38 years ago today, the Edmund Fitzgerald sank with all hands

[Recursion]

Last edited Sun Nov 10, 2013, 02:28 AM - Edit history (1)

The church bell chimed 'til it rang twenty-nine times
for each man on the Edmund Fitzgerald.

[cyberswede]

1. ...

x 29

[HarveyDarkey]

2. And ever since, we've had that shitty song

[Heather MC]

3. Ummm

felt bad because I was thinking the same thing
Worst tribute song ever

[NBachers]

4. I like that song. It's a real "shipwreck" ballad.

[laundry_queen]

6. I love that song.

It's one of the few 'oldies' I have on my iPod.

But then again, I'm Canadian.

[greatauntoftriplets]

11. So do I and I'm not Canadian....

though I had great-great grandparents born in Canada.

[Brigid]

12. Hey now!

Many of us DUers of a certain age grew up on Gordon Lightfoot's songs -- especially that one.

[HarveyDarkey]

13. I'm of that "certain age" too

I still think it sucks

[RebelOne]

15. Gordon Lightfoot rocks. He's one of my favorite singers.

In fact, I love all of his songs.

[Brickbat]

17. You shut your mouth.

[Jim Lane]

18. I join the many whose tastes differ from yours. A great song. (n/t)

[King_Klonopin]

5. It might be a Canada thing, eh?

I think this song is awesome!

It was playing on the radio as I was driving through Monument
Valley in Utah many years ago. The juxtaposition was surreal.
I turned up the volume and laughed maniacally. It was like
my own Fear and Loathing story excerpt.

Fellahs, it's been good to know ya!

[Recursion]

9. Apparently he changed the lyrics 3 years ago after new research

At the time the flotsam distribution made them conclude that it sank because of crew error ("At 7 pm the main hatchway caved in&quot , but a new study showed that it was most likely that the hatch was properly secured but not strong enough for the wave heights the lake would have experienced.

So now the verse goes "At 7 pm it grew dark, then he said 'fellows, it's been good to know ya'".

[Cooley Hurd]

10. Good for him!

Gordon Lightfoot is a GREAT songwriter!!

[In_The_Wind]

7. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

[padruig]

8. Twenty Nine Souls

“Tell her this
And more,—
That [Neptune] the King of the Seas
Weeps too, old, helpless man.
The bustling fates
Heap his hands with corpses
Until he stands like a child
With surplus of toys.”

-- Steven Crane

[frogmarch]

14. Here’s a page

with more information, including the song lyrics and information about memorial services being held today to honor the crew members who died.

http://gordonlightfoot.com/wreckoftheedmundfitzgerald.shtml

Excerpt:

Lightfoot wrote Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald as a tribute to the ship, the sea, and the men who lost their lives that night. When asked recently what he thought his most significant contribution to music was, he said it was this song, which he often refers to as "The Wreck". In spite of its unlikely subject matter, the song climbed to #2 on the Billboard pop charts and Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald remains one the most stirring topical ballads ever written and a highlight of every Lightfoot concert. See the song lyrics below.

Every year, on November 10th and the days leading up to it, there are commemorative services and other programs to remember the ship and the men who lost their lives. This year, 2013, marks the 38th anniversary of the shipwreck. You can find information about two of this year's events here: http://www.shipwreckmuseum.com/#sect-301 and here: http://detroithistorical.org/dossin-great-lakes-museum/events-calendar/events-listing/lost-mariners-remembrance-0 . There will also be a memorial service at Mariners' Church as part of the 11am service. Church calendar: http://marinerschurchofdetroit.org/church-calendar/ .

In 2010, Lightfoot changed one line in the lyrics of the song as a result of recent findings that it was waves and not crew error that lead to the shipwreck. See the lyric change below, and read about the documentary by clicking on the link below the lyrics.

[LNM]

16. They'll light Split Rock lighthouse tonight.

They light it a few times a year at random times, but always on this date.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Split_Rock_Lighthouse