http://www.wordnik.com/lists/tunie-wreck-of-the-i-edmund-fitzgerald-i-3.xml Music and lyrics ©1976 by Gordon Lightfoot <br /> <br />The <a href="/words/legend">legend</a> lives on from the <a href="/words/Chippewa">Chippewa</a> on down <br />of the big <a href="/words/lake">lake</a> they called "<a href="/words/Gitche Gumee">Gitche Gumee</a>." <br />The lake, it is said, never gives up her <a href="/words/dead">dead</a> <br />when the skies of <a href="/words/November">November</a> turn <a href="/words/gloomy">gloomy</a>. <br />With a load of <a href="/words/iron ore">iron ore</a> twenty-six thousand <a href="/words/tons">tons</a> more <br />than the <a href="/words/Edmund Fitzgerald">Edmund Fitzgerald</a> weighed <a href="/words/empty">empty</a>, <br />that good <a href="/words/ship">ship</a> and true was a bone to be chewed <br />when the "<a href="/words/Gales of November">Gales of November</a>" came early. <br /> <br />The ship was <a href="/words/the pride of the American side">the pride of the American side</a> <br />coming back from some mill in <a href="/words/Wisconsin">Wisconsin</a>. <br />As the big <a href="/words/freighter">freighter</a>s go, it was bigger than most <br />with a crew and good captain <a href="/words/well seasoned">well seasoned</a>, <br />concluding some terms with a couple of <a href="/words/steel">steel</a> firms <br />when they left fully loaded for <a href="/words/Cleveland">Cleveland</a>. <br />And later that night when the [ship's bell] rang, <br />could it be the <a href="/words/north wind">north wind</a> they'd been feelin'? <br /> <br />The <a href="/words/wind">wind</a> in the <a href="/words/wire">wire</a>s made a <a href="/words/tattle-tale">tattle-tale</a> sound <br />and a <a href="/words/wave">wave</a> broke over the <a href="/words/railing">railing</a>. <br />And ev'ry man knew, as the captain did too <br />'twas the <a href="/words/witch of November">witch of November</a> come stealin'. <br />The <a href="/words/dawn">dawn</a> came late and the <a href="/words/breakfast">breakfast</a> had to wait <br />when the Gales of November came slashin'. <br />When afternoon came it was freezin' rain <br />in the face of a <a href="/words/hurricane">hurricane</a> west wind. <br /> <br />When <a href="/words/suppertime">suppertime</a> came the old cook came on deck sayin'. <br />"Fellas, it's too <a href="/words/rough">rough</a> to feed ya." <br />At seven P.M. a <a href="/words/main hatchway">main hatchway</a> caved in; he said, <br />"Fellas, it's bin good t'know ya!" <br />The captain wired in he had water comin' in <br />and the good ship and crew was in <a href="/words/peril">peril</a>. <br />And later that night when 'is lights went outta sight <br />came the <a href="/words/wreck">wreck</a> of the Edmund Fitzgerald. <br /> <br />Does anyone know where the love of <a href="/words/God">God</a> goes <br />when the waves turn the minutes to hours? <br />The <a href="/words/searchers">searchers</a> all say they'd have made <a href="/words/Whitefish Bay">Whitefish Bay</a> <br />if they'd put <a href="/words/fifteen">fifteen</a> more miles behind 'er. <br />They might have <a href="/words/split up">split up</a> or they might have <a href="/words/capsized">capsized</a>; <br />they may have <a href="/words/broke">broke</a> deep and <a href="/words/took water">took water</a>. <br />And <a href="/words/all that remains">all that remains</a> is the faces and the names <br />of the <a href="/words/wives">wives</a> and the <a href="/words/sons">sons</a> and the <a href="/words/daughters">daughters</a>. <br /> <br /><a href="/words/Lake Huron">Lake Huron</a> rolls, <a href="/words/Superior">Superior</a> sings <br />in the rooms of her <a href="/words/ice-water">ice-water</a> mansion. <br />Old <a href="/words/Michigan">Michigan</a> <a href="/words/steams">steams</a> like a young man's dreams; <br />the <a href="/words/islands">islands</a> and <a href="/words/bays">bays</a> are for sportsmen. <br />And farther below <a href="/words/Lake Ontario">Lake Ontario</a> <br />takes in what <a href="/words/Lake Erie">Lake Erie</a> can send her, <br />And the iron boats go as the <a href="/words/mariners">mariners</a> all know <br />with the Gales of November <a href="/words/remembered">remembered</a>. <br /> <br />In a musty old hall in <a href="/words/Detroit">Detroit</a> they prayed, <br />in the "<a href="/words/Maritime">Maritime</a> <a href="/words/Sailors">Sailors</a>' <a href="/words/Cathedral">Cathedral</a>." <br />The <a href="/words/church">church</a> bell <a href="/words/chimed">chimed</a> 'til it rang <a href="/words/twenty-nine">twenty-nine</a> times <br />for each man on the Edmund Fitzgerald. <br />The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down <br />of the big lake they call "Gitche Gumee." <br />"Superior," they said, "never gives up her dead <br />when the gales of November come early." http://www.wordnik.com http://www.wordnik.com/words/legend Fri, 06 Mar 2009 20:27:00 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/legend http://www.wordnik.com/words/chippewa Fri, 06 Mar 2009 20:26:55 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/chippewa http://www.wordnik.com/words/lake Fri, 06 Mar 2009 20:26:49 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/lake http://www.wordnik.com/words/gitche gumee Fri, 06 Mar 2009 20:26:40 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/gitche gumee http://www.wordnik.com/words/dead Fri, 06 Mar 2009 20:26:30 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/dead http://www.wordnik.com/words/november Fri, 06 Mar 2009 20:26:26 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/november http://www.wordnik.com/words/gloomy Fri, 06 Mar 2009 20:26:15 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/gloomy http://www.wordnik.com/words/iron ore Fri, 06 Mar 2009 20:26:10 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/iron ore http://www.wordnik.com/words/tons Fri, 06 Mar 2009 20:26:04 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/tons http://www.wordnik.com/words/edmund fitzgerald Fri, 06 Mar 2009 20:25:54 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/edmund fitzgerald http://www.wordnik.com/words/empty Fri, 06 Mar 2009 20:25:39 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/empty http://www.wordnik.com/words/ship Fri, 06 Mar 2009 20:25:33 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/ship http://www.wordnik.com/words/gales of november Fri, 06 Mar 2009 20:25:23 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/gales of november http://www.wordnik.com/words/the pride of the american side Fri, 06 Mar 2009 20:25:10 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/the pride of the american side http://www.wordnik.com/words/wisconsin Fri, 06 Mar 2009 20:24:58 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/wisconsin http://www.wordnik.com/words/freighter Fri, 06 Mar 2009 20:24:51 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/freighter http://www.wordnik.com/words/well seasoned Fri, 06 Mar 2009 20:24:41 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/well seasoned http://www.wordnik.com/words/steel Fri, 06 Mar 2009 20:24:27 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/steel 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Mar 2009 20:21:25 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/searchers http://www.wordnik.com/words/whitefish bay Fri, 06 Mar 2009 20:21:19 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/whitefish bay http://www.wordnik.com/words/fifteen Fri, 06 Mar 2009 20:21:13 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/fifteen http://www.wordnik.com/words/split up Fri, 06 Mar 2009 20:21:06 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/split up http://www.wordnik.com/words/capsized Fri, 06 Mar 2009 20:21:00 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/capsized http://www.wordnik.com/words/broke Fri, 06 Mar 2009 20:20:56 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/broke http://www.wordnik.com/words/took water Fri, 06 Mar 2009 20:20:52 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/took water http://www.wordnik.com/words/all that remains Fri, 06 Mar 2009 20:20:45 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/all that remains http://www.wordnik.com/words/wives Fri, 06 Mar 2009 20:20:39 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/wives http://www.wordnik.com/words/sons Fri, 06 Mar 2009 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http://www.wordnik.com/words/lake ontario http://www.wordnik.com/words/lake erie Fri, 06 Mar 2009 20:19:38 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/lake erie http://www.wordnik.com/words/mariners Fri, 06 Mar 2009 20:19:28 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/mariners http://www.wordnik.com/words/remembered Fri, 06 Mar 2009 20:19:24 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/remembered http://www.wordnik.com/words/detroit Fri, 06 Mar 2009 20:19:17 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/detroit http://www.wordnik.com/words/maritime Fri, 06 Mar 2009 20:19:14 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/maritime http://www.wordnik.com/words/sailors Fri, 06 Mar 2009 20:19:08 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/sailors http://www.wordnik.com/words/cathedral Fri, 06 Mar 2009 20:19:05 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/cathedral http://www.wordnik.com/words/church Fri, 06 Mar 2009 20:18:59 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/church http://www.wordnik.com/words/chimed Fri, 06 Mar 2009 20:18:54 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/chimed http://www.wordnik.com/words/twenty-nine Fri, 06 Mar 2009 20:18:47 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/twenty-nine