The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald

A tribute to the 29 men who died November 10, 1975, aboard the Edmund Fitzgerald in Lake Superior.

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Announcer (0:04): An air and sea search is continuing for possible survivors of the Edmund Fitzgerald, a 729 foot ore carrier, which apparently broke apart and sunk last night on Lake Superior. The ship and its 29-man crew vanished in a storm with 80 mile-an-hour winds and wave heights up to 25 feet. All that has been found is an oil slick and some debris.
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song begins at 0:17
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Radio Transmission (3:11): "We last had contact with 'em, the mate had talked to him ... at about 10 minutes after 7, 19:10, and he said he was going along fine and no problem."
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Radio Transmission (3:21): "But it looks from the information that we have that it's, uh, fairly certain that the, uh, Fitzgerald went down."
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Radio Transmission (4:04): "Uh, no, I didn't have him, uh, visually, I had him on radar; he was, uh, exactly 10 miles ahead of us. I asked him how he was making out with his problems and he said he was holding his own, but I, uh, lost contact after that."

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Lyrics:

The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down
of the big lake they called "Gitche Gumee"
The lake, it is said, never gives up her dead
when the skies of November turn gloomy
With a load of iron ore twenty-six thousand tons more
than the Edmund Fitzgerald weighed empty,
that big ship and true was a bone to be chewed
when the Gales of November came early

The ship was the pride of the American side
coming back from some mill in Wisconsin
As the big freighters go, it was bigger than most
with a crew and good captain well seasoned,
concluding some terms with a couple of steel firms
when they left fully loaded for Cleveland
And later that night when the ship's bell rang,
could it be the north wind they'd been feelin'?

The wind in the wires made a tattle-tale sound
and a wave broke over the railing
And ev'ry man knew, as the captain did too
'twas the witch of November come stealin'
The dawn came late and the breakfast had to wait
when the Gales of November came slashin'
When afternoon came it was freezin' rain
in the face of a hurricane west wind

When suppertime came the old cook came on deck sayin'
"Fellas, it's too rough t'feed ya"
At seven P.M. a main hatchway caved in; he said,
"Fellas, it's bin good t'know ya!"
The captain wired in he had water comin' in
and the good ship and crew was in peril
And later that night when 'is lights went outta sight
came the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald

Does any one know where the love of God goes
when the waves turn the minutes to hours?
The searchers all say they'd have made Whitefish Bay
if they'd put fifteen more miles behind 'er
They might have split up or they might have capsized;
they may have broke deep and took water
And all that remains is the faces and the names
of the wives and the sons and the daughters

Lake Huron rolls, Superior sings
in the rooms of her ice-water mansion
Old Michigan steams like a young man's dreams;
the islands and bays are for sportsmen
And farther below Lake Ontario
takes in what Lake Erie can send her,
And the iron boats go as the mariners all know
with the Gales of November remembered

In a musty old hall in Detroit they prayed,
in the Maritime Sailors' Cathedral
The church bell chimed 'til it rang twenty-nine times
for each man on the Edmund Fitzgerald
The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down
of the big lake they call "Gitche Gumee"
"Superior," they said, "never gives up her dead
when the gales of November come early"

• Category

  Education

[SUNDOGG97]

To all you doubters and disbelievers about Lake Superior storms and this tragedy, I can attest that I was at the shore of Lake Superior Nov 10 1975 at Pebbles Beach, Marathon, Ont and the Waves were breaking on shore at the heights of 15' and higher. Marathon is roughly 150 miles away the Edmund Fitzgerald went down.

The water is deadly cold. Fog so thick like soup. The water heavy, the breakers seem to carry more weight.

[Jill Robinson]

When this tragedy happened, I was a teenager, and I was horrified. The song is a ballad of our time, and my sister and I love the Lake. We have gone up to Split Rock Lighthouse for the Edmund Fitzgerald memorial; I think November 10th is the only day all year that Split Rock turns on its lights, in memory of the 29 fellows that went down with the ship. Thanks for this video.

[Drew Jefferson]

This comment was good until "The Zeitgeist Movement". Just seems out of place.

[tkodemolisher]

How does this vid get dislikes?

[stumarx]

You're absolutely right! Damn those early Africans! They should have never started talking and making stone tools!

The problem with so many American bashers seems to be that they don't realize that so many Americans are aware of the problems, and are trying to change things from the inside as there are victims of unfettered capitalism too.

Verbally attacking one country or people or another makes you no better than those you vilify.

The Zeitgeist Movement!

[scibt1]

I only wish that you could of been on that ship with the others!

[jbailor13]

I agree, its is an homage to them.

[Jake Preston]

I lived in Duluth for a few years and have always loved Lake Superior, but it can be as dangerous as any ocean. The song is moving: it commemorates a tragedy, and at the same time it is a tribute to the power of the world's Greatest Lake.

[umbrellacorpsoldier1]

Rest in peace you brave 29 men. Lightfoot you did an excellent job, great tribute to those brave men.

[Michael Folker]

This was very harsh for a popular song: no refrain, no chorus. & Mr. Lightfoot was best known for singing about lost loves & yearning B 4 this.

[David Manson]

this is the best video on this incident and song has new meaning for me, thx