About the song
On November 10, 1975, the SS Edmund Fitzgerald, a bulk carrier, met its demise in the icy waters of Lake Superior, claiming the lives of all 29 crew members on board. This tragic event would inspire one of the most iconic and enduring songs in Canadian music history: “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” by Gordon Lightfoot. Released in 1976, the song has become a beloved classic, and its story is as fascinating as the tale it tells.
Written, composed, and performed by Lightfoot, “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” is a masterful tribute to the ill-fated ship and its crew. The song’s genesis is rooted in Lightfoot’s passion for recreational sailing on the Great Lakes, as well as his interest in the news reports surrounding the tragedy. Drawing from articles, including “The Cruelest Month” in Newsweek magazine, Lightfoot crafted a narrative that would become his finest work.
The song’s lyrics chronicle the final voyage of the Edmund Fitzgerald, from its departure to its fateful encounter with a late-season storm. With poetic license, Lightfoot fills in the gaps of the story, creating a vivid and haunting portrait of the ship’s last hours. The song’s accuracy has been subject to scrutiny over the years, with some artistic liberties taken to enhance the narrative. However, Lightfoot’s commitment to telling a compelling story has made the song an enduring testament to the tragedy.
Recorded in December 1975 at Eastern Sound in Toronto, the song features a haunting blend of guitar and steel riffs, courtesy of Pee Wee Charles and Terry Clements. The song’s production was groundbreaking, as it was the first commercial digital multitrack recording on the 3M 32-track digital recorder, a prototype technology at the time.
Upon its release, “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” became a massive hit in Canada, reaching number 1 on the RPM national singles survey. In the United States, it peaked at number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, behind Rod Stewart’s “Tonight’s the Night.” Although its success was more modest overseas, the song has become an integral part of Canadian music heritage.
Over the years, Lightfoot has continued to perform and refine the song, even making changes to the lyrics to reflect new findings about the tragedy. In 2010, he altered a line to reflect the fact that there was no crew error involved in the sinking, a testament to his dedication to accuracy and respect for the crew’s memory.
“The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” is more than just a song – it’s a tribute to the lives lost, a testament to the power of storytelling, and a reminder of the importance of preserving our collective history. As we reflect on this timeless ballad, we honor the memories of the Edmund Fitzgerald’s crew and the enduring legacy of Gordon Lightfoot’s masterpiece.
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Lyrics
The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down
Of the big lake they call Gitche Gumee
The lake, it is said, never gives up her dead
When the skies of November turn gloomy
With a load of iron ore twenty-six thousand tons more
Than the Edmund Fitzgerald weighed empty
That good ship and true was a bone to be chewed
When the gales of November came early
The ship was the pride of the American side
Coming back from some mill in Wisconsin
As the big freighters go, it was bigger than most
With a crew and good captain well seasoned
Concluding some terms with a couple of steel firms
When they left fully loaded for Cleveland
And later that night when the ship’s bell rang
Could it be the north wind they’d been feelin’?
The wind in the wires made a tattle-tale sound
And a wave broke over the railing
And every man knew, as the captain did too
T’was the witch of November come stealin’
The dawn came late and the breakfast had to wait
When the gales of November came slashin’
When afternoon came it was freezin’ rain
In the face of a hurricane west wind
When suppertime came, the old cook came on deck sayin’
“Fellas, it’s too rough to feed ya”
At 7 PM, a main hatchway caved in, he said
“Fellas, it’s been good to know ya”
The captain wired in he had water comin’ in
And the good ship and crew was in peril
And later that night when his lights went outta sight
Came the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald
Does any one know where the love of God goes
When the waves turn the minutes to hours?
The searchers all say they’d have made Whitefish Bay
If they’d put fifteen more miles behind her
They might have split up or they might have capsized
They may have broke deep and took water
And all that remains is the faces and the names
Of the wives and the sons and the daughters
Lake Huron rolls, Superior sings
In the rooms of her ice-water mansion
Old Michigan steams like a young man’s dreams
The islands and bays are for sportsmen
And farther below Lake Ontario
Takes in what Lake Erie can send her
And the iron boats go as the mariners all know
With the gales of November remembered
In a musty old hall in Detroit they prayed
In the maritime sailors’ cathedral
The church bell chimed ’til it rang twenty-nine times
For each man on the Edmund Fitzgerald
The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down
Of the big lake they call Gitche Gumee
Superior, they said, never gives up her dead
When the gales of November come early