First time hearing THE WRECK OF THE EDMUND FITZGERALD - GORDON LIGHTFOOT

[@br1264]

Today the Mariners Church of Detroit chimed 30 times. 29 chimes for those that perished on the Edmond Fitzgerald, and one extra chime for Gordon Lightfoot. Thank you for this thoughtful and respectful reaction. RIP Gordon Lightfoot

[@judistocker1811]

Such a loss of The Great Musical Story Teller. One of my sisters and I had such a love for Lake Superiors North Shore and the Rivers that were it’s tributaries. We spread her ashes on 5/1/2016 in the Temperance River. My heart loves that he left us on the same day, 7 years later.

[@jaswmclark]

Godon Lightfoot changed the lyrics from "Musty old Hall" to "Rustic old Hall" among other changes. You never heard of Gordon Lightfoot? What rock have you been living under Harri?

[@colonialstraits1069]

They do it every year, on the anniversary.

[@colonialstraits1069]

@@jaswmclark I guarantee you that most Americans have never heard him.

[@murraystewartj]

That was such a class act - I wept when I saw that though I only felt sad when hearing about Gordon's death. A simple and heartfelt tribute to the man who kept the loss of the Fitz and her crew in all our memories when it might have been largely forgotten. RIP to the crew of the Fitz and to Gordon - brothers all.

[@madonnahood3381]

It is okay to cry. I do every time I hear this ballad.

[@barkon]

I'll tell you this, I'm a former US Coast Guard SAR helicopter crewman and this song gets me every time.

[@jenniferrichards9841]

Can well imagine. CG is the family business, so know with a lot of great tales of rescue also come difficult tales of loss. Gordon captured this tragedy so well, we all feel witness to it. Fair winds and following seas! And thank you for your service!

[@judistocker1811]

RIP to Gordon Lightfoot. 5/1/2023 29 mariners met him at the gates of Heaven to welcome him and give him thanks.

[@johngardner4096]

And why not? He put their tragedy to unforgettable lyrics and music. Who could ask for a better memorial?

[@hopegeoghegan4184]

❤❤❤

[@karlsmith2570]

​@@johngardner4096agreed

[@AmandaHugandKiss411]

That's a beautiful thought..😢❤

[@andyb1653]

29 mariners, one Canadian folk singer, and one Ghost Ship ;)

[@charmainekirk1512]

As Canadians, we are proud of Gordon Lightfoot and his legacy to the world. RIP Gordon Lightfoot!

[@vanmamawannabe6360]

As Americans, we are proud FOR you. Thank you for sharing Gord with us all those years. I went to more of his concerts than any other musician or group.

[@petuniafuzz9083]

​

[@docsci]

As well you should be…. Gordon Lightfoot was a legend in his own time…. I’ve been listening to him for 50 years, and he was as good at the end as he was in the beginning…. An era has passed.

[@jeffhampton2767]

As Americans we are proud of Gordon Lightfoot. He is an American Legend.

[@lordevyl8317]

To me, him and Stan Rogers were two of the best folk singers Canada every produced, and both are sadly gone.

[@dalem8332]

Canadian icon Gordon Lightfoot brilliantly described this tragic event lyrically. Masterful. It reached #2 In the USA and went to #1 here in Canada.🇨🇦 Gordon donated all of the profits from this hit to the families of those 29 men who lost their lives on the Edmund Fitzgerald. Gordon is a class act. ♥️ 🎼🎵🎶🇨🇦

[@rodneygriffin7666]

Much love to you our neighbors in Canada.🇨🇦🇺🇸

[@naturemom57]

Wow just wow

[@lylechipperson3407]

too bad those 29 families took the money and now have the right to the shipwreck.. that wasn't the total number of crew on board it was 129... but all those first nations families have no funeral now @dale M yeah gordon rules.... smh

[@striker1553]

@@lylechipperson3407 what? lol

[@eiricmacbean]

@@lylechipperson3407 Where the hell you getting your info? That's total BS. I bet you weren't even born when it happened, but I remember it in real time.

[@burtonmediaprod]

Bob Dylan once said- the only bad thing about a Gordon Lightfoot song is when its over. Master storyteller of the highest caliber.

[@kerrylynnparsons9441]

Absolutely! A gifted musician. 🎶🎶🎶

[@cujoedaman]

From a storyteller himself, that's awesome :D

[@clbdyc]

Gordon could sing a recipe for making soup and make it sound amazing.

[@gr8old136]

Thought its a Gordon Lightfoot album...wow

[@stephanieellis5399]

It's a mutual admiration between them. Each one admiring the ability of the other to write a song, a story, a poem set to music.

[@Blues444]

"Does any one know where the love of God goes When the waves turn the minutes to hours?" A Stunning Verse

[@stardust164]

I love these lyrics,,,does anyone know?

[@bryanglassglass8971]

That verse gives me goosebumps and makes me cry everytime, I was 14 or 15 when it came out

[@robert-ef8qv]

I cry when I hear those specific lyrics ( wow ) RIP TO THE 29 ❤️🙏😢😢😢

[@a.bevdfray6625]

Haunting lyrics.

[@robert-ef8qv]

Yes absolutely haunting & so sad .RIP to the 29 crew.❤️😢🙏

[@katann40]

I am old Michigan.....had family on the Fitzgerald. Appreciate that you listened.

[@susanmacdonald4288]

You're totally right about the eerie atmosphere of the song...I realized that it's almost like a ghost story. The Maritime Church in Detroit still rings the bell 29 times on the anniversary of the sinking. And on Tuesday this week, the day after Gordon died, they rang it 30 times...one was for Gordon. That's how respected he was, and he would have been incredibly honoured. And as a fellow Canadian, I am so very touched that they honoured him this way.

[@neuralmute]

I've been to one of those memorial services at the Old Mariners' Church, since I grew up just across the border from Detroit, and paid part of my way through university working on a Lake Freighter. The bell ringing is a truly sacred event for anyone who's spent time on the Great Lakes, and it's only fitting that they rang it in honour of the late Gordon Lightfoot, who made sure that this tragedy and its victims would never be forgotten. And you're right - this song really does have the eerie feel of a ghost story. You know from the beginning that it's not going to end well, but it's so hauntingly beautiful that you can't stop listening. I've been a fan of Gordon Lightfoot all my life, having been born in the 70's to a Canadian mother who loved folk music, but this song is the first one of his that really caught my attention when I was a young child. It's haunted me my entire life, and I don't mind at all.

[@susanmacdonald4288]

@@neuralmute this song came out when I was first really starting to pay attention to the music on the radio, and this may have been the first of Gordon's songs that I was really struck by.

[@honolulublues5548]

​@@neuralmute maybe you'll find this interesting or maybe not. The melody is based on an Irish folk song. Gordon Lightfoot had written the melody before the Fitz tragedy happened and was looking for the words. After the tragedy, he put it all together and the record company didn't like it. GL also attended memorial services every year whether in Detroit or up at Whitefish point and that is another reason to ring the bell for him.

[@sandygreen8553]

The tune is from an Irish song 🎵 I wish I was back home in Derry.

[@davidyates4483]

All the proceeds from the song went to the family's of the one's who drowned

[@melissakhalar1842]

I live in Superior, Wisconsin where The Edmund Fitzgerald left on that November day in 1975. My late husband was a mariner on the Great Lakes and knew a couple of the men who were lost and had experienced storms that made his hair turn prematurely grey. We were at the concert where Mr. Lightfoot and the band performed this song for the first time here in The Twin Ports. It brought the house down, many of us in tears. Gordon Lightfoot is the love of my life musically speaking and this song is brilliant.

[@donnayoung5133]

I was at the concert, too. What a memory.

[@RonSafreed]

In 1928 a hurricane hit Lake Okeechobee in FLA. & drowned over 3000 people on the south shore of the lake with a 15 foot wind-driven freshwater storm surge & 25 foot waves & it also happened at night & those poor folk!!

[@melissakhalar1842]

@@RonSafreed terrifying

[@dougamundson6836]

I was in a bar in Superior when the call came out for the Coast Guard. Geez.

[@robertsutton1295]

"Does anyone know where the love of God goes, when the waves turn the minutes to hours?" That little snippet of lyrics has spoken powerfully to me over the years.

[@420manvan]

Me too and those words are terrifyingly true..

[@daviddelaet8116]

Some of the most poignant lyrics.

[@kyle381000]

Among the most haunting lyrics in Canadian music history.

[@stuartbeaton-gm9xn]

I fished the North Atlantic and the gulf of St Lawrence and this line means so much to me. I have been there1

[@KateBates22zabu]

Still gives me chills since the 60's

[@rebeccamccann8710]

“Does anyone know where the love of God goes, when the waves turn the minutes to hours?”…one of the most haunting and iconic lyrics ever written and performed. Gordon Lightfoot will live forever through his genius and the gift of his music.

[@tookmynick]

This is probably the only song, that brings a tear to my eye EVERY time i listen to it..

[@shirleybalinski4535]

Nothing in modern song writing comes close to this song. It is part funeral March, funeral dirge, sea chanty, poem all rolled into one. Definitely one for the ages. This crazy melody captures the mystery, the haunting, the aura of the Great Lakes...just incredible.

[@BrettonFerguson]

There are good songs still being made. Just you will never hear them on the radio. And you have to wade through the thousands of crap bands and millions of crap songs to find them. It helps if you speak multiple languages and listen to music from other countries.

[@jcchrome3381]

All that. It's gold...

[@GrumpyOldFart2]

Gordon Lightfoot himself said that the melody, thinking about it, he’s pretty sure it’s an Irish folk melody or Irish dirge.

[@colleenross8752]

Gordon's crowning achievement

[@michaelwilson6342]

My Uncle Bob was supposed to ship out as navigator on the Fitzgerald, as the boat he was previously on, the H.C. Richardson, was being scrapped. My uncle was a well known navigator on the Great Lakes, so the Fitzgerald recruited him. He accepted their offer and moved his gear to the Fitzgerald. At the very last minute, the Buckeye made a better offer to my uncle, so he took the better offer and moved his gear to the Buckeye and signed on with them. Soon after, the Fitzgerald shipped out and went down in a terrible storm. It often bothered my uncle afterwards, him thinking that as a veteran navigator, he could have done something to save the ship and crew. It bothered him up to his dying day. Those big ore boat crews are tight.

[@colebyrnes7889]

Wow... that is intense

[@hiphopapotamus69]

I feel that, Nothing he could have done though buddy... Just wasn't his time ✌🏼

[@buckhunter5597]

Much love to your late uncle

[@JoeRHodges]

Uncle Robert Hess?

[@JoeRHodges]

If this is accurate, I worked for Bob as a sales rep for The Baer Supply Co. (now known as Wurth Supply) in Columbus, Ohio….JRH

[@leannhenry9191]

I went to a concert for the first time. It was Gordon Lightfoot. At st paul Minnesota . When he sang this song the lights were turned to blue. The whole place felt cold. It was amazing. I wasn't into music at that time but Gordon changed that for me. You know, he never really fit in. He wasn't rock and roll. He wasn't country. He wasn't blues. But he was and still is magnificent. We are all blessed to have heard him. Thank you Gordon

[@tye8876]

If you grew up near the Great Lakes, you grew up knowing this song. To me, the repetitive melody feels like a boat rocking/splashing/breaking upon the waves. Gordon Lightfoot's lyrics, yes, tell a story. But it seems like they also place the listener IN the story. I feel the anguish of the crew, the sadness of the families left behind. To this day, when ships pass the site of the wreck, they ring their bells 29 times in honor of each man lost.

[@raywite6665]

Spend anytime during the winter on those shores where you can see skies turn black and squalls turn days into night. When the winds pick up and the chill drops 30 or more degrees in minutes you know you've seen the wickedness of the lakes. Beautiful in summer.

[@donalddowning4108]

The rhythm is classic sea shanty.

[@thomaspomeroy5678]

Wisconsin here: I grew up listening to this song.

[@hollyfraser3926]

you don't need that area, just water. Seattle knows this song.

[@stephanieellis5399]

It's one thing that I admire greatly, that I think GL does better than almost any modern song writer/composer: letting the music itself be a character in telling the story. It's not just in the words. The Canadian Railway Trilogy is one of the best examples. The guitar IS the train. The chugging as its starts from the start, the fast acceleration across the Prairies, the strain of the engine as it climbs up and over the Rockies... And then back again. Gordon's strumming is like a freight train. And nobody seems to talk about it. So, yes, I totally agree with you about the repetitive, and almost monotonous, melody playing the roll of the unrelenting waves.

[@bucketheadistheman]

Love your honest, caring reaction.

[@StephenJay]

Your honest, naked emotion was beautiful. Your personal story shared was bravely done. Your hope for the future poignant. Very well done sir.

[@catherineday951]

Gordon Lightfoot passed away today, at 84 years old. He will be missed.

[@LordHasenpfeffer]

You said it so well at the start... He's telling us a story we really don't want to hear... ...and yet we know we need to hear it.

[@chrisrautmann8936]

When they raised the bell of the Edmond Fitzgerald decades later, the family was on the recovery ship. When the bell broke the surface, it rang one time, and the ship was surrounded by butterflies. There's a documentary about it with photos.

[@ronaldrobertson2332]

I didn't know about the butterflies. Wow.

[@colleenross8752]

Butterflies are a symbol of the soul, those were the souls of the lost sailors come to reassure their families that they were okay

[@Kinypshun]

Thank you so much for sharing this.

[@lizbyrne7356]

The songwriter found just a small article about the wreck in the newspaper and he lived in Toronto which is Great Lakes region. He was so angry he researched the wreck and memorialized it in song. He met with the families for years and even changed some lyrics for them. Gordon Lightfoot died May 1st. He was Canada's premier singer songwriter. Bob Dylan said he was so good you never wanted the song to end. They knew each other when starting out.

[@CarmelaWain]

The echo Like you said...it's like listening to a story that you don't want to hear. You said a mouthful there my friend ❤ That is the best quote that I have heard in watching many a reaction to this beloved song 🎵 from our beloved Gordon. Also ...in Canada...if this song comes on ...the radio...someone's Playlist...or a record album at a party... We never turn it off.. We turn it up and...we sing along. We all know the lyrics and...we ALWAYS listen and always sing along in respect to ...the 29 dead and their wives and their sons and their daughters. Also to our 30th son...our beloved Gordon ❤ Thank you so much for reacting to THIS song 🎵 God bless you ❤

[@daniduke09]

One of the saddest and most beautiful songs ever written. I'm 62 years old and have heard that song so many times, and it still brings me to tears. The music flows like the rolling waves that rocked the ship.

[@launabanauna8958]

THAT is an awesome description of the music. Thank you. 💕

[@jimmyduncan7650]

And pushes like the tide.

[@berthanavarro2261]

Most beautifully sad song ever written.

[@anthonyhfe6450]

Me too !

[@l.baughman1445]

So well said! ❤ that slide guitar is the wind and the drum beats crash down as the waves.

[@garybrockwell2031]

Thank you fore standing up against division, ol' song feelings of times that were lived & Cried, bless us all an keep us brother ❤️🇬🇧🙏💯

[@barrygarwood6350]

The most incredible tribute song ever written and performed. Brings tears to my eyes every time I hear it.

[@zippyt.libertine3787]

Indeed.

[@johndeeregreen4592]

"And all that remains is the faces and the names Of the wives and the sons and the daughters." Gets me every single time. Gordon is a master at his craft.

[@GreenGrasshoppa]

The line that tears me up every time, "Does anyone know where the love of god goes when the waves turn the minutes to hours?" Tears...every time. 💚

[@richardsimpson9039]

Me, too.

[@launabanauna8958]

Doesn’t it tho! 😢

[@nancywengert7301]

As a native Michigander, I remember when this happened and the search for survivors that followed. Gordon Lightfoot's beautiful song brings tears to my eyes every time I hear it. The waves on Lake Superior were estimated to be 40 feet high during that storm. The gale had hurricane force winds with freezing rain and sleet decreasing visibility. Everyone in the area was shocked by the wreck of the Edmond Fitzgerald. There is a museum with a lot of what they recovered of the wreckage up near Whitefish Bay.

[@MetalDetroit]

Being from Detroit, I’ve been to Northern Michigan many many times. Lake Superior is absolutely terrifying. I camped in Canada in October along the eastern shoreline once. A blizzard and probably 25 foot waves came in during the evening. My tent was shredded. It had been 75 and sunny during the day. Absolute classic song. I’m old enough to have seen the ship. My grandfather worked at Great Lakes Steel. He used to take us to a park along the Detroit River for lunch and watch the freighters for by.

[@RonSafreed]

Just like here in FLA, the 1928 Lake Okeechobee cat. 4 hurricane with 150 mph winds!! The wind created a 14-15foot freshwater storm surge with 25 foot waves & this drowned over 3000 residents on the south shore of this lake 1& it was at night as well.

[@Joan_Day]

My grandfather was searching the beaches in the area at the time and found a life ring from the Fitzgerald and had searchers comb the waters nearby. Nothing but that preserver was found. The was the preserver was found at the beach they thought there was at least one survivor. It haunts him to this day.

[@SilverFox-qr1ci]

R.I.P. Gordon Lightfoot. Last week we lost an icon. The Maritime Sailors Cathedral rang the bell 30 times in honor of Gordon and the sailors of the Edmond Fitzgerald.

[@YN97WA]

The line, "And all that remains are the faces and the names of the wives and the sons and the daughters" gets to me every time. This song is a masterpiece about a horribly tragic event. Thanks for reacting to it, Harri. 👍👍

[@waynebrown3266]

I was singing along...but that is where I had to stop cuz I got choked up...even now.

[@ThePeaceableKingdom]

For me, it's "fellas, it's been good to know ya"

[@kwcozort]

Same... even after 100 times hearing it.

[@Dave_D.]

@@ThePeaceableKingdom Same here....the moment they knew they were going down.

[@robjohnson5872]

"Does anyone know where the love of God goes when the waves turn the minutes to hours" is my trigger with yours right there after - so much emotion in one song.

[@mellymom1121]

The "Fitz" still sits on the bottom of the lake. Out of respect, the crew is still there. Lake Superior is so deep and cold that the bodies will never rise to the surface. They did recover the ships bell which now is in The Maritime Cathedral. The great lakes are large fresh water bodies of water. We were taught the names by remembering "HOMES" Huron,Ontario,Michigan, Erie, Superior.

[@leeyaferguson9019]

YES.😔

[@jimcolbert4835]

The bell is at the shipwreck museum at whitefish point in the upper peninsula of Michigan.

[@hamletksquid2702]

I'd forgotten that mnemonic.

[@Loruca]

@@hamletksquid2702 I'd forgotten it, too, but hey, I don't need it!

[@hamletksquid2702]

@@Loruca - If only there were some easy way to remember it.

[@TheGotoGeek]

LIghtfoot is a legend. His ability to unite lyric and melody and emotion is pretty much unmatched. Listen to “If You Could Read My Mind”, and you’ll understand how true that is.

[@jeanmc4213]

This song is in the style of a ballad; it is one of the most ancient, powerful and beautiful story forms.

[@JohnSmith-tc9vy]

I was a young lad living in Ohio just south of Cleveland .. this event happened on of all days, my Birthday. So every year I listen to the song and say a prayer for the lives of the crew and the Families. As tragic as it is, this is a beautiful song and tribute.

[@kurtmooreca]

Send one to Gord too, he sadly passed in the past week, a little unknown fact, All money from this song was redirected to the families of the lost. Gord never made any money from this song, and spent 40 years attending ceremony on the day of its downing (your birthday) remembering them with the families they left behind. The Church Bells now ring 30 times.

[@arrthecynicalobserver8647]

@@kurtmooreca That was just a move of pure compassion and class. RIP, GL. The soundtrack of my life!

[@MetalDetroit]

Being from Detroit, I’ve been to Northern Michigan many many times. Lake Superior is absolutely terrifying. I camped in Canada in October along the eastern shoreline once. A blizzard and probably 25 foot waves came in during the evening. My tent was shredded. It had been 75 and sunny during the day. Absolute classic song. I’m old enough to have seen the ship. My grandfather worked at Great Lakes Steel. He used to take us to a park along the Detroit River for lunch and watch the freighters for by.

[@JoJo-gd8yz]

“Does anyone know where the love of God goes when the waves turn the minutes to hours”. That’s song writing at its best.

[@krisgoldsmith476]

“When supper time came the old cook came on deck saying ‘Fellas it’s too rough to feed ya’ At 7 p.m. a main hatchway caved in , he said, ‘Fellas it's been good to know ya.”

[@StephenMarkTurner]

That's the line I would post. Stunning.

[@norton750commando]

@@krisgoldsmith476 Yeah, that's the line that always gets me. It's pure conjecture, but still, I could imagine it being said.

[@jamesshepard6480]

Everyone had time to make peace with God. Will we have time?

[@dukecadrac3487]

To me, the most poignant line was "... all that remained were the faces and the names of the wives and the sons and the daughters."

[@ashleydixon4613]

They’re called “lakes,” but honestly they are five interconnected freshwater seas, complete with the vessels that would normally travel on the seas. The great lakes are enormous.

[@almostfm]

I just did the math: The five Great Lakes have a larger land area than the whole of the UK.

[@01AceAlpha]

25% of the Earths fresh water!

[@minutemansam1214]

@@almostfm Reread what you typed.

[@almostfm]

@@minutemansam1214 OK, I should have said "surface area". So shoot me.

[@jic1]

@@almostfm I don't want to do the maths, but what you wrote is probably true if you add up all the peninsulas and islands.

[@aviatom1]

Harri, I spent more than half my life in and on the waters of the great lakes, saw the Fitzgerald countless times. This song is so haunting, brings a tear to my eye everytime I hear it. The great lakes are nothing to mess with, inland oceans that can and do become violent. Although beautiful, you have treat them with respect and stay concious of them, especially Superior.

[@hamletksquid2702]

Huron has its angry moments too, especially the southern and eastern shores, where the wind can build huge waves without any real warning. A friend and I once got caught about a mile from shore on Severn Sound in a rowboat on a dead calm day when the wind suddenly picked up and there were twelve foot swells within a minute. I spent the next hour keeping the bow into the wind while he bailed furiously. The big lakes are beautiful, but they can be dangerous. Superior is just a whole different thing from most lakes. In the fall, it's more like the North Atlantic than a lake.

[@aviatom1]

@@hamletksquid2702 absolutely, the only lake I nearly lost a boat on, it was a 34 footer too, about half way across. It came up pretty fast. Coast Guard lowered a huge pump from helicopter, kept us afloat back to Port Huron. I still would not trade those years on those beautiful lakes for anything, good times

[@hamletksquid2702]

@@aviatom1 - That one day, something like fifty boats went down on Lake Ontario. I spent a lot of time around the lakes when I was young, and I might have had more respect for big water than people who grew up on them. I came from west Texas, where the only surface water is in irrigation ditches. Odd thing is, I was a better swimmer and better at handling boats than my buddy, who grew up in southern Ontario. I live on Simcoe now. It's a puddle compared to any of the Great Lakes, but people still manage to drown in it every year. It's easy to understand why sailors are superstitious. Water will kill you if you give it half a chance.

[@aviatom1]

@@hamletksquid2702 the entire great lakes region is full of awesome lakes and rivers, but even the smallest must be respected, they can hurt you. I live in florida know, we've had a few boats here, but not in ten years. Just not the same as the region that spoilled us, lol

[@hamletksquid2702]

@@aviatom1 - Gotta admit, salt water isn't my thing. I've stuck my toe in it, but without putting my foot on the bottom. Everything has teeth or venomous spines, and the things that aren't trying to kill and eat you just want to kill you out of pure spite. It's like a beautiful blue curtain covering the gate to Hell. Rattlesnakes and scorpions don't bother me, but there's just something wrong about the idea of picking up a pretty shell and dying in agony five minutes later.

[@stankodamanko7649]

You're reaction was amazing he's a Canadian legend

[@mothersellrobertjhon-fn3pd]

Bless you brother for your Video about dearly loved Gordon Lightfoot who will always be remembered.

[@karlshuler1011]

Believe it or not this is a first take on the song. Even the band knew how amazing it was.

[@Philosopher419]

The thing that gets me is how quickly the ship sank. The captain's last radio transmission was "We are holding our own." Ten minutes later, the Edmund Fitzgerald was gone. It took longer to watch this video than it took a 220 meter ship to sink.

[@Calmontheoutside]

OMG

[@michaelandrews9301]

It took less than 30 seconds for her to hit bottom

[@backspace4203]

There’s a shipwreck museum on the Michigan shore of Lake Supreme that played this song on a continuous loop. This isn’t just a song, it’s a eulogy. Men died a tragic death beautifully remembered.

[@douglasallaire5451]

I served 8 yrs in the Navy, this song resonates as I was on a ship that was in danger of sinking in a storm.

[@evelynmabe7877]

America has Lakes as deadly as any Ocean or Sea! I've been on small lakes when out of nowhere a storm comes, tossed the boat around, and barely made it back to shore. Can't imagine being on a ship, that size, on a LAKE, and go down! This is why you treasure everyday!

[@unrulyjulie4382]

Lake Superior

[@backspace4203]

@@unrulyjulie4382 fixed, thanks.

[@backspace4203]

Hmm, can’t edit.

[@keepgrindingup7661]

I was reading where he reached out to each one of the 29 families and basically asked for their permission to write this song ...he was a true gentleman

[@JeffLynnesELO2025Tour]

RIP Gordon Lightfoot who left us today for a better world at the age of 84, such a Canadian Icon and fantastic singer-songwriter who inspired the likes of Bob Dylan, Jim Croce and so many others.

[@jhall33pd]

When I hear this song, the most profound sensation of peace, warmth and tranquility overtakes me. For many years, I didn’t know why. One day, I was riding in my truck with my father. This song came on and my Dad said “When you were an infant, there were a few nights when you woke up screaming and I’d rock you back to sleep with this song on the record player.” I don’t know if it was Gordon’s voice or my father’s arms but, at this point it hardly matters. Over forty years on this earth and I still lean on this song for strength when life gets dark.

[@stephenstaletovich4429]

Possibly the best “story song” ever written. My wife and I lived near and sailed Superior. Before putting my boat in, I contacted the Priest at the “Maritime Sailors Cathedral” (actually a Catholic Church) and asked for a prayer for the safety of our vessel. We enjoyed several years of safe sailing on those waters.

[@MrInitialMan]

The bit about the waves coming over the rails--those rails are around 20-30 feet (6-10 meters) above the water when the water is calm, so that tells you how bad the seas were. And an interesting fact: Gordon Lightfoot signed the rights to this song over to the families of the sailors, so those families have final say in the song's usage.

[@darylkik777]

I also heard that the only lines not true were about dinner late and been good to know you. But of course we hope that was said.

[@BeckaReus]

The main hatch giving way has been proven wrong too. Lightfoot changed that line in his later live shows.

[@MrInitialMan]

@@BeckaReus I've heard about that.

[@BrettonFerguson]

Nice. Better than the record companies owning it and making it into a KIA commercial.

[@daviddill5227]

This song is a perfect "10" in so many categories. Lyrically, tonality, melodies, arrangement, everything! it paints the picture of what happened so vividly. It's almost as if you were there seeing it happen in front of you. This song never gets old. The way the song was built with all the layers is amazing.

[@bikeracer6045]

Thank you Harri, for listening to this amazing song. R.I.P, the 29 from the Edmund FitzGerald, and Gordon.

[@ffjsb]

Gordon lightfoot is one of the BEST "Storytelling" singer/musicians. Harry Chapin and Jim Croce are two others that are from the same time that are GREAT "storytellers"

[@denicesanders4586]

Harry Chapin and Jim Croce died tragic deaths.

[@ffjsb]

@@denicesanders4586 I'm quite aware of that...

[@carollizc]

Add Stan Rogers to that list. A lot of people remember him best for "Barrett's Privateers", but he wrote great story songs too, very many of them about Canadian history and people.

[@Ohforgodssakethatsme]

@@carollizc Stan Rogers really does not get the attention that he deserves. I think "Lies" is one of the most beautiful love songs that isn't technically a love song.

[@rmarieshen862]

For more modern storytellers, I love what the Dropkick Murphys do with lyrics (try "I wish you were here). Also Iron and Wine (Trapeze Swinger). For classic, I also go to Pink Floyd's meditations on war (When the Tigers broke free) and challenging relationships (Poles Apart, High Hopes...) .

[@maineman9447]

I've heard this song hundreds of times, and it still brings me to tears. "And all that remains are the faces and the names of the wives and the sons and the daughters" is one the greatest lyrics ever written, in my humble opinion.

[@victoriabarr255]

That is the line that gets me every time.

[@maineman9447]

@Gripen Draken I can go along with that one, also.

[@geos729]

🎯

[@stebstebanesier6205]

"Does anyone knows where the love of God goes when the waves turn the minutes to hours"

[@shawnbrennan2583]

No one, and I mean NO ONE, could have told that tragic story better than Gordon Lightfoot. It always brings a tear to my eye.

[@briandeschene8424]

The Tuesday after Gordon Lightfoot passed away, the bell mentioned in the song was rung 29 times for each lost sailor and then rung a 30th time in remembrance of Gordon Lightfoot for his tribute to them.

[@matt5415]

The guitar sounds like it’s crying. Great song. I always get chills from this song.

[@IrishKack]

Gordon Lightfoot really knows how to tell a story. Love his voice.

[@jamessveinsson6006]

Gordon Lightfoot just passed away and this came across my feed amazing

[@gloriapowell4800]

I was 20yrs old when this happened, I'm 69 now and this hits as hard today as it did then. Thank you Gordon and RIP

[@wanboo02]

You are having a tough time getting through this as I am, thank you.. Gordon's poetry was phenomenal.. he is a legend.

[@happycamper6298]

Thank you for this heartfelt reaction. RIP Gordon Lightfoot

[@nickkruger9566]

This song is even more of a masterpiece when you realize it was written to be sung like a mariners song to the rolling waves.

[@ammaleslie509]

Right, it has like a sea shanty sound

[@avidrdr5640]

He released this song within a year of the tragedy. The news was still raw. He donated the proceeds from the song to the families of the 29.

[@davidstenton4365]

*Harri* based on REAL EVENT..!!! If I had one word to describe the feeling of this it's *Haunting*

[@ffjsb]

This.

[@elizam2119]

And I understand the at the maritime sailors' cathedral yesterday it rang 30 times, in honor of Lightfoot.

[@StevenMoney]

This song was a work of art. Seasoned musicians all and just the completion of a lyrical masterpiece is awe inspiring. It rang 30 on his day.

[@HockeyBB]

No matter how many times I hear this songs it gives me chills 😢

[@justmehere6094]

" Does anyone know where the love of God goes. When the waves turn the minutes to hours?' So powerful, and says it all/

[@Gatorraider]

This was a tragedy, as a Toledo native, this is deeply ingrained in our culture here on the western shores of lake erie... many have been lost to this lake system. Great job and thank you for your respects . A friend of mines father was the head cook on the boat as well as a combat veteran of Vietnam.. he fell ill with ulcers before the voyage that took her, was air lifted out of a port in Cleveland, and while recovering she went down. When you'd talk to dick about Vietnam it was tough, but when he would actually talk about the Edmund Fitzgerald, he couldn't even finish sentence..he explained it this way, he lost brothers in Vietnam....but when the ship went down he lost everyone that he knew in one moment..he was very quiet, and very recluse until his passing 5 years or so ago..

[@Mr.Smith101]

Bless you and yours, as a life long resident of Michigan i wish you the best.

[@roberthicks3278]

Do you remember the storm that hit Cleveland

[@gregwasserman2635]

My dad knows the family of the cook that took over as a last second replacement. I actually met the cook's brother some years ago.

[@moparboy74]

The boat was bound for Toledo, from what I gather, but Toledo doesn't roll off the tongue like Cleveland.

[@gregwasserman2635]

@@moparboy74, the ship made plenty of runs to the Toledo docks, so many that one of the ship's nicknames was the "Toledo Express".

[@quintonworden6318]

Just watching this today after hearing Gordon passed, truly a great piece of songwriting. As a Michigander we definitely owe a lot to the great lakes and the shipping that allowed us to become an industrial power. One thing that always terrified me about the great lakes is they really are like freshwater seas but you are also bound by the land around. When an ocean freighter comes across a storm they still have plenty of room to reroute but on the great lakes you have to hold out through the storm. Thankfully there hasn't been another major shipwreck on the great lakes since the Fitzgerald.

[@jaswmclark]

There has been many an ocean freighter and crew who have dismissed the great lakes as "mere lakes" to their ultimate cost.

[@daren7889]

@@jaswmclark EXACTLY! My father was a former US Naval officer . Dad said that the Great Lakes are very DANGEROUS! He was also a scientist ! So I knew he was 100% correct about the Great Lakes! ⚓⛵🌅⛵⚓🇩🇪🇨🇭🇺🇲💙

[@carolinej3661]

I never thought of that about the "re-routing!" How terrifying to consider!

[@garylee3229]

Gordon knew every one of the surviving relatives of these 29 brave souls and he donated the proceeds of this song to the memory of the 29. He also investigated how the ship sank, it wasn’t from a main hatchway that was the original stated cause, the ship split in two when the bow rose up on top of a huge wave and the weight of the cargo shifted and split the ship in half. Gordon re wrote this song to remove the main hatchway line out and replaced it to the delight of every one of the relatives of the man in charge of the hatchways being secured. We miss Gordon already, there will never be another Gordon Lightfoot…….. rest in Paradise with the 29 men you honoured. ❤️🇨🇦🇺🇸

[@neuralmute]

@@daren7889 Absolutely. I've lived most of my life on the north shore of the Lakes, and even worked a couple of seasons on a Lake Freighter to help pay my way through school. They are absolutely freshwater inland seas, and not to be taken lightly, especially when they're in a bad mood. The reason that there hasn't been a major wreck since the Fitzgerald is that her loss and the public outcry that accompanied it forced the shipping companies to change their policies regarding sailing in bad weather. They realised that it's cheaper to lose a bit of time by allowing their Captains to run for safe harbour when a bad storm is on its way, than to lose an entire ship, crew, and cargo to yet another November storm.

[@powers.cj.80]

Hauntingly beautiful to those of us from the Great Lakes Region. We will never forget the Edmund Fitzgerald, her peril, and Gordon Lightfoot's picture painting poetry. We are still thankful.

[@katestotler9565]

Name one musician that can sing a tale like Gordon Lightfoot? NO ONE! Powerful voice and just beautiful💞

[@steveg5933]

I was raised on the southern shore of Lake Ontario. Later spent 10 years in the US Navy. The Great Lakes are really inland seas. That said they command respect. I've seen waves on them that rival any waves I've seen on the oceans of the world. As for Gordon, he is a master storyteller and north of 80, he's still touring. He is truly a Canadian National Treasure

[@827dusty]

One of the most Haunting songs I've ever heard.

[@paulv4130]

I remember that night as a teenager living in Green Bay, WI. and how dark and windy that storm blew in. Sad.

[@originaldcjensen]

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”

[@RealTechZen]

When they located the wreck, they found that the bow of the ship had been hammered into the bottom, digging a long trench and breaking the keel amidship. From the weight of the loaded ship and the size of the trench, one engineer calculated that from the time the bow went down until it hit bottom was less than 10 seconds.

[@dingfeldersmurfalot4560]

The shock, and the wave, must have been absolutely and literally stunning. Which was probably a mercy.

[@angelwalker3260]

@@dingfeldersmurfalot4560 there were reports of 60 ft waves that night. The Anderson, who was behind the Fitzgerald, said a 35 foot wave hit them, heading on its way to the direction of the Fitz.

[@darylkik777]

I cannot imagine what they saw or felt that night, but at least it sounds like it was over very fast.

[@susanmacdonald4288]

Where I read this, I have a ticking clock nearby. I started counting ten seconds...that is frighteningly fast.

[@susanmacdonald4288]

@@angelwalker3260 I was watching a documentary of the sinking, and one of the men on the Anderson was at the stern, and could actually see the bow and stern twisting in opposite directions.

[@daudder]

I grew up with this song storming the charts. It's a complex, yet simple song about areal life tragedy. That is made it to #1 is a miracle.

[@carollizc]

The song came out when the tragedy if this ship was still fresh in people's minds. I remember the shock of hearing about it on the radio. I was still a teenager, and it was like hearing about the attack on Pearl Harbour must have been, feeling not only shock that it happened, but horror at the sailors'deaths and sorrow for their families. It must have been the same for just about everyone hearing about it. Then, hearing the song brought it all back, and it,also brought us a way to deal with those feelings

[@debbieplato5107]

Gordon Lightfoot is one of Canada's great story tellers. All of the proceeds from this song went to the families of the men who died. Other songs by him Sundown, If you could read my mine, in the early morning rain.

[@jcboutoire]

The Circle is Small; Carefree Highway.

[@CarmelaWain]

So sorry to hear about your near drowning experience... And losing your friend. ❤ That is HUGE and I can see how hard this song was for you to listen to. God bless you and God bless your friend and his family and wonderful friends like you ❤ 🇨🇦 ❤

[@billymcelwain531]

And that is how lyrics are written in heaven, and occasionally near Orillia Ontario. RIP Gordon, your masterpiece lives forever.

[@deewonders6959]

Such a beautiful yet tragically haunting song. I still get goosebumps.

[@leisastalnaker3790]

That line says that t all, “does anyone know where the love of God goes when the waves turn the minutes to hours “. A haunting line as well as the song.

[@mikefleischauer498]

One of the most chilling lines in all of popular music!

[@dianeessex300]

It's a beautiful tribute, and because of it those men will live forever.

[@kyscott4561]

I've heard this song a thousand times and every time I cry. If you ever get the opportunity to pass through northern Michigan you need to stop at Whitefish Point and visit the Museum of The Great Lakes Historical Society. It's one of those stops that will leave an everlasting impression you'll always remember.

[@jamielynn767]

❤❤❤❤

[@58frascatti]

Gordon loved sailing. I once sailed on his 42’ wooden sailboat “The Golden Goose” on Lake Superior. It was one of the finest and fastest sailboats on the Great Lakes. It is Mesmer to slice through water at incredible speed with only the sound of sails and masts creaking! It was sold to someone from Hamburg, and Gord turned to wilderness canoeing, being one of few who have canoed down the Nahani River in northwest Canada. For your own pleasure, get a copy of Gord’s Gold, get to a cozy, isolated place with a fireplace, good wine, and someone you love who appreciates music as much as you obviously do, and raise a ‘thank you Sharon’ glass to me afterwards.😇 although I knew him for many years, we were never close. His sister and I were close friends until she passed in 2017. I was raised in a family who despite our tendency toward fractiousness, grew up singing harmony and learning instrument. I’m old now, have lived all over the globe, and my only complaint is that there aren’t any of my musician friends left. But there’s great music at my fingertips, passable wine, fine scotch, and I’m blessed to have all that and much more. Have a listen sometime to Song For a Winter’s Night, Don Quixote, If You Could Read My Mind, and Christian Island. Will continue to watch…

[@LiLiJo]

I’ve listened to this song for years and I love that people are hearing this song for the first time because it’s a tribute to the men and their families. Everyone who hears it will remember them.

[@lorilxn1597]

I've been listening to this for years and I still get goosebumps and tears 😢

[@danielfinn4396]

An often over looked part of the story is of the Arthur M. Anderson, the last ship to make contact with the Fitzgerald. The Arthur M. Anderson, Captain Cooper and crew left safe harbor, and went back to search for the Fitz and any potential survivors. The Anderson still sails the Great Lakes.

[@Ozarkprepper643]

Considering those swells were likely 25 to 30 ft High the Andersons captain and crew is Humanity at its finest.

[@michiganriverman]

A good friend of mine was on the Anderson for about 15 years.

[@Jfk3434]

And the Anderson is given a Master salute always!

[@BST-lm4po]

There used to be a link to this song on KZbin that laid the actual radio communications between the S.S. Arthur M. Anderson and the Edmond Fitzgerald over top of this song. It gave me chills! Because you could hear the ships talking to each other,....then suddenly there was no response from the Fitzgerald! And you could hear the Anderson calling out to the Fitzgerald: "Edmond Fitzgerald, ...this is the Arthur Anderson calling,...do you copy?" Followed by radio silence...just that radio static that sounds like shhhhhhhhh...Then again,.."Edmond Fitzgerald this is the Arthur M. Anderson calling,...do you copy?" (Radio static shhhhhhhhh) ...Over & over! "This is the Author M. Anderson calling the Edmond Fitzgerald, ...do you copy?" (Shhhhhhhhh....) Then the realization sinks in that the Edmond Fitzgerald is gone..... And a sickning/heartbreaking feeling washes over you.

[@tommcdonald4014]

Yes, indeed. The Arthur M. Anderson is 75 years old this year, 2022, and I see her often on the various Great Lakes live cams. Brings a chill to my spine every time I see her.

[@cesaraugustus9064]

You are a beautiful empathetic soul.

[@ruthmyers8476]

The emotions run high in this song! Crying allowed, no explanation necessary.

[@greasyflight6609]

Thank you

[@j20tower]

I love the song. Gordon Lightfoot is a genius storyteller. I always have tears in my eyes when I hear it. I know it’s going to get to me but I have to hear it. A tragic but a beautiful song. They don’t make them like this anymore. God bless them all.

[@lyndagolding7290]

This was such a terribly sad event. I remember when it happened just so heartbreaking. I live along the Canadian side of Lake Erie and some of the ships are absolutely massive that travel on the lakes. It's hard to understand how something so massive can be destroyed by the weather.

[@Dee-JayW]

It is also hard to describe how absolutely HUGE The Great Lakes are, took us 2 days to drive around Lake Superior (drove across Canada)

[@Loruca]

@@Dee-JayW Yes, you have to see them, be there, to appreciate their grandeur. Lake Ontario is my lake--where I grew up. It competes with Erie for being the smallest, and both of those lakes are, as you say, absolutely HUGE.

[@Dee-JayW]

@@Loruca I've been to Lake Ontario and yes it is also gigantic. ...the mind boggled when i saw them as an Albertan where you can see across the other side of every lake lol

[@xScooterAZx]

@@Loruca I lived near the shore of Lake Superior,and when I would walk out to the lighthouse in Duluth,it seemed that the water was like a genuine sea. I couldnt see the other side at all and when the fog rolled in,and the tip of the lighthouse showed through it and the bell was rang for the ships coming in,..it was like some movie,...truly spooky and yet beautiful at the same time. Beyond huge,to me.

[@Loruca]

@@xScooterAZx I grew up within 20 miles of Lake Ontario, and spent my summers at a camp perched right on its northern shore. Directly across the lake from the camp was Rochester NY, and we could see the refection of the city lights on the night sky. We couldn't see the other side of the lake, but we could see that glow. Lake Ontario is, by area, the smallest, while Erie is the smallest by volume of water. When I've looked across Superior, it boggles my mind because it is almost four times bigger than Ontario. There would be no glow of lights from the other side! Definitely an inland sea. Beyond huge, for sure.

[@Mamamary1]

My 9th grade English teacher played this song for the class and we all cried. It was very heavy for a 14 year old but it stayed with me for life.

[@kimberlyreed3539]

Was your English teacher Mr. Tuohy from Glades Junior High?

[@Mamamary1]

@@kimberlyreed3539 no, Mr Gus Lawlor from Cardinal Cushing High School for Girls in South Boston

[@nageeb96]

i love this song since 1975 and still gives me the chills

[@lunaticloon5638]

Gordon Lightfoot was able to tell a technical story in a haunting way and still make it a hit on the billboards, who else can do that? He just passed away and I looked at my turntable, guess what? Gordon Lightfoot's Gold was on the turntable ready to play. It had been there since the last time I listened to music two months ago. A timeless Artist! Eric

[@byronlemky8889]

We all use the products of modern metallurgy. These hardworking noble humans, and nowadays, both men AND women, in ALL POSSIBLE OCCUPATIONS, CAN BE, AND IN MANY CASES, ARE NOT HOARDING MONEY OR SEEKING FAME OR POWER AND STATUS AND CLASS, THEY ARE BEING BRAVE AND USEFUL! MAY WE ALL DO THE EXACT SAME THING! BE HUMBLY USEFUL IN THE WAY YOU CAN BE, BE AS BRAVE, AS INTELLIGENT, AND AS HARD WORKING AND USEFUL AS POSSIBLE TO SERVE OUR FELLOW HUMAN BEINGS!

[@pamacree3890]

A haunting song that brings me back to my childhood.

[@MonicaVennell]

Wonderful reaction Harri! This song is beautiful as a memorial to the men and all those that lose their lives in the waters. It won't let them be forgotten.

[@dbegley990]

The great lakes are as dangerous as any ocean. Sailors have been dying on them since they've been sailing on them. They know the risks, take pride in their skills and take what precautions they can.

[@terratrodder]

So true. I heard this song when I was young and though it's about the this ship and her great crew, I always felt it was a tribute to all the sailors who have been lost to these lakes.

[@kayecastleman6353]

Lightfoot is a Canadian treasure. He also wrote "Black Day in July," about the Detroit riots in 1967. Very sincere reaction, thanks. 💖

[@edfuller6581]

I remember where I was when the Edmund Fitzgerald was sunk. In the US Army, preparing for overseas duty. Having grown up in Norfolk, Va, a HUGE navy town, this hit hard. Then when the song came out, I was overseas. Your comments and heartfelt reaction, this many years later, is a wonderful tribute. Thank you!

[@MetalDetroit]

Being from Detroit, I’ve been to Northern Michigan many many times. Lake Superior is absolutely terrifying. I camped in Canada in October along the eastern shoreline once. A blizzard and probably 25 foot waves came in during the evening. My tent was shredded. It had been 75 and sunny during the day. Absolute classic song. I’m old enough to have seen the ship. My grandfather worked at Great Lakes Steel. He used to take us to a park along the Detroit River for lunch and watch the freighters for by.

[@glennwilson4054]

@@MetalDetroitI grew up in Lincoln Park. LPHS 1975! Have seen the sky light up many times when they poured steel !