Gordon Lightfoot - The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald | FIRST TIME REACTION

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I highly suggest you to go listen to the original song here: • Gordon Lightfoot - Wre...
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#gordonlightfoot #musicreaction #reaction #firsttimereaction

[@martinsmusic1724]

Upon Gordon's passing, the Maritime Sailors' Cathedral rang the bell 30 times - one each for the lost sailors, and one for Mr LIghtfoot.

[@AllenToman-mw6ww]

And will forever be rang 30 times

[@kennyhuskisson2684]

​@@AllenToman-mw6wwAs it should be👍✌️

[@rommelstar1]

That's beautiful.

[@user-mm1nw4ym6q]

Wow! That’s f’ing amazing! I didn’t know this!

[@thespacealienssmogandgrog4283]

Now you're making ME cry.

[@malcolmnash6023]

Gordon Lightfoot took no profits from this. All of it went to the families of those lost. And your reaction shows your humanity laid bare. Both the song and reaction, and what they convey, are a gift to the world. Don't change. As always. Be well.

[@chefskiss6179]

Beautifully said.

[@malcolmnash6023]

@@chefskiss6179 And meant. Always best to always be yourself. The world needs good people. Thanks for replying. Be well.

[@edanielgreen]

... MORE kudos! ...👍

[@punisher455]

Well said.

[@a.grimes4202]

Money is small consolation for the lives lost, especially to the families of them all, considering not a single body has ever been recovered, but I’m sure it at least helped somewhat. In my own small way I listen to this to remember those 29 lost souls each and every November 10.

[@azachman]

After Gordon Lightfoot died they rang the bell one more time in honor of him writing this song.

[@josephlinnell9855]

Yes they did. I'm sure he as well as his surviving family took that as the ultimate compliment

[@edanielgreen]

Yes, they did. 🥲

[@edanielgreen]

LOL. Of course, it wasn't until AFTER I posted my comment that I realized I had essentially just duplicated the PREVIOUS comment! 😂

[@858Bill]

My father worked on the boats as a cook for many years.....including the Fitz.... I've been aboard her a few times myself.... We knew many of the men personally...... Rest in Peace.... Michael Armagost- 37- Third Mate- Iron River, Wisconsin Fred Beetcher- 56- Porter- Superior, Wisconsin Thomas Bentsen- 23- Oiler- St. Joseph, Michigan Edward Bindon -47- First Asst. Engineer- Fairport Harbor, Ohio Thomas Borgeson -41- Maintenance Man- Duluth, Minnesota Oliver Champeau- 41-Third Asst. Engineer- Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin Nolan Church -55 -Porter -Silver Bay, Minnesota Ransom Cundy- 53- Watchman- Superior, Wisconsin Thomas Edwards-50- Second Asst. Engineer- Oregon, Ohio Russell Haskell -40- Second Asst. Engineer- Millbury, Ohio George Holl -60- Chief Engineer- Cabot, Pennsylvania Bruce Hudson- 22- Deck Hand -North Olmsted, Ohio Allen Kalmon -43- Second Cook- Washburn, Wisconsin Gordon MacLellan- 30- Wiper- Clearwater, Florida Joseph Mazes- 59- Special Maintenance Man -Ashland, Wisconsin John McCarthy -62-First Mate -Bay Village, Ohio Ernest McSorley -63 -Captain -Toledo, Ohio Eugene O'Brien- 50- Wheelsman -Toledo, Ohio Karl Peckol -20- Watchman -Ashtabula, Ohio John Poviach -59- Wheelsman- Bradenton, Florida James Pratt -44- Second Mate- Lakewood, Ohio Robert Rafferty -62 -Steward -Toledo, Ohio Paul Riippa -22 -Deck Hand -Ashtabula, Ohio John Simmons -63 -Wheelsman -Ashland, Wisconsin William Spengler -59- Watchman- Toledo, Ohio Mark Thomas -21- Deck Hand- Richmond Heights, Ohio Ralph Walton -58- Oiler- Fremont, Ohio David Weiss -22 -Cadet -Agoura, California Blaine Wilhelm -52- Oiler- Moquah, Wisconsin

[@d.owczarzak6888]

I saw the Big Fitz pass through the Soo Locks in 1969. Was your dad a crewman in '69 ?

[@danquinnell3502]

Thank you so much for majoring these losses all just a little bit more human.

[@Dracsmolar]

Thank you for the information and remembrance of those men lost. May they rest in peace.

[@leftcoaster67]

As a listener where English isn't your first language, the fact you pretty much understood the whole story, then Gordon would have been happy. He was a genius. A great Canadian.

[@dioghaltasfoirneartach7258]

The huge lake (Lake Superior) is very creepy, and scary...and dangerous...especially during the Fall...when 'the Witch of November' 🌊 decends upon the lake...sinking big taconite-ships, sometimes, with the entire crews of those ships disappearing down into the deep, freezing waters, together with the ships... The 'Witches' extremely powerful storms, hurricane strength, at times. Ships sink so fast, and in the freezing waters, there's no chance of survival for the crews of a ship going down. Another creepy thing about Lake Superior, is that the water, it's so freezing cold, even in the Summer, and it is said that the lake 'doesn't give up it's dead... Divers have been down, and have seen quite well-preserved bodies 'sitting' on underwater cliffs. Extremely eerie. I always thought it was spooky up there, knowing all the legends about the lake, and the haunted 'Split Rock Lighthouse'. There's another haunted Lighthouse farther East, by the Michigan shore. So, with all that, lying in a tent in the dark night, by the shore, listening to the eerie fog-horns, and the waves crashing into the cliffs...created quite an 'atmosphere'... It's quite nice up there, though, a rugged beauty, with cliffs and the huge lake, looks more like a sea than a lake. But the Lake is vicious, enigmatic, eerie and mysterious... There are huge, deep forests, farther in the North, along the Canadian border. There are people who have seen 'Wendigos' in the Northern Minnesota woods... Creepy.

[@user-lk2cj2qs1d]

@@dioghaltasfoirneartach7258 Due to the lakes being shallower They can be more dangerous than the deep oceans

[@mikemaricle9941]

@@dioghaltasfoirneartach7258 I've seen waves as tall as a 2 story house crashing on the North shore.

[@mikemaricle9941]

@@user-lk2cj2qs1d Lake Superior/Max depth 1,332′ It is also the coldest and deepest of the Great Lakes, with a maximum depth of 406 meters (1,332 feet). By most measures, it is the healthiest of all the Great Lakes.

[@MrBryanwithay]

I live in Wisconsin, and I drive my motorcycle around Lake Michigan and up to Lake Superior all the time. Lake Superior is the World's largest freshwater lake and you have to respect its power and beauty. Anyone that grew up in the Lake Michigan area knows the tail of The Edmund Fitzgerald.

[@alittlebitgone]

Was it wagging?

[@adamskeans2515]

by surface area, Lake Baikal has more volume.

[@captainkangaroo4301]

8% of the world’s freshwater is in that lake.

[@adamskeans2515]

@tradde11 I said "by volume" not by area dude.

[@thomasmacdiarmid8251]

For a European reference, it is larger than Czechia or Serbia, and only a bit smaller than Austria.

[@surfpsych]

“I can't think of any Gordon Lightfoot song I don't like. Every time I hear a song of his, it's like I wish it would last forever. " --- Bob Dylan

[@user-gb5bl1bl4z]

For me, the best line is "Does anyone know where the love of God goes when the waves turn the minutes to hours". It tells me the hopelessness of the moment they knew their fate.

[@NealB123]

That is one of the greatest song lyrics ever recorded.

[@VadulTharys]

ths song hit harder after being caught in a hurricane in the north Atlantic when you watch the bow go under and are not sure it is coming up again every minute seems like an hour.

[@elecjack1]

To me, that line always felt like it was meant for the families and those searching for the ship. Anyone who has ever had a loved one missing or been apart of the search party should be well familiar with the pure dread and fear as the time when they should have shown up continues to grow extensively as minutes become hours and hope continues to fade faster and faster. There are few moments in life that will have you feel more like you have been abandoned by God than that.

[@dennis2966]

This is one of the few hit songs where there is no chorus and no tempo changes. And yet it works perfectly. Gordon was a genius at song writing.

[@Bikebrh]

Another one would be Bobby Gentry's "Ode To Billy Joe".

[@dennis2966]

@@Bikebrh Yes! Good call.

[@PolarBear5875]

Every Wisconsinite who knows this tale, sheds a tear every time they hear this song.

[@jeffhogg4297]

Same with Michiganders.

[@user-pf8xi3xg3o]

Same feelings in this Oregonian.

[@brettwillard8892]

Ohioians do as well.

[@CRabbit42]

Gorden Lightfoot is a Canadian Treasure. Many consider this to be his masterpiece and his storytelling throughout his music is legendary. Some things to know to help you understand the song: The Chippewa are a tribe of Native Americans that live around the Great Lakes. Their name for Lake Superior is " Gitche Gami" (Gitche Gumee in the song), which means "great sea." It is the largest fresh water lake (it's really a sea!) in the world by surface area. The ship was 222 meters (711 feet) long and 23 meters (75 feet) wide. Currently, there are 13 lake freighters that are over 300 meters long. The bodies of the men on the ship were never recovered because the water is so cold that the bodies won't decay and can't float. The site of the wreck is a burial ground and it is illegal to tamper with it.

[@ToddSauve]

They also live on the prairies of western Canada, and perhaps some live there in the US, as well. They are called the Saulteaux (soto) in western Canada, or the Plains Chippewa or Plains Ojibwa. They were great favourites of the NWMP in Wild West days.

[@davidjenson4512]

If you have a hard time listening to this song with dry eyes, you have a soul! Gordon wrote this song because he was alarmed and saddened at the speed with which the story was dropped from news coverage. He consulted with all the families in the writing of the song, recorded it in one take, then dedicated all the proceeds from the song to the survivors.

[@TheTechie1]

Bis-Cutie, I'm from Michigan and remember this incident. When Gordon Lightfoot passed away not to long ago the bell in the cathedral in Detroit rang 30 times. Gordon Lightfoot was a Canadian, they are our brothers from the north.

[@oscardefreitas1127]

they ring the bell 29 times for each man when gordon died they rang it 30 times

[@P-M-869]

I remember her sinking, on the news. Gordon gave his earnings from this song to the Families of the Crew. Lake Superior is very large, and the waves can be whipped up to the size they get in the ocean. Hurricane winds are above 74 MPH.

[@RlmorganInSC]

Spent some time on a ship caught on the edge of a hurricane and the waves were incredible. Lake Huron can be so very dangerous because the storms seemingly come from nowhere and the waves go from 3 feet to 25 feet or higher very quickly. In a really bad storm, as he says in the song the freighters still ply those waters all year round.

[@markcarpenter6020]

Great lakes shipping was a very dangerous job with companies constantly trying to cut costs and pushing the ships beyond what they were designed for. Most the older ships were severely underpowered to save on fuel costs.

[@davebender8901]

There is a monument, I think in Cleveland, for the Edmond Fitzgerald. It lists the names of all those who were lost that fateful night. Upon Gordon Lightfoot's death, the families voted to add his name to the memorial, as a tribute to him, and out of respect for this song, and how it meant so much to those families.

[@dougwill8850]

49 years later this sing still puts a lump in my throat. May they all rest in peace, and Gordon too.

[@KenoshaKarl]

I will just share this. I had a coworker who came to Milwaukee from Nebraska. She spoke of seeing Lake Michigan for the first time by saying “I don’t believe I shall ever get over it.”

[@brianpolnick619]

The Fitzgerlad went down the day before I was born (In a city on Lake Superior) and I grew up in the city that is right below White Fish Bay where the shipwreck is. I've heard about this my whole life and can't count how many times I've heard the song. I have never once shut it off.

[@davidmazzell2332]

True story, happened in November 1975,the last radio transmission from the captain was,"we're holding our own ".😢

[@allanboyer2769]

Dear heart, you nailed it. It is Gordon's best songwriting and performance. It is a tear jerker. Blue collar means everyday working people. White collar generally means professional, managerial, or administrative workers. I remember when the Edmund Fitzgerald went down, I was 11 years old (1975).

[@northbeach8336]

The best example of modern minstrelsy, in the sense of how singers used to convey tales as the journalists of their day. Lightfoot wrote this while the tragedy was still in the news, just a week or so after it happened. And his song keeps the memory of the lost sailors. They will not be forgotten.

[@HenryCabotHenhouse3]

If you look at a map of North America, you will see five large blots of blue. These are the Great Lakes mentioned at the end of the song (Huron, Superior, Michigan, Ontario, and Erie). They are, basically, five fresh-water inland oceans. Superior (Gitcheegume), the lake in which the ship sank, is the largest largest body of fresh water in the world, although for inland bodies of water it is beaten by the Caspian Sea (1.2% saline and 4.5 times bigger). It's even bigger than the Aral Sea was. This should help you understand how savage the winter storms can be on the lake (small ocean). After visiting the Maritime Sailor's Cathedral, Gordon changed his live performances of the song from "musty old hall" to "rustic old hall." After Gordon's death they rang the bell 30 times, 29 for the sailors and once for Gordon.

[@audreyjohnson4599]

All this took place on Lake Superior. It is huge. This took place in November of 1975. There was a bad storm forecast to go just south of Lake Superior. The Edmund Fitzgerald set sail and was caught in the open when the storm turned northward. There were two ships travelling together, the Edmund Fitzgerald and the Arthur M Anderson. Both ships encountered waves 30 feet or more and winds gusting over 50 miles per hour. The Edmund Fitzgerald lost her electronics and asked the Arthur M Anderson for help navigating Lake Superior (ships here are referred to as she even though they may have male names). The last transmission to the Arthur M Anderson was that the Edmund Fitzgerald was holding her own. Shortly after that, the ship disappeared from the Anderson's radar and they didn't see it either. There was no distress call so no one is sure what happened for her to sink. They reported her missing to the Coast Guard. After the Arthur M Anderson made safe harbor, the Coast Guard asked if they would go back out and search for survivors. The Coast Guard had so many other calls for assistance they couldn't go out on a search and rescue operation at that time. The Anderson went back out along with another freighter, the William Clay Ford, followed later by other boats. No survivors were found. The water in Lake Superior is so cold, bodies don't float to the surface. Edmund Fitzgerald's crew is still with the wreck. The site is listed as a protected marine archaeological site, and no visitors are allowed to disturb it.

[@user-gd3mv9tq5o]

Excellent comment. I would like to mention that after the Anderson made it through that storm and had made it safely to port, the Captain told his crew he was going back out to look for them and he would hold nothing against anybody if they wanted to stay on shore. Not a single one stayed on shore.

[@audreyjohnson4599]

@@user-gd3mv9tq5o The captain of the William Clay Ford also asked his crew about going out into the storm. They said yes.

[@b1blancer1]

There is still uncertainty to this say as to what happened. Even the USCG and the NTSB reached different conclusions. But one detail that is often overlooked is that at one point, the Edmund Fitzgerald reported loosing a deck railing. That may seem like a minor thing, but the railing was attached directly to the hull. To break and loose a deck railing means the entire hull of the ship had to have flexed. Basically, the entire ship got bent. That adds credence to one theory which says the Edmund Fitzgerald hit bottom on an uncharted sandbar.

[@Ozai75]

@@b1blancer1 Yeah, the hitting of the sandbar and breaking her keel IMO is the most plausible of all of the situations. combine that with the fact that she lay in two pieces on the bottom and you obviously had a serious structural failure.

[@Ozai75]

When they last surveyed the wreck they found one of the crew near the bridge. They of course did not film it, and it's a very, very highly guarded grave like you mentioned.

[@williewilliams6571]

This is the closest to a perfect song that I've encountered. "When the Waves turn the Minutes to Hours"- Only a sailor can truly understand what that means.

[@busher69]

Rode out 3 typhoons in the South China Sea on a US Destroyer. I've felt the ship shudder down to the keel. All you can do is gulp, hold your breath and have faith she holds together.

[@russallert]

Gordon Lightfoot was one of Canada's best singer-songwriters. This song is probably his greatest, but he had many other excellent songs, including historical story songs like Canadian Railroad Trilogy (about the building of the Canadian Pacific Railroad in the 1880s) and Black Day In July (about the Detroit race riots of 1967). Other great songs in his catalog include If You Could Read My Mind, Did She Mention My Name, The Way I Feel, Summertime Dream, Race Among The Ruins, Summer Side Of Life, The Circle Is Small and many others. His music was the soundtrack of my growing-up years in Canada in the 60s and 70s. He was also one of Bob Dylan's favourite singer-songwriters. And as others have mentioned, when Lightfoot died last year, the bells at the Mariners' Church were rung 30 times - 29 for the Edmund Fitzgerald crew members and 1 for Gordon.

[@gadget7667]

I have spent 4 years, 5 months, 4 days on an aircraft carrier and the lyrics describing the storm hit home. We went through two typhoons while stationed off Viet Nam. To feel that giant behemoth of a ship move like she did a typhoon was truly a gut-wrenching experience. At night, when trying sleep, you would be holding tightly to the rack, Navy term for bed, and feel the ship heel over, Navy term for rolling starboard, right, or port, left, and wondering if she was going to stop, or keep going and capsize. When a large wave hit, the vibration it caused traveled through the entire ship, all 85,000 tons of it only to find out the next morning, we had taken green water on the flight deck, meaning that a wave had actually broken over and put sea water on the flight deck. It was 60 feet from the water to the flight deck. Mr. Lightfoot brought forth those same feelings with a sculpture of words. I'm a 75-year-old guy who's had quite a life, but one of the more pleasant experiences that I've had is discovering you on you tube. Your intelligence is exceeded by your compassion for life. Keep it up, young lady!!

[@VadulTharys]

Started to sea at 9 as a cabin boy on a crab boat, then joined the navy, seen many a storm, and more than once watching water come over the bow wondered if it would come back up. That line about minutes to hours always hits hard.

[@b1blancer1]

Rouge waves were basically considered a myth and nothing but tall tales from sailors until the first actual scientific recording of one occurred in '84. Sounds like one of them dropped by your carrier to say howdy.

[@ToABrighterFuture]

Oh, please. If this song makes you cry, that's a good thing. It means you have a soul, which probably puts you ahead of half of humanity in this wicked day and age.

[@metoo7557]

The expression in English is "blue collar" referencing usually jeans/denim (what they'd wear on the job) implying a trade worker and/or means working class citizens. the alternative is "white collar" which usually means suit and tie (what they'd wear on the job) - management (people who don't get their hands dirty).

[@15larryn]

The line "Does Anyone Know Were the Love of God Goes When Waves Turns Minutes to Hours" is a bone chilling line. Great reaction.

[@dogstar7]

Solidarity with the working class forever! Thank you for going there. I am retired US Coast Guard and I served in the Great Lakes when the Fitzgerald went down. Let me say to those who want to thank me for my service that I gratefully accept on behalf of those who serve in my place today.

[@dogstar7]

I won't dwell on my conection because I wasn't transferred into the Great Lakes area until after ...as one of replacements for the guys who were. I attended the services in the "Sailors Hall," where they ring the bell, as part of the USCG honor guard. My unit was SAR (search and rescue) Lake Erie, based in Toledo. Go Coast Guard!

[@benmayer5932]

My dad was at the Marquette LBS back in the '60s. He saw the Fitz many times. I know it threw him for a loop when during his retirement it went down. Wrecks like this weren't supposed to happen anymore.

[@brettwillard8892]

​@@dogstar7I live in Toledo, were you on the point? I went into the Army, I know people talk about the Coast Guard badly at times, but I can tell you it isn't the other services or sailors.

[@mitchellaj2302]

You are one of my all-time favorite people. I'm 66 years old and was discovered to have pancreatic cancer and don't have long, but trust me, you have given me one hell of a ride. With that, thank you.and please keep this ride going if you can. Deep love for all your musical blend of music.ok, I'm babbling, thanks for you and yours for coming into my life. 🌹✨️🤗

[@user-mm1nw4ym6q]

God bless you and may he be with you always! Praying that the time you have left here on earth will be amazing and I’m praying for eternal peace and love when you leave this earth.

[@busher69]

God Bless and Keep you Forever

[@shibolinemress8913]

Praying that for whatever time you have left, you'll give your heart and life to Jesus so that you'll be with Him in heaven when the time comes! Ask Him and He'll forgive all your sins and save you from hell ❤❤🤗🤗

[@jomamma1750]

This song is a piece of first-rate storytelling. He starts off calling the lake "Gitche Gumee," ie. by it's local, Native American, name. He then throws in a verse where he mentions all of the other Great Lakes, but avoids Lake Superior. His last verse repeats the name Gitche Gumee, but he only reveals the location of the disaster as Lake Superior in the final line. Classic!

[@JimRuel]

It means ‘great lake’

[@jomamma1750]

@JimRuel Right. The locals there used that term to describe Lake Superior, specifically. The locals' usage of that term may well be why the "Great Lakes" are collectively known as such.

[@stevenklyce3555]

Another song to touch your soul will be IF YOU COULD READ MY MIND by Gordon Lightfoot.

[@bpalmer3421]

There's not a single time that I don't get tear eyed when listening to this song. You can look up a map of the Great Lakes in the USA. It would give you some vision of the size of the Great lakes that surround Michigan. God Bless us all!!!

[@kevindohn6776]

Great lakes in USA and Canada, don't forget us buddy !

[@larrybremer4930]

And looking at where the Fitz sank its sad they were so close to the salvation of Whitefish Bay where the conditions would have been much better to keep her from foundering or rescue of the crew.

[@ToddSauve]

IIRC, the Edmund Fitzgerald sank on the Canadian side of the international boundary between the two countries on Lake Superior.

[@JimmyJamJack]

Lake Ontario borders Michigan?!?

[@kevindohn6776]

@@JimmyJamJack No, Lake Michigan, Huron, and a bit of Lake Erie do, nobody said all the Great Lakes do.

[@vanlepthien6768]

I was in Marquette, Michigan, on the south shore of Lake Superior, during that storm. During breaks in the snow, I could see waves going over the breakwater like it wasn't there. I've been in a typhoon, I've been in other Michigan, Colorado, and Wyoming blizzards, but this was the best storm I ever was out in. We didn't know that the Edmund Fitzgerald had disappeared until the storm was over. This song always brings tears.

[@brettwillard8892]

My nephew went to NMU and we got to go up and see the area. That would have been a site, though scary at the same time.

[@craigreipold3931]

I remember hearing this song on the radio when I was a little kid (I was about 6) I thought it was about a shipwreck that had happened 50 or a 100 years earlier. It wasn’t until the tenth anniversary of the sinking and the song was on the radio and the story in the news again, that I realized it was about something that had happened in my lifetime. It’s funny how the style of a song can make you think it’s older than it is.

[@dagmar.6954]

I was so sad to hear of Gordon Lightfoot's passing away recently. Loved his music. One of the best songwriters & storytellers. He was a Canadian legend. This song is a beautiful tribute & 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", "Early Morning Rain", "Steel Rail Blues", "Ribbon Of Darkness", "Carefree Highway", "Rainy Day People", "Cotton Jenny", "Black Day In July", "Canadian Railroad Trilogy" etc.

[@stevepool8034]

A sad old song from my college days and being a Navy guy even sadder to me. Gordon is truely a gifted storyteller. Blue collar was the right phrase, Biss. Thanks for taking me back. 👍

[@jwoo1800]

Something that non-American or Canadians have trouble wrapping their heads around is the vastness of the Great Lakes that he is singing about. They truly are inland oceans(without the salt of course). Huge ships, bad weather, tough people.

[@Cybrludite]

To put the size into context, the Great Lakes have enough water in them to cover all of America to a depth of several inches.

[@jd-zr3vk]

Why do Canadians have difficulty appreciating the size of the great lakes? The US and Canada share the great lakes.

[@Cybrludite]

@@jd-zr3vk I think they meant someone who isn't American or Canadian would have trouble.

[@jwoo1800]

@@jd-zr3vk NON Americans or Canadians. Kinda speaks for itself. If you are not American or Canadian??

[@emperoring112]

Thank you so much for doing this one Biss. This song is in my humble opinion the anthem for all who live around the Great Lakes. The lakes are so beautiful yet so deadly and I really think very few people truly understand the true power and vastness of the Great Lakes, at least not until this song came out telling the story of The Fitz and her brave and dedicated crew. And as for Gordon, he gave all proceeds from this song to the families and was in contact with them all throughout his life. This song is truly something special and Im so happy you're taking a trip into this story! Long Live Gordon Lightfoot, Long Live the crew of The Fitz, and Long Live the S.S Arthur M Anderson who was the last ship in contact with the Fitz, only 10 miles behind her when she sank, and the first ship to go back out into Lake Superior during the storm to search for any survivors who unfortunately would never be found.

[@CRabbit42]

Note: The S.S. Arthur M. Anderson is *still* out there hauling cargo around the lakes.

[@emperoring112]

@CRabbit42 She is! And one thing I'd love to do in winter layover is travel up to Duluth to see her in person at least just once.

[@violetstarrlight]

Thank you for acknowledging the SS Arthur M. Anderson. I get chills every time I still see her pass by. I would like to also add the SS William Clay Ford to those that had reached safe harbor and went back out to search on that dreadful night. I think a lot of people don’t know about the other ship or don’t mention it since she has been decommissioned and is part of the Dossin Great Lakes Museum in Detroit.

[@charleswillsonpeale5739]

They found the Fitzgerald while diving. She cracked up. They left the bodies on board, the Fitzgald is now a grave yard.They took the bell off and brought the bell up. It now stands in remembrance of the wreck. Every year on the day she went down they ring the bell 29 times. With the exception of this past year when they rang it 30 times (one in Gordon's memory) RIP Gordon.& crew.

[@misterno-ice-guy8082]

The bodies are preserved in the freezing cold water of Lake Superior, I heard. I waded into it one time on a vacation into Canada as a young man. -Bitter cold (On a lighter note, I also saw a statue of Winnie the Pooh)

[@charleswillsonpeale5739]

@@misterno-ice-guy8082 Yes, that's what I said, "they left the bodies on board" thus declaring it a graveyard. It is now illegal to dive near the Fitzgerald because it being a grave yard.

[@alanflor703]

Two things I'd like to point out: The Chippewa is a native American tribe. That is why they have a different name for Lake Superior. It was surmised that the ship drove down into a trough between the huge waves and just kept going until the bow hit bottom. The water is 500' deep there but the ship is over 700' long. When it hit bottom, it broke in two. It happened so fast that there wasn't even time to make a radio call.

[@suflanker45]

Just want to add that at 3:30pm Captain McSorley had radioed to the Arthur Anderson that she was taking on water but the pumps were keeping up. Its believed she struck Six Fathom Shoal near Caribou Island at that time.

[@gregweatherup9596]

I’m never sure if this song is referring to the Chippewa peoples or to the Chippewa River in Ontario. The river would make more sense from the usage but then “Gitche Gumee” in the same line is a reference to the Ojibwe (aka Chippewa) language name for the lake so maybe it is a reference to the people not the river.

[@pauld6967]

​​@@gregweatherup9596 For those of us from the Great Lakes region, it has always meant the indian tribe. I was unaware that Canada had a Chippewa River.

[@swampghost8256]

@@suflanker45yes, also fence rails were down and listing so taking in water and keel was hogging and don’t forget the three sisters waves that the Anderson reported , I believe they lifted her stern and pointed the bow full of water down

[@gregweatherup9596]

@@pauld6967 it flows into the lake in Batchawana Bay, near Sault Ste. Marie, basically at the “start” of the lake, hence the line “from the Chippewa on down…” sounds like a geographical description (especially if you consider Whitefish Bay to be separate from the more exposed open waters of the rest of the Lake). Plus Gordon Lightfoot was Canadian, and I thought most Canadians refer to the people as the Ojibwe/Ojibwa or Anishinaabe (or in French as ‘Salteaux’) not as “Chippewa”. But conversely, as said, the rest of that line “… the Big Lake called Gitche Gumee” would seem to instead be implying the people rather than the river since it’s referring to [a transliteration of] the native name by the people for the lake (“Gichigami”) - though grammatically that part of the sentence could be viewed as a separate component, I genuinely don’t know. Thus it seems the reference to “Chippewa” could be taken either way. I wonder if anyone ever asked Gordon about it?

[@christophermcconnell3867]

The ship went down in Lake Superior, which is above northern Michigan. Believe it or not (Lake Michigan especially) our Great Lakes can be just as deadly as any ocean. Lake Superior is so cold, the bodies do not float up, so the sailors in the wreck were never recovered I don’t believe

[@stanleysmith2221]

From Chicago and live on the Great Lakes This song was so beautiful and tragic as a young man growing up Gordon Lightfoot songs all will touch you deeply

[@coyotej4895]

My cousin was one of the wreck divers hired to give an assessment as to the cause of the sinking and fate of the crew. He dove the wreck and found the ship was in two parts and there was some bow damage. The structural damage in the center was massive, as if the Fitz twisted herself in two. He keeps Recalling the big swells that rocked the Aurther M. just before they lost sight of the Fitz in the snow that night and looking at the damage. His final summery was; The Edmond Fitzgerald being overloaded and taking on water in her forwerd holds was overcome by the first of three rouge swells from her stern. Her bow shot under the water and gained momentum from the next big rouge hitting her. This pushed the bow down with the weight of the water and cargo shifting and the bow hit lake bottom, (Fitz was 728 feet long and rests now in 530 feet but the shole she passed over was 310 feet), the stern sheared off instantly and both halves would have been completely submerged in a matter of moments, thus preventing any one jumping off or getting a radio message out. It also explains why the crew of the Aurther M who passed over the verry spot not a few minutes later found no sign of the ship. To him this was the only way to explain her disappearing so fast. As someone who has lost family and friends to the sea I have spent nights in weather like that. Some while I listened to others calling out for help on the radio. The radio calls from that night are surreal to listen to. Professional yet heart breaking. Its here on youtube at; kzbin.info/www/bejne/jWLJgIqfZdmYn7s

[@doug112244]

Thank you for this.

[@eddiegreenheart]

Every time I look at that picture of the ship... I get constant shivers. Gordon Lightfoot really did this event justice and it's one of my favourites of his. Thanks for the great reaction. 💚

[@TheRealMrAndrew]

This is an amazing song. If you want other songs by Gordon Lightfoot, I highly recommend Sundown and If You Could Read My Mind.

[@hokiedoo]

The home port for the Edmound Fitzgerald was Toledo,Ohio this happend Nov 10th 1975 🙏

[@orangeandblackattack]

I heard the news report live on WLS-AM 89 in Chicago in my mom's car. It stuck with me and when the song was released, my mom bought me the 45 rpm. Tears. It was such a tragedy. Yes, maybe because being in Chicago on the Great Lakes, the story was known by more people than say, in LA. Gordon made it nationally known. But I still remember riding in the front seat of my mom's 1972 Chevy Impala, going down our country road when the story broke on the news. I will never forget it.

[@hokiedoo]

@@orangeandblackattack I was at my Grandpa's house in Northern Michigan seen it on the news that night 😞,it bothers me to the day I was just a couple of hundred miles away from this tragedy 😞

[@brettwillard8892]

I was to young, but I know some of my relatives were dock workers and had worked on the Fitzgerald while in the Dock in Toledo.

[@randieandjodistrom854]

Another great reaction from Ms. Bisscute--her reactions are always well founded, reasoned, and heartfelt. The five Great Lakes (Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario) between the United States and Canada are the largest interconnected freshwater inland lakes in the world which make them virtually the same as an inland ocean. The Edmund Fitzgerald left a port in Wisconsin on the very western point of Lake Superior (“Gitchee Gumee”) loaded with iron ore, which is the raw material used to produce steel, headed to the straights at Sault Saint Marie between Michigan and Canada, to Lake Huron, and then through the St. Clair River to Lake St. Clair, then through the Detroit River into Lake Erie to Cleveland, Ohio, which is on the banks Lake Erie. The steel firms in Cleveland were going to use the iron ore from the Edmund Fitzgerald to produce structural steel. A “gale” is essentially an inland hurricane with high winds and high waves. I believe “the Chippewa” refers to the native American tribe that inhabited the area around the northern Great Lakes region. The Great Lakes have their own maritime culture, and this song is a great testament to that culture. "Where does the love of God go..." None of us knows what grace God gives to those who know Him in the face of their transition to eternity, but I believe in my heart He provides peace.

[@mlhesler68]

Love young people like yourself discovering great music. I miss the love and brotherhood of the songs of the 60s. The music was for music's sake and for most not about fame and fortune. Never let the negative people that seem to dominate social music stop you. The most inspiring thing I heard in years came on AGT with Nightbirde's "It's Ok." RIP Jane.

[@473mec]

When I was a little kid, I was listening to a transistor radio, as they were called back then, and this song came on. I listened all the way through and cried. I feel the same every time I hear it.

[@Chris_McC]

The song always gave me the impression this ship sank 100+ years ago; but it happened in the 1970's.

[@Stevarooni]

It's a timeless ballad form.

[@Goathill]

IMO one of the greatest lines ever, "Does anyone know where the love of God goes when the waves turn the minutes to hours" that is haunting.

[@theamericanadventure]

In case no other comments have said it yet, superior is the largest and most unpredictable of the great lakes. So big in fact, it has recorded hurricanes on the lake itself. Also when he says the lake never gives up her dead, that's because the water is so cold and so lacking oxygen, that the bodies are preserved and don't decompose, leaving them looking the same as they did when they went down. The lake is a final resting place for hundreds of mariners.

[@fairgorn]

November is still remembered by this song.

[@EdwardGregoryNYC]

So the lakes Gordon referred to in the song are the Great Lakes. Lake Superior is known as Gitche Gumee (actually Gichi-Gami) by the local Chippewa tribe, meaning Great Sea. The Edmund Fitzgerald picked up a load of iron ore in Superior, Wisconsin, at the western shore of the lake, also called Superior, and was heading towards Detroit on Lake Huron. It met its fate 17 miles north of Whitefish Point, where a shipwreck museum is located today. The other Great Lakes are Michigan, Erie, and Ontario. Water flows from west to east into Ontario and then into Erie before following the St. Lawrence River to the Atlantic Ocean.

[@JP-il5je]

Yes, the song is very beautiful even though it was a tragic event. And, like you said "It Helps to put closure" Music can be very emotionally healing

[@michaelallen3894]

They ring the bell every year on the anniversary of the wreck.

[@P-M-869]

Plus, they have added one more ring for Gordon Lightfoot.

[@user-bv8uf4mn8b]

I was a disc jockey in the 1980s and was listening to my station when my boss had a request to play this song. He didn't like it and after he played the song, he broke the record on-air and laughed making a joke about how he disliked the song. He told us that he got a call from the person who made the request who said that they knew a person who died on the Edmond Fitzgerald. My boss felt terrible. Every time I hear the song, I think of that and how this song is utterly haunting.

[@HorrorFan-WrestlingFan]

Your boss sounds like a Dusbag i hope he got fired for his disrespectful behaviour live on air

[@chrisb2609]

"the lake never gives up her dead" referes to how deep and cold Lake Superior is. So cold that the bacteria that would cause decomposition is not present in the water. The bodies are still down there at the wreck and you cannot dive on it anymore because it is there grave. Rest in Peace brave men.

[@davidboivin7996]

Gordon Lightfoot spoke to and got permission to realease this song from the families of the sailors who were lost.

[@williamstreet4304]

I don't live near Lake Superior. I have visited the area. I have listened to this hundreds of times. Yet, I cannot listen without tears. I was in my 30's when the Edmund Fitzgerald was lost. Gordon Lightfoot penned the perfect eulogy to the mariners lost that night. An Edmund Fitzgerald magnet adorns my refrigerator to this day. The story of the loss is captivating. I wipe tears and don't know what else to say.

[@metoo7557]

Lake Superior is a huge lake in north America, so big in fact it gets storms and rogue waves that rival what you'd find in an ocean. I believe they've nick named (before this song was produced) the storms that arise during the colder seasons change 'the witch of November'

[@RoGueNavy]

I grew up listening to this song, and the guitar always had a chilling, haunting sound, to me. I reported for US Navy basic training on the 5th of November, 1990, just 15 years after the Fitzgerald sank. I took my training in Great Lakes, Illinois, on the shore of Lake Michigan. I wrathered a few winter storms, during my time there. Every time those massive storms blew, I had to flash back on this song, and I got full-body chills, that had nothing to do with the temperature outside. To this day, this song puts a lump in my throat.

[@r0kus]

This is a great song. It is one of the best dirges in the English language, set in a folk song. The locations mentioned are either the Great Lakes themselves or cities on their shores. If you look at a North American map, the Great Lakes are the large bodies of water separating Canada and the USA, about a third of the way over from the Eastern seaboard, There is a series of canals that allow ships to sail all the way to and from the Atlantic Ocean. The Edmund Fitzgerald sunk in Lake Superior, the largest of the lakes, and most western one. It is so big, it can have weather patterns, such as hurricanes, normally associated with oceans. The name of Lake Superior in the language of the Chippewa people is "Gitche Gumee" (big water).

[@Nothing-zw3yd]

I've been to every one of the Great Lakes, beautiful beyond measure. I've only been to Lake Erie and Lake Ontario in the winter. Standing at the eastern edge of Lake Ontario with a winter storm blowing in makes you feel small and highly insignificant, I couldn't imagine what it would be like on a boat in Superior, three times bigger than Ontario. Brave men indeed.

[@KenNPotter]

Beautiful reaction! I was 10 years old when this happened. I’m born and raised in Hamilton, Ontario. Between Toronto and Niagara Falls. Hamilton was huge for steel mills. Lake Superior (Canada has about one third of the world’s fresh water)is one of the Great Lakes. It is the most northern lake and as such is very deep and cold. That is why people that drown there sink to the bottom. 😢 The reference to The Chippewa is native Canadians AKA The First Nations. A gale is high winds just below hurricane winds. The witch of November is a sailers name for dangerous weather. FYI, when Gordon suffered a life threatening stomach aneurism, the medical helicopter flew past Toronto to go to Hamilton where he received life saving medical care. Lightfoot donated all of the proceeds from this song to the families of the 29 sailors. Cheers! P.S. Your English is way better then my French (English and French are our official languages.)

[@user-wv5nx9sp8p]

Well doneBisscute: Gordon Lightfoot wrote of this tragedy, and created a masterpiece that honored the sailors of the Edwin Fitzgerald. Moreover, his song paid tribute to the families of those deceased sailors, and you caught the essence of this song which was a beautiful sad song of mourning. Gordon Lightfoot is a Canadian musical legend and writer that you would do well to listen to his other songs that are creative and enjoyable.

[@christopherbittell6501]

In 1995, 20 years after the Edmund Fitzgerald was lost, the ships bell was retrieved and a new bell with the names of every crew member was left in its place. It was because of a new ridged diving suit designed to withstand the pressure at great depths, that they were finally able to bring it to the surface. It’s now the centerpiece of a memorial exhibit honoring the crew at the maritime museum at White Fish Point. Theirs a video on KZbin of the bell’s retrieval and the ceremony held at the museum for the family members. It’s an older video but worth your time to see it.🍻

[@GetsumJ]

Yes, I was 14 when it happened and it's still painful. So many of the crew were so young. At 63, I still tear up. Gordon Lightfoot eased the pain of a nation.

[@dsgp7835]

Beautiful reaction Bisscute. Living near the Great lakes, I remember when this tragedy happened. All shipwrecks are mysterious due to the fact that the vessels disappear under the water. This is a hauntingly beautiful song written and performed by the master songwriter Gordon Lightfoot. The song got a lot of airplay by the Detroit radio station that we listened to bringing back emotions about the sinking everytime it came on. No one could have memorialized the men and the ship better than Gordon Lightfoot. Another song with a haunting story is Ode To Billy Joe by Bobbie Gentry.

[@mlong1958]

When Gordon Lightfoot died, they rang the Mariner's Church of Detroit bell 30 times in honor of the 29 men who died on the ship and the one who kept their memory alive. The Edmund Fitzgerald lies at the bottom of Lake Superior (One of the Great Lakes between the United States and Canada).

[@rickwelch8464]

And will always be 30

[@josephlinnell9855]

Just watched. And as many have said that all profits went to the families of the 29 souls. I try not to cry when i hear this song but i always do. Bisscute you are bisscute and always enjoy your reactions. God Bless ❤

[@orangeandblackattack]

Great reaction. I tell this story to all reactors to show the impact it had on a lot of us back in 1975. I was 8 years old and the news was on WLS-AM89. Normally, at 8, I didnt pay attention. But it was a newsflash story and when I heard all hands lost on this ship, I became sad. When the song came out, it gave me goose bumps because that news story never left my memory. My mom bought the record for me. Goosebumps every time I heard it. As a teenager, I started researching the wreck. Backgrounds of all the men that died and the families they left behind just engrained it more. When KZbin came out, more and more documentaries became available and analyses of what they thought happened were good, but not one expert had a definite cause of the wreck. 3 theories were regarded as the most possible. Finally, in 2022 or 2023, they spent millions on the final dive trying to determine the cause. Remember, this is 50 years later! It was determined that a 2 rogue waves basically lifted the bow and the rear of the ship leaving no support for the middle where the 26,000 tons of ore was stored and it was taken down, with the breaking in the middle of the ship..straight to the bottom of the intimidating Lake Superior. I stood on the shore of Lake Superior in Wisconsin and I got chills thru whole body..to think those men are still down there. I will never travel on Lake Superior or even swim at a beach because I am terrified of it. This song, even in this reaction, gives me goosebumps.

[@terryd757]

I was 7 and grew up near Sault Ste. Marie. I didn't understand the big picture at the time, but I remember it being the news story and the talk of the area for a very long time after.

[@vulgarprophet2689]

My uncle died on this ship. He was the first mate James Pratt. His widow and daughter still live in Pennsylvania.

[@Gilbert0Jimenez]

Gordon Lightfoot wrote beautiful lyrics. I know that because I myself sing and play Gordon Lightfoot songs. Songs from his album Sundown are great songs for future reactions. I love your reaction ❤

[@owlbuquerqueturkey]

I grew up in the town where the Fitzgerald began its final journey, and remember the night it went down. I was very young, and remember my dad following the story on the radio as it was breaking. It's actually the very first news event I have memory of.

[@elvishemeon389]

Our Canadian Hero. Wrote beautiful songs (stories) and remained a humble, well liked human being. Thanks for the memories Cute :)

[@terrysmith1560]

I grew up in Sault Ste Mariw Ontario,Canada which is right at the bottom end of Lake Superior. I spent countless hours swimming in various Bays of the Lake in the summer...and been out on the ice in the winters. The Year the Fitzgerald sank was the year my wife and I got married..and we Both remember that night Very Well! My wife was working at a Hotel in the downtown core that evening and called me a couple of times during the Storm as she was afraid of just How Strong those winds were that night..in fact they blew several large Plate glass windows right out of the frames on the one end of the Hotel! It was quite a Wild drive down to get Her after Her shift..as Luck would have it the Night Clerk was a man and He made it in for His overnight Shift as the Hotel had several guests! The Gales of November are a Real Occurence every Year.....a True Reminder of the niight the "Fitz" went down! For anyone wondering....my wife and I are Still married...49 Years this year...but we no longer live in the Sault..although I still have Family there and we go back often!

[@s.gibson9329]

The "great lakes" are on the border between United States and Canada. One region in particular, the upper peninsula or "U.P.", which is part of the state of Michigan is extremely rich in iron ore. These ships take the ore from the source to the steel furnaces elsewhere in the country. The Ohio river in particular was a major waterway used. When that river stopped being used for all the steel barges, the economy in Eastern Ohio took a major hit. Today it is still an economically depressed area. One of the furnaces in Youngstown, Ohio is named "Sweet Jenny" is immortalized in the Bruce Springsteen song, "Youngstown". That song tells of the decline to which I speak. As for the weird names in this song, they're the old Native American names for the lakes. Gitche Gumee is a phonetic spelling of the name the Ojibwe tribe used for Lake Superior. The steel industry is definitely considered a "blue collar" and it's a rough business. Even in recent years, people frequently die in the active steel furnaces of which there are few left in the United States. When someone say "blue collar" think of a blue mechanics shirt versus the white collar shirt someone in a business suit might be wearing. White collar means a business professional dress, or executive/management type. Blue collar means a laborer.

[@DavidStebbins]

The mournful sound of the guitar was perfectly matched to the tone of the song.

[@hokiedoo]

When ship's pass by the wreck site they always ring their ship's bell still today 29 times 🙏😞,the Captain and 4 or 5 of the crew all lived in Toledo where I live 😞

[@RickF940]

This song shows the power of music. Transcending just being a song.

[@bodine57]

"Race Among the Ruins" and "Seven Island Suite" are two of my favorite Lightfoot songs - they really highlight his lyric abilities.

[@jasonhearn768]

Those types of songs are called "Sea Shantie's", for anyone who wasn't aware of that. 🙂

[@doreybain]

When this song came out, I assumed it was a about a long ago event. I thought, "Why can't they make songs in this narrative style about contemporary events." Then I pick up the newspaper and see a story about the possible causes of the wreck. This just happened! That blew me away.

[@HiPoint-ql3rs]

I get chills every time I listen to this song .

[@HemlockRidge]

Songs that have a story are called Ballads. The Great Lakes are between the US and Canada, there are 5 of them. They are so large, that if they were salt water, they would be called seas.

[@chrisfancher1267]

I was 11 years when this happened, and remember it. My eyes well up a bit every time I hear this song. I am from Wisconsin, and swam in what the Chippewa Indian tribe called Lake Gitchie Gumee, also known as Lake Superior. Lake Superior was very cold in the heart of summer, I can't imagine how cold it was in November, and how lonely it was in the dark and cold.

[@dalemcmillan7231]

Gordon was incredible. Master Songwriter. Saw him live many times here in Canada 🇨🇦. This Song is a true story. I remember when it happened. 😢

[@howardbrown911]

The song is about the biggest lake (Superior) of the Great Lakes in the Northern US. Each of these lakes are massive and Superior is the biggest. This ship was wrecked by a severe storm that was one of many that come in the late fall, usually November, that makes travel on them by ships very dangerous. This ship was one of the biggest and when it went down it was national news in the US. A sad tail that not only honors these brave souls, but all mariners everywhere.

[@MasterBiffpudwell]

"Does anyone know where the love of God goes when the waves turn the minutes to hours". One of the two most potent lines in the song. The other being "All that remains is the faces and the names of the wives and the sons and the daughters".

[@mostlyharmless1]

I grew up in Wisconsin and Minnesota with the Great Lakes and Lake Superior in the 70's and heard this on the radio every day. GOLD!

[@christophermollan1684]

This lake is known for its terrible storms....winds over 160 kph and waves 24 meters plus...this is such a beautiful song and for you to have felt it that deeply shows just how great of a person you are....

[@donp1964]

“Superior it’s said never gives up its dead when the gales of November come early.” What this means is because the water is so cold, when a person drowned, the bacteria in their body doesn’t create the gases that would normally cause the body to float to the surface.

[@thomaslee1982]

I was touched by your mention of songs for the everyday working class struggles and triumphs. For many who were raised in the Great Lakes region of America and Canada this song will always be legend.

[@michaelallen3894]

The Native American name of the lake is for Lake Superior in upper Michigan

[@Cybrludite]

I love how the guitar rhythm gives the impression of waves.

[@davidsandberg6179]

I was a teenager when this tragedy happened, and living in Minnesota which borders on Lake Superior. I listened to this song a lot in the years after it occurred, and the song still affects me even today. Your reaction to this was perfect as far as I’m concerned, and I really appreciate your having done so. Also, never feel like you have to apologize for your English … it’s very, very good, and I especially enjoy the unique turns of phrase you often achieve with your English, perhaps due to not having it as your primary language. I often hear you say something in English and wonder why those of use who are native English speakers never think to put it that way.