Today is the 50th anniversary of the Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. If you know about this at all—you’ve probably heard about it through the Gordon Lightfoot song from 1976. While that’s a classic, I much prefer the Chris Thile version of the song—one of the best storytelling songs of all time.
The ship capsized and lost it’s entire crew 50 years ago today, and this song is the most well-known version of the story. They started out in Wisconsin and were slated to get down to Detroit—traveling through the great lakes and the rivers between them.
The storm that hit was devastating, and ship went down in Lake Superior—and they were never able to recover any of the crew. We know the story through the song, but it felt like an important day to remember those folks and their sacrifice.
Technique of the Day
For today’s page, I pulled up the lyrics of the song, and wrote out three of my favorite verses of the song (that’s what fit on the page) and then added in my Currently List.
Here are the full lyrics to the song:
The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down
Of the big lake, they called Gitche Gumee
The lake, it is said, never gives up her dead
When the skies of November turn gloomy
With a load of iron ore, twenty-six thousand tons more
Than the Edmund Fitzgerald weighed empty
That good ship and true was a bone to be chewed
When the gales of November came early
The ship was the pride of the American side
Coming back from some mill in Wisconsin
As the big freighters go, it was bigger than most
With a crew and good captain well seasoned
Concluding some terms with a couple of steel firms
When they left fully loaded for Cleveland
And later that night when the ship’s bell rang
Could it be the north wind they’d been feeling?
The wind in the wires made a tattle-tale sound
And a wave broke over the railing
And every man knew, as the captain did too
‘Twas the witch of November come stealing
The dawn came late, and the breakfast had to wait
When the gales of November came slashin’
When afternoon came, it was freezin’ rain
In the face of a hurricane west wind
When suppertime came, the old cook came on deck sayin’
“Fellas, it’s too rough to feed ya”
At seven p.m., a main hatchway caved in, he said
“Fellas, it’s been good to know ya”
The captain wired in he had water comin’ in
And the good ship and crew was in peril
And later that night when his lights went outta sight
Came the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald
Does anyone know where the love of God goes
When the waves turn the minutes to hours?
The searchers all say they’d have made Whitefish Bay
If they’d put 15 more miles behind her
They might have split up or they might have capsized
They may have broke deep and took water
And all that remains is the faces and the names
Of the wives and the sons and the daughters
Lake Huron rolls, Superior sings
In the rooms of her ice-water mansion
Old Michigan steams like a young man’s dreams
The islands and bays are for sportsmen
And farther below Lake Ontario
Takes in what Lake Erie can send her
And the iron boats go as the mariners all know
With the gales of November remembered
In a musty old hall in Detroit, they prayed
In the Maritime Sailors’ Cathedral
The church bell chimed ‘til it rang twenty-nine times
For each man on the Edmund Fitzgerald
The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down
Of the big lake, they call Gitche Gumee
Superior, they said, never gives up her dead
When the gales of November come early
—Gordon Lightfoot.
Today’s page got my usual Currently list, but no decorations other than the handwritten lyrics. Here’s my full Currently List breakdown:
This week’s Currently List:
Watching:
Football (bye BD), Pluribus (I’ve got thoughts), GBBO (still need to watch the finale), and League of Legends Grand Finals—they’re such a spectacle, it’s always amazing.
Reading:
Still nothing
Listening:
Onyx Storm & Harry Potter. Not really in the mood for anything new lately.
Making:
Lasagna, other food, human baby.
Feeling:
Fine.
Planning:
ALP Festival and some little things for my Baby Shower in a few weeks.
Loving:
The snow on the ground. I love a white backyard.
Supply List
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Tips & Creative Wisdom
Songs Tell Stories Too
Lyrics can hold entire histories, memories, and emotions—sometimes more vividly than photos or journaling ever could.
Pro Tip: Copy a favorite song verse into your notebook and let it guide your next page. It’s an instant creative spark and time capsule in one.
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