “Great Lakes Gambler,” he worked on ships from age 16 and only took a four-year hiatus as a glass factory worker. He loved casinos and playing cards. O’Brien was survived by wife Nancy and son John, who was just 17 when he lost his father.
John Poviach - Wheelman born in 1916 and lived in Bradenton, Florida.
Paul Riippa - Deckhand born in 1953 and lived in Ashtabula, Ohio.
Mark Thomas - Deckhand born in 1954 and lived in Richmond Heights, Ohio.
Bruce Hudson - Deckhand born in 1953 and lived in North Olmsted, Ohio.
George Holl - Chief engineer born in 1915 and lived in Cabot, Pennsylvania.
Edward Bindon - First assistant engineer born in 1928 and lived in Fairport Harbor, Ohio.
Thomas Edwards - Second assistant engineer born in 1925 and lived in Oregon, Ohio.
Russell Haskell - Second assistant engineer born in 1935 and lived in Millbury, Ohio.
Oliver Champeau - Third assistant engineer born in 1934 and lived in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. Nicknamed “Buck,” he quit school at age 13 to raise four siblings after his father died. During his life, Champeau fought in the Korean War with the Marine Corps.
Ralph Walton - Oiler born in 1917 and lived in Fremont, Ohio. He and his brother Wade sailed on many Columbia Transportation ships, including the Fitzgerald, but only he was on board when it sank. He often volunteered to maintain the ships during winter and gave his nephews tours of the vessels. Walton was survived by a wife and son Alan who worked on freighters too.
Blaine Wilhelm - Oiler born in 1923 in Big Bay, Michigan, and lived in Moquah, Wisconsin. He was in the Navy for 11 years, serving in WWII and the Korean War before being discharged as a first class fireman. Afterward, Wilhelm sailed for 19 years. He liked to go fishing and deer hunting and enjoyed playing pool, barbecuing, spending time with family and friends, and eating blueberry pie. Wilhelm was survived by wife Lorraine, seven children, and a grandchild born just four days after the Fitzgerald sank.
Thomas Bentsen - Oiler born in 1952 and lived in St. Joseph, Michigan.
Gordon MacLellan - Wiper born in 1945 and lived in Clearwater, Florida. Less than one month before the tragic Fitzgerald journey, he built a home in Presque Isle, Michigan, to make travel between the two states easier. MacLellan took after his father, Master Captain Donald MacLellan who traveled the Great Lakes route several times.
Robert Rafferty - Steward and cook born in 1913 in Toledo, Ohio, where he also lived. After 30 years of sailing, he started just filling in for crew members. Rafferty wasn’t supposed to be on the fateful journey but was called to fill in for the regular steward. He was actually considering retiring altogether. Rafferty was survived by wife Brooksie, daughter Pam, and several grandchildren.
Allen Kalmon - Second cook born in 1932 and lived in Washburn, Wisconsin.
Joseph Mazes - Special maintenance man born in 1916 in Ashland, Wisconsin, where he also lived. He sailed for 30 years on the Great Lakes and loved his job. At one point, he saved another crewman’s life. Sadly, the 1975 season would have been his last because he planned to retire. Mazes loved ice fishing, deer hunting, and snowmobiling in his free time. His siblings, nieces, and nephews remember how kind and generous he was. They recall him being afraid of Captain McSorley’s habit of never pulling out of a storm.
Thomas Borgeson - Maintenance man born in 1934 and lived in Duluth, Minnesota.
Frederick Beetcher - Porter born in 1919 and lived in Superior, Wisconsin.
Nolan Church - Porter born in 1920 and lived in Silver Bay, Minnesota. He didn’t start sailing until his 40s after watching the freighters pass by his home and thinking that the job would be fun. He was survived by multiple children who say that he loved the job. Son Rick recalls his father joking that the Great Lakes didn’t have a hole big enough for the Fitzgerald. Church didn’t think that such a tragedy could happen.
Thank you. I have seen/read this many times. Still gets me.
Thank you ❤
Thank you very much.
Thank you.
My grandfather lived next door to the McSorleys in Toledo, and were friends. I supposedly met him on a trip to visit my grandfather with my Dad. I was four or five at hhe time, and just remember the lady next door giving me a cookie as my grandfather's friend told me about the model ships he had in his den.
When the song came out, my, Dad told me the Captain of the Edmund Fitzgerald was that man next door. I was ten, and I remember crying, and said a prayer for him.
RIP Gordon Lightfoot. "At 3 p.m. Tuesday (5/2/23), the bell at Mariners’ Church rang out again - now chiming 30 times to honor those perished sailors along with the artist who famously memorialized them in song”
WOW
Rest in Eternal Peace, Gordon Lightfoot 😢!
@mrjuvy49: The ships on the lake ring their bells 29 times whenever they cross the spot where the Fitz went down.
"If You Could Read My Mind" is probably Gordon Lightfoot's biggest hit and a great song. And yes he is a Canadian treasure. If you grew up here you heard a lot of his music on the radio. Great songwriter for sure.
Back in the 70s, I was at the Air & Space Museum in D.C. They had the lyrics to Gordon's song Early Morning Rain displayed in one of the exhibits.
I was lucky to see him concert. It was just like he sat down to play his guitar for you in your backyard. You felt like he was singing just for you. No one else around you mattered.
@@angelinaduvallcameron Nice! I have never had the chance to see him.
“Sundown” is his most successful song. But he has stated his belief that this one (“The Wreck”) is his finest work.
@@angelinaduvallcameron That is exactly how I felt too.
Blessed to have seen him live in 2000. Incredible. Flawless.
“Does anyone know where the love of God goes when the waves turn the minutes to hours?” Haunting lyrics. I still get a tear in my eye all of these years later.
Me too. Every single time. 6
Some 30-odd years ago, I was in the Air Force and stationed in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. I was driving along the shore of Superior one cold November day, watching snow squalls out on the water and the waves crashing ashore while fiddling with the radio dial, trying to find something to listen to. Far out in the static of the AM band, I could barely make out this song starting... listening to it as all this was happening around me, looking out at the same sort of slate-gray sky and ice-cold unforgiving waves where all this happened ten years or so before was just about the eeriest thing that has ever happened to me in my life.
This video of the tune, with clips of the actual radio transmissions from other ships out on the lake during the storm and subsequent vanishing of the Edmund Fitzgerald has sent almost the same chill up my spine as I had that long-ago night listening to the static-filled song on the car radio:
th-cam.com/video/hgI8bta-7aw/w-d-xo.html
I do too.
ME too!
"Fellas it's been good to know you" is the one that always gets me.
This song is always emotional for me. My father was an able-bodied seaman aboard the Great Lakes ore freighter the William A. Irvin, launched in 1938 and now a National Historic Monument on display in Duluth. Dad left the Irvin to join the Merchant Marine during WWII, where after a transatlantic tour he was assigned to navigation.
From the 1970’s we lived in Grand Marais, MN and would always follow the ore freighters using binoculars. Late in the season, especially in November, we knew that they were taking calculated risks out on Lake Superior. The combination of the “Gales of November” the frigid water, and the very short period of the waves made any travel on Superior (truly an inland sea) perilous.
My dad passed ten years ago, but I still think of him every time I hear this song. Thank you for reacting.
May he rest in peace
Thank you for sharing this amazing story. 💕
I took two rather different tours of the William Irvin in Duluth harbor. I regret that I was married to someone from Duluth, and we took the regular tourist tour. My most distinct memory from that is that in addition to hauling freight, they entertained VIP guests on that ship and had staterooms for them in which the mirrors were tinted pink, so that if they got seasick, they did not look so white in the mirror. Literally rose-colored glasses. My second time, I was an expert speaker at a seminar for environmental reporters, and that time one of the focuses was to take people into the ballast tank to show how complex the support structure of the ship is inside that tank, making it difficult to thoroughly flush out all of the ballast water, which is a main technique used to keep invasive species from hitching a ride across the world on a ship.
I remember when this happened and 😭
My Great grandfather was the lighthouse keeper at whitefish point light in 1938.
"Does anyone know where the love of God goes when the waves turn the minutes to hours?!"
That lyric pretty much sums it up right there and Gordon Lightfoot's uncanny ability to make you feel you're right there sends chills down your spine when listening to this Epic song..If this song doesn't tug at your old heartstrings you might want to check your pulse..
That line gives me goosebumps every time I hear it.
My Dad was in the U.S. Merchant Marine in the 1930s, but heard this song but once when it came out; he never wanted to hear the story again. One of the very few times in his/my life I saw tears coursing down his whiskery cheeks. He did describe how insignificant and vulnerable he felt compared to the 70'-high seas blown up by a North Atlantic nor'easter; it was always a crap-shoot whether you get safely into port. What a fantastic story-song; thanks for your reactions!
Dad sailed on the Edmund Fitzgerald at one time. It would be such an event when he came home, Mom was tiny, he was huge, bigger than life and when he would arrive home with presents for everyone, Mom would climb on a chair and give him a big welcome home kiss....... until this song came out, the underground fears I had didn't surface, but after this hit, they never submerged again..... He survived it all, the freighters, but he wasn't on this boat when it sunk, but we sure felt for those family's whose men did not come home....
this ship when it sank messed up a lot of the crews of the company . glad your father was not on it at the time.
Thank you for sharing. Beautiful memories in their own right.
Love this song. Gordon is such a vivid story teller. And Gale is the wind blowing
Sustaned
34-47 knot surface winds !
You know what's funny - growing up - it was all Zeppelin, Aerosmith, etc. Heavy rock we all listened to. But everybody LOVED this non-rock song. It's greatness just transcended. Just undeniable.
Another detail I love about the instrumentation in this song is that, whenever he talks about the storm beginning to kick up, the drums come in and hit heavier and the instrumentation also becomes more intense. Gotta love when the arrangement of a song isn't just a chord progression with words over it but is actually designed to reinforce the emotion of the lyric.
That is called the "conversation" of the piece. It is the story told by the music itself. Very few artists and songwriters have the ability to make their music speak beyond the supporting lyrics.
You're listening to the the most brilliant musician and songwriter of his time
RIP.😪
Completely agree. Lightfoot, Dylan are the masters. I would put Paul Simon, James Taylor and John Denver one rung lower.
@@Seafarer62 Simon is clearly their equal, as is Billy Joel.
"All that remains are the faces and the names of the wives and the sons and the daughters." That line breaks me every time.
Every.Single.Time!
Hi Guys. In November 1975, I was a recent university grad working on a fishing boat operating out of Michipicoten Harbour, near Wawa, Ontario, on the north shore of Lake Superior. One morning, we were visited by a couple of RCMP officers. They asked us to help them look for any survivors from a ship that vanished the night before, called the Edmund Fitzgerald. No other captain along the coast would agree to go. Too rough, they said. But our captain, a cantankerous character, said yes and we all went. We never found anything, but I still remember getting very seasick, since it was still very rough. That's how I came to be on the only (to my knowledge) search vessel for the Edmund Fitzgerald. To answer Amber's question, the gales of November are hurricane-like winds that occur when cold, dry northern air, mixes with warmer, moister, southern air over the Great Lakes, which commonly occurs in November. I love your music reactions! Thank you for all you do. James, Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Hero’s. Also the Anderson turned back into the storm to search but also found nothing. Such a sad event
Gordon Lightfoot. His song really brought the sinking of the ship to a lot of people! I was 27 years old I remember this vividly. And when the song came on the airwaves, it was almost like a funeral remembrance for those who are lost. It really did hit your soul and I think it was meant to
The long notes of the slide guitar sounds like tear drops falling down someone's cheek, it sounds like crying to me
This is a beautiful tribute by one of the best Canadian singer songwriters. This is based on a true story & the lyrics tell the sad tale of the sinking of the ship & loss of lives in 1975. Gordon Lightfoot has had many hits through his long career such as "If You Could Read My Mind", "Sundown", "Carefree Highway", "Rainy Day People", Canadian Railroad Trilogy" & many more.
Add to those great suggestions Don Quixote, That Same Old Obsession, 30 Degrees and Getting Colder, and Sit Down Young Stranger.
"Does anyone know where the love of God goes, when the waves turn the minutes to hours?" So damn true 😕 I always get chills listening to this song. Gordon takes a little artistic license with the lyrics, but he succeeds in putting you in the shoes of the Edmund Fitzgeralds crew, and giving you a sense of what they must have felt in their final few hours.
Unfortunately she paused it right in the middle of this verse.
Well of course we have no idea what the crew said to each other in the last hours.
I was ten yrs old living in Wisconsin when the Fitzgerald went down. I cried for the crew and families. It marked me. I can't hear this song without crying to this day.
Me too.
If more people were like you the world would be a better place..
This song has such a VIBE. You just feel the whole thing deep in your bones. It's amazing.
The melancholy is tremendous.
Gordon Lightfoot is a real treasure. Not only did he make you feel as if you were on the Edmund Fitzgerald with this incredibly beautiful and tragic song, but he donated every cent he made on it to the families of the men lost in the wreck.
I cannot listen to a chord of this song without tearing up. "Does anyone know where the love of God goes when the waves turn the minutes to hours" is the most haunting lyrics I have ever heard.
This is untrue. He was close to the families and set up a scholarship for the children, but did not donate all royalties. Google it.
Good to see y'all are willing to do some research on historical songs...I love this song. Brings back memories from my childhood.
I remember when Big Fitz sank. All over the air waves.
@@theroofer3181 Gordie did the song shortly after the event to honor those left behind as a tribute to these men’s courage.
I remember the news coverage and then mich, much later when the wreck was found and examined.
Mr. Lightfoot is still connected to the families when it comes to this song and performances/use.
A great Canadian folk sung by one of the best folk singers ever. However, it is an American tragedy and I always tear up hearing this song. Sad loss in Canadian waters. Gale are winds that are extremely powerful almost in a hurricane sense. Blessed be the people who perished and their families. Love your channel.
I tear up, too. I listen to it every November 10th and shed a few tears in memory of the crew of the Edmund Fitzgerald. I lived in Albany, NY when the ship sank. I remember when it happened. It was widely reported in Albany. A few years later, I moved to Buffalo near Lake Erie for 16 1/2 years and then to a Milwaukee suburb, about 10 minutes from Lake Michigan, where I've lived for almost 24 years. The lakes are as powerful as the sea. This song is a reminder.
Rest In Peace Storyteller, And Song Writer Gordon Lightfoot . . . Thank You Very Much For Making My Growing Up In The 1970's A Fun Filled One, While Enjoying Your Amazingly Beautiful Story Telling Songs . . . ;-)
R.I.P. Gordon Lightfoot . . .
Captain of the Edmund Fitzgerald was a music lover as well. Nicknamed Captain DJ as he used the ships PA system to blast music.
Saw Gordon on Wednesday evening. Even at 83, frailer of voice and appearance, it’s still a powerful song. The lyric “Does anyone know where the love of God goes when the waves turn the minutes to hours?” just hits me in the feels every time.
Yes! That line echoes in my soul. Especially when I'm going through something tough.
One of the..., Nay! "The" most raw expressions of primal emotion EVER conveyed through vocabulary!!!
Bonjour from a licensed Skipper in France ... once took a rented Baja 25' (twin engine/screwed 454 cubic inch) boat out in Toulon; site of the annual 'Wind Kite Surfing Championship Competition" due to repeatable Wind conditions. Went out past the bay and in a matter of minutes, the Wind whipped up 20 meter waves ... no way to take them head on nor take them beam on for certain rolling over ... had to "traverse" those rollers but almost steadfast with both engines at full throttle. Don't know how we ( 3 persons on board) made it back to the calm of the Bay ... but we did. THESE are the times when Mariners pray to God and know full well the outcome depends upon the Lord's plan for you in this Life. Hence, I've always loved this song and the powerful lyrics.
It does but we can turn to the Bible for comfort... My brothers boat went down, we went out in the storm to rescue him... We never found him, he was gone.... When I looked to God, the only being who could give me what I desperately needed to know, Jonah 2:5-7 feel into my need and I saw that yes... This... Was what my little brother experienced that terrible night! It's what he saw, and, what he felt.... It was his truth and probably those men on the Edmund Fitzgerald too. They are one and all safe. Safe in Jehovah God's memory until the resurrection of the dead ( Acts 24:15) And I have no doubt that when he recounts his experience to me it will be like that in the Scripture that came my way when needed.
Song I wish I was back home in Derry
It's so sad that Gordon Lightfoot passed away on May, 1, 2023! He was a National Treasure!! R.I.P Gordon Lightfoot 🙏❤️
An easy addition to the Rock and Roll HOF, but hey what do they know. My fave is Canadian railroad trilogy
He was 84
This song gives me chills every time I hear it. Thank you so much for your wonderful video - it truly honors this wonderful song!
Interesting weather fact: the Edmund Fitzgerald went down in what is termed a Bomb Cyclone - basically (in simple terms) a hurricane over the Great Lakes. They're terrifying for mariners, and I could not imagine sailing the Great Lakes without the technology we have today.
A beautiful, haunting song and story by an amazing musician. Thank you for paying tribute to this song. By doing so, you help to keep alive the spirit of the 29 lost in the tragedy. I get weepy every time I listen to this. Hugs.
Hugs back.
"Does anyone know where the love of God goes, when the waves turn the minutes to hours?" EVERY single time I hear that line I get an immediate chill. The man is a born poet when he can evoke an entire scene with one simple line. One of the greatest lyric lines ever written, in my humble opinion.
YES. That’s the line that always gets me, too. Combined with the music, it really conveys a sense of mortality & humility that sailors must feel, when faced with the power of those waves.
The line that always hits me hardest is "and all that remains are the faces and the names, of the wives and the sons and the daughters."
Maybe a poet but not a singer
Spot on!
For me the haunting line is "and all that remains is the faces and the names of the wives and the sons and the daughters"
The boat was bound for Cleveland, and some of the crew were returning home there. For many years each year there was a tiny bar on the west side of Cleveland where the local crew's families would gather each year on the anniversary. This was fifteen years ago, they were still gathering together each year, and they may be still. They always started by playing this song. I can't hear it now without thinking of those families.
They have a ceremony at Whitefish Point, MI every year for it. There is a museum there too.
God rest your soul Gordon. What a wonderful ballad singer you were. Fun to share reactions.
I am 58 years old and have listened to this truly haunting masterpiece I don't know how many times. To this day I still get choked up imagining how the crewmen might have felt knowing their fates were sealed.
Thank you for reacting to this classic.
Ditto here, sir! 58 as well and I tear up every time I hear it.
The line where the cook comes on deck and says “fellas it’s been good to know ya” always gives me chills.
Me too😢
The most evocative line of this song is "Superior it's said never gives up her dead when the Gales of November come early". What that means is that because Superior is a cold water lake, the bodies will sink instead of floating so you get nothing to bury.
I had the pleasure of seeing Gordon Lightfoot sing this tribute in concert. My brother's father-in-law was a merchant marine captain on the Great Lakes and knew the captain and crew of the Edmund Fitzgerald.
The ship is considered a tomb. Diving on the wreck is prohibited. The crew is still onboard.
We live in Michigan and this song was a huge part of our childhood. We remember watching the search for the missing on the news. It’s hard for people to understand just how big our lakes are here and they are deadly.
I just read that he gave all the proceeds from this song to the families of the crew. His heart was as huge as his talent.
This is untrue. He was close to the families and set up a scholarship for the children, but did not donate all royalties. Google it.
As someone who has lived in Michigan her whole life, I can tell you that this is played every year on the anniversary. I was able to hear GL perform it in person. Such a great story teller. The music and lyrics are on target.
What does qushi cumi mean? Did i hear it right?
@@antoinettewitt2098 Gitcheegumee. It's Ojibwe for great sea. Pronounced gitch-ee-goo-me.
@@robinkent7378 Thank u for explaination
Greatly appreciated
I heard him perform it live as well... at a benefit. He thanked people for giving so generously to, I believe it was a cancer research benefit, but he asked for them to dig a little deeper and give to the survivor's fund that the proceeds of the song he was about to play for them went to. He then proceeded to play this song. There wasn't a sound to be heard other than his voice and instrument. There wasn't a dry eye in the place. When he was done, they didn't even bother with applause, hands just reached for checkbooks. That was applause that he appreciated, he said, and so would the surviving family members. This was years ago when his trust was new. The man was arguably one of the greatest folk singers of all time. Some might even call him the GOAT of folk music. I enjoyed his music growing up and still enjoy it immensely today. He was a rare and charming man, not given to false promises. If he gave you his word on something, he carried through with it. I told him that my sister thought he was the best and that she would enjoy meeting him. He told me to bring her on over. I let him know that she wasn't here. I then made a major ask. I said that she had a birthday party, her 21st, coming up, and that she would love him to come. He said he would be there and had his "guy" take down my info. I figured it was just the politeness of a star who wants to get out of there. Three weeks later, we were holding the party for my sister, and there was a knock at the door. When I answered and saw this wonderful man standing there, guitar case in hand, I was dumbstruck. I let him in and said to wait just a minute before coming around the corner. I went back and said to my sister that I had a special surprise for her. I said to come in, and he walked around the corner and into the main room. He stood there, and my sister said that was Gordon Lightfoot. He said he surely was, and he said he still didn't have a birthday hug from the birthday girl or a piece of cake. She nervously went up and hugged him, and was crying all over him. She apologized for that. He said it was alright and that he remembered meeting Dylan and McCartney. Over the course of the three hours (I know it seems odd that so well known a person would allocate that much time with us, but he did, that's just how nice a man he was) he was there, he played a couple of songs, letting my sister choose each time. She asked why he was here. He said he was here because her brother said I had a very special fan having a very special birthday. When he was ready to leave, he handed her a large envelope he had in his case and said he had a special present for her. It turned out he was in town in concert, and he had given her a handful of backstage VIP passes. I wasn't even sure this man would show up, but he gave his word, and he kept it in style. I became my sister's favorite for years after that. I understand that while rare in the music industry, this was not as rare a thing for him. He would do this sort of thing at least a couple of times every year, just to get a taste of where he came from. He never, he said, wanted to forget where he came from to get to where he was. That was my brush with fame.
The bells still toll at Mariner’s church in Detroit for sailors lost on the big lakes. This was actually a lesson in school when I was a kid. I am old enough to have known relatives of some who were lost. This is part of personal history for those of us old enough. I have dim memory of hearing about it on the news. For me, it is chilling and truly sad, because it reminds me that history is in fact real life.
I remember this so clearly, it happened on my birthday.
For all of us that have worked it or loved someone who did this song and the movie "Perfect Storm" are reminders of just what it is like to ride out a storm or sit ashore wondering if you'll ever see your loved ones again. I've both been in storms and sat staring at a VHF radio wishing it would crackle to life with a familiar voice. They might not seem like hero types but they do jobs that are needed at the risk of all they have and it is rare they get appreciated. The world today could use songs like this, I'm honestly tired of "it's too soon" mentality, this song and ones like "I don't like Mondays" helped people grieve and were a benefit to society as a whole during their times of tragedy.
In a musty old hall in Detroit they prayed,
In the maritime sailors' cathedral
The church bell chimed till it rang twenty-nine times
For each man on the Edmund Fitzgerald
@@rebeccaknox2567 Perfect Storm wrecked my soul. I cried so hard at the end in the theater, once in the parking lot, and then later when my friend and I went to Walmart. Just imagining what they went through before death, and what so many sailors have gone through before just got to me for some reason. 😭
@@goldilox369 Says a lot about what a caring person you are deep down. I had a doctor tell me I had at most three months to live once (obviously misdiagnosed!) and knowing you are about to die and not being able to do a thing about it or do those "last things" is horrid, being on a ship and not even being able to say that last "I love you" or "I'm sorry" would be the worst thing I could imagine.
His voice is haunting throughout the song.
A gale is indeed a strong wind, 39-54 miles an hour. The term 'gale-force winds' used to be used in hurricane warnings, but these days the word is almost exclusively used to describe nautical conditions. Lake Superior is the northernmost and largest of the Great Lakes, and it's known for being very, very cold and having terrible weather. The area where the 'Fitz' went down, Whitefish Point, is also called 'The Graveyard of the Great Lakes', as it's claimed at least 240 ships.
The phrase 'the lake never gives up her dead' is actually another reference to the conditions of the lake, as it's so cold down there that bodies don't float to the surface as they do in other waters. What sinks to the bottom of Lake Superior stays at the bottom, and apparently remains very well-preserved.
Today is the 47th anniversary of this tragic event. 11/10/1975. " And all that remains is the faces and the names of the wives and the sons and the daughters." One of the saddest lines of lyrics ever written. R.I.P. to all those 29 souls.
I was a teen living on the shores of one of the lakes when the Edmund Fitzgerald was lost. I remember how shocking it was, and this song was tribute and closure that many of us needed.
RIP Gordon Lightfoot, Canada's greatest storyteller. Having grown up in Michigan during the 1970s I clearly remember this tragedy and this great tune that told the story. It still gives me shivers and brings a tear to my eye.