Yeah, you should definitely check out the official video with lyrics. It will probably allow you to appreciate it more.

Gitchi Goomee is the native name for Lake Superior. Gordon was Canadian, thus an accent. Read up on the wreck. It's a powerful story of a ship caught in the open by a massive storm. Actually, it's about two ships - the Edmund Fitzgerald and the Arthur M Anderson. They came from two different ports, the Fitz from Superior, WI and the AMA from Two Harbors, MN, but were going the same direction. They decided to travel together and try to miss the storm. When the storm turned and caught them in the open, the Arthur M Anderson served as Edmund Fitzgerald's eyes after she lost her electronics. There was no distress call, so no one knows what exactly happened. She just disappeared from the radar. After reporting the Fitz missing and reaching safety herself, the Arthur M Anderson, in spite of being banged up by the wind and waves, went back out into the storm, looking for survivors at the request of the Coast Guard. There were none. The Arthur M Anderson still is sailing the lakes, hauling cargo and forever tied to the Edmund Fitzgerald. There is so much more to the story, this is just a quick outline of what happened.

Gordon is telling a story, a true story, it isn't about his voice guys!

At Gordon's passing , the Maritime Cathedral mentioned in the song rang 30 times, 29 times for the sailors and 1 extra for Gordon. Gordon donated all the proceeds from the song to the families.

Don't know if anyone else as mentioned it, but he made no money from this song. He donated all proceeds to the surviving family members of the crew.

Being that you had trouble understanding his Canadian accent, it’s too bad you didn’t listen to the lyric video. The lyrics are so touching and like poetry.

Gordon was one of Bob Dylan’s favourite songwriters. His catalogue is massive and he has been covered by singers like Elvis, Johnny Cash, Barbra Streisand and many more. All proceeds from this song went to the families of the “ Fitz” He became quite close to the families and attended every annual memorial for them. A couple of his biggest hits were “ Sundown “ and “ If You Could Read My Mind “.

The 48th anniversary of the sinking was just ten days ago (Nov. 10th, 1975). I was in high school when it happened. I remember it like it was yesterday. Tragedies like that (sinking ships) weren't supposed to happen anymore. But Lake Superior can be dangerous, treacherous and volatile. I know, I live in Minnesota. Gordon wrote this song shortly after the sinking to honor the 29 men who died and donated all the profits to their surviving families. Thank you for this respectful reaction.

You should definitely watch the lyrics video, He had a Canadian accent. It's a deeply heartfelt song to us people of the Great Lakes that remember the news read and the Pastor of the Maritime Sailors Cathedral in Detroit was woken up very early to ring the bell for each man who perished.

This is a great request and Gordon Lightfoot is legendary! It’s about a ship going down in Lake Superior and it’s haunting. This is beautiful! Thanks guys and Firefighter Chick!

This is an absolutely brilliant song to tell a very tragic story in a respectful way!!

The Great Lakes are huge, like inland seas. The storms out of Canada are powerful and in November with the change of seasons, some of the storms can be huge. By the way, Gitchee Gumee is the name of Lake Superior from the Native Americans well known from "The Song of Hiawatha:"

Lake Superior never warms up enough for any bodies to decompose and float to the surface. The lake never gives up her dead.

Gordon is a great artist, and this is considered his masterpiece

The studio version is easier to understand what he’s saying. I think you would like that version much more. It’s not so much his voice that makes this song but it’s the words of the song and the way he presents them in story form. If you’re missing the words because you can’t understand him then you’re not going to have this song hit you in the heart like it does everyone else. Really need the studio version, it’s much easier to understand him. Gordon Lightfoot was a wonderful storyteller. He gave all the royalties to this song to the Fitzgeralds families. So not only is this a great song but he was a wonderful person to boot. ❤ And Lake Superior is like an inland sea. It’s enormous and behaves just like an ocean. The Edumond Fitzgerald was a huge ship sailing on this vast inland sea that the Chippewa call Gitchee Gumee. The lyrics where he says Lake Superior never gives up her dead is true. The Lake is deep and cold and so the bodies don’t float or rise, they stay down. The Mariners Cathedral in Detroit rang the church bells 29 times for each sailor that was on the vessel and they do this every year in memorial to the Fitzgerald. When Gordon Lightfoot died they rang the bell one extra time for Gordon for keeping the memory of the Fitz alive and for giving his royalties to the families off of this song.

You really need to react to the studio version which is eerily beautiful & is what we all heard on the radio a zillion times (& love!). Plus, a couple of the videos of the studio version have lyrics, which you really need to see/hear clearly to truly appreciate the song. This song means a lot to so many people. It would be worth your while, & ours, for you to do another reaction to the original studio version. Please consider it! As always, much love from Kentucky U.S. 💙💫💙💫💙💫💙💫💙💫💙💫💙

Just for comparison, Lake Superior (Gitchi-gummi to some Native American tribes) is roughly 2/3 the size of England and is the largest freshwater lake in the world. It is 350 miles from its eastern end to its western end, and has a maximum north-south distance of 160 miles. Winter storms bring pretty rough conditions.

Folks don't realize how big the Great Lakes are, they are essential inland oceans and can produce storms as bad as any in the North Atlantic. Suggest listening to the studio version.

It's weird because I've watched this video before and it sounds a bit off this time. Sorry guys.😮 Hiis other songs are worth checking out though in a studio versions. This was a massive storm that had hurricane strength winds. There still is no definitive reason that she broke and sank. Many safety changes were made for ships traveling the lake to make sure it never happened again. For your own understanding and more enjoyment there is another lyric video that is the studio version. The other names he gave Michigan, Heron, etc are the other great lakes around Superior.

The line "Lake Superior never gives up her dead" is because the lake water is too cold for most of the microscopic organisms that cause bodies to bloat and float to the surface. When people die in the lake, they sink and stay down.

"Superior is said never gives up her dead" because the lake is ice cold fresh water, so bacteria doesn't cause bodies to bloat and float to the top.

The lake is so cold that it slows decomposition so the body does not have sufficient gas to float it. That is why its said Superior never gives up its dead.

This version is considerably harder to understand than the original studio recording. It's not a technical issue here, he's just really singing it with a strong twang and dialect. (EDIT: Besides, you know those Canadians don't speak the same English language that we speak in America and you gents do in Britain. Y'all and we-uns speak it properly, innit?) 😎

Studio recording is much clearer. I know the lyrics otherwise I’d have a hard time understanding some words myself on this live version. He really is a good singer.

29 men were lost on this boat the families of the men Gordon Lightfoot gave all proceeds from this song which he wrote to the families

Gordon Lightfoot was a genius!! Educated, soo Talented as a musician and storyteller. Get into more of his music... Bob Dylan said the only thing wrong with his songs was when they ended. This song is written about history that he cared for!! 29 families benefitted from the success of this Lightfoot song.

I can't believe it these guys don't like his voice.

when he died they rang the church bells 30 times. 29 for the crew and 1 for gordon

was born, raised and worked in Michigan- I remember this so very well. " Lake Superior Never Gives Up Its Dead” is an old saying that refers to the lake’s cold, deep waters, which make it difficult for bodies to rise to the surface. The cold water of Lake Superior does not allow bacteria to grow like it would in warmer water, which keeps the bacteria that usually causes the body to bloat and float at bay. 1333 max. depth (ft) The phrase is also believed to have originated from an old Native American legend about the lake’s spirits that never allow the dead to resurface1. If you have time there is a video called (The Lake That Never Gives Up Her Dead ) It is excellent !!!!

It's a heart wrenching true story that Americans love depicting how dangerous the great lakes are to sailors. I live on Lake Erie and see how fast fierce storms can come up. Lake Superior is many times bigger and has much worse weather. I do suggest next time you may want to stop and pull up lyrics to follow along on songs you might not be able to understand. Love what you guys do but you blew this one.

Gordon passed away last year and that same Mariners Cathedral rang the bell,,,,,30 times. respect.

The storms on the lakes are insane. Lake Superior is huge and deep, like an inland ocean, so the waves get as high as in the ocean, but they are close together, so this caused a lot of wrecks. I remember when the Fitz went down, and this is why we love this song, because we all have a lot of emotion over the incident, and he's kind of crying with us. I still remember the announcement over the loudspeaker at school in the first hour, that the Edmund Fitzgerald went down, and the church across the street would be holding services for the dead, and anyone related to any of the crew was excused from school that day. We were all kids hearing this. Two or three of my friends just broke down crying. You see this was the last trip of the season. The guys would all be coming home after this one last trip across. They would be safe after this. And they all died. This was Captain McSorley's retirement trip, it was a big thing. He would have been done and home free. RIP boys.

This is a true story! It's a tribute, to the 29 men that died, on The Edmund Fitzgerald. Maybe you guys should look for videos with lyrics, if you are going to react to American music!

I think one of the most striking passages I've ever heard in a song is, "Does anyone know where the love of God goes when the waves turns the minutes to hours?" It gives such a sense of desolation, of abandonment.

In 2021 I stood on the bank of Lake superior in Bayfield Wisconsin I closed my eyes and I swear I can see her in that storm and chill, went up my spine! If you really concentrate while hearing this song, you can literally see her in that storm

I am from Minnesota I remember that happened

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. My husband & I saw him in concert once. 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", "Early Morning Rain", "Steel Rail Blues", "Ribbon Of Darkness", "Carefree Highway", "Rainy Day People", "Cotton Jenny", "Black Day In July", "Canadian Railroad Trilogy" etc.

The line that always gets me right in the heart is, when supper time came the old cook came on deck saying fellas it’s too rough to feed ya, at 7 pm the main hatchway gave it he said fellas it’s been good to know ya. Damn

Gordon Lightfoot died having never written a bad song. --Bob Dylan

It's a true story Stop Laughing....

The recorded version is much easier to understand if your a first timer with Gordon. This is just how he sang live.

Not one word was missing, understood everyone of them.

Funny story. True too. I had an uncle named E.G. Fitzgerald. The E stood for Edmund and the G didn’t stand for anything; it was just a placeholder initial. He chose it to represent the name Gerald. He was born in Texas during the early 1920’s, a bit of a wild time, closer to the Wild West time period. He was visiting our home one day in the 1980’s and a commercial came on tv for a compilation album, great songs from the 1970’s and this song was one of the songs on the album. I asked him if he’d ever heard the song, “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.” He hadn’t. But he also hadn’t heard it on the commercial. He had been talking to another family member and missed it. He didn’t believe me that there was an actual song called this. He thought I was teasing him and calling him a wreck because he was getting close to his 60’s. He actually got a little miffed at me and told me to be respectful towards him. 🤣 He was a great guy, and I think of him every time I hear this song.

The line, the lake never gives up her dead refers to the lake is so deep and cold that bodies never decompose and float to surface. Those 29 sailors are still down there. Rip to those men and Mr. Lightfoot. Peace from Northern Michigan.

The Brits, and the Canadians separated by a common language.

Part of the problem with understanding the words was probably due to the fact that the recording was of a college concert, The version released for radio and records had a much better sound quality and is more easily understood.

BROS, Gordon Lightfoot is a legendary troubadour from Canada. One of his first songs to reach our American airwaves was "If You Could Read My Mind Luv" a masterpiece in storytelling! Lake Superior has been home of many shipwrecks come November when the gales start blowing, including "The Wreck of The Edmond Fitzgerald". I don't live that far from Lake Superior and I always had a yearning to see if I would've been cut out for that mariner life. There are some sad and gloomy documentaries made of how frightful it was to be on that ship as it took on water, and quickly sank to the bottom of the lake. The stories the Big Lake could tell! THANK YOU! From Minnesota's biggest ELVIS fan!

It always pays to have the lyrics up with his songs. They are all great non the less.

I’d suggest you pull the lyrics up for songs sung by US & Canadian singers as our accents are different enough to throw you off. (To be honest, I can’t always tell what you guys are saying as my ears aren’t tuned to your speech, lol). The Chippewa in the 1st line of the song is a Native American Indian tribe from the area around the Great Lakes & Gitchie Gumie is their name for Lake Superior. Someone else has probably already let you know, but Gordon donated all the proceeds from this song to the families of the 29 men who drowned in that storm. Paid for the kids to go to college & a bunch of other needs. It was a VERY popular song!

Not trashing you, guys, but definitely check out more of this famous Canadian

Of course, there is no accounting for taste and, if you didn't like it, you didn't like it. But, you are the first reactors that I have seen (of many) who were not blown away (in a good way) by this song.

GORDON LIGHTFOOT sold over 6,662,000 albums, including 6,000,000 in the United States and 60,000 in the United Kingdom.

Gordon Lightfoot was a Canadian treasure. A true story. His works are beautifully poetic. You should listen to The Last Time I Saw Her Face.

I live right here on Lake MI. The anniversary just past and there was a ceremony many of the relatives still remain. The lakes are bigger than you can imagine called an inland ocean. Check our more of his music. This song is very meaningful here.

You may have liked it better If you chose a lyric video when he was much younger

I would definitely say give the studio recording a try like so many others are saying. Much clearer sound and lyrics

R.I.P. Gordon Lightfoot, a simply extraordinary songwriter.

i live on lake ontario and you cant imagine how big the great lakes are till you see them!

If you ain't got chills you ain't heard it right. Try the studio version.

It's not a story it's true

"Gitche Gumee" - the old Ojibewe name for the lake, loosely translated means Big Water. "The Lake it is said never gives up her dead" - is due to the fact that the average temperature of the lake is only 40-45 degrees Fahrenheit year round so bodies don't bloat/float to the surface (it may reach 50's in the summer, but only closer to the shore). "Does anyone know where the love of God goes when the waves turn the minutes to hours." - pure lyric poetry set to music. You really should watch the lyric video. Great footage of the ship and lyrics on screen. Better audio, also.

I would have done the regular video, comes with lyrics. Recorded version is more clear

yes!! A legend. Peace and Love from Canada. ❤

Must be Gordon's Canadian accent.. You didn't hear it much when he talked. Great song.

The greatest Canadian songwriter. So many amazing melodies and lyrics.

Gordon Lightfoot is a great legend ❤

I'm so sorry you did not appreciate his voice. It really was not the best video for his vocals. I have adored Gordon Lightfoot since my high school days, I'm 62 so that has been quite a while ☺ I hope you will give him another chance but perhaps with a studio version. Personally, I think If You Could Read My Mind would be a good one, though there are many to choose from.

The Ojibwe name for the lake is gichi-gami (in syllabics: ᑭᒋᑲᒥ, pronounced gitchi-gami or kitchi-gami in different dialects), meaning "great sea". Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote this name as "Gitche Gumee" in the poem The Song of Hiawatha, as did Gordon Lightfoot in his song "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald".

Lake Superior is actually an inland sea. Peace out. By the way, Gitche Gumee is the native American name for Lake Superior. Listen to the recorded version and your rating will improve.

Between the fact that it's a live performance and accent, you really need to listen to the studio version with the lyrics shown. The song is better than you experienced.

Homer's Iliad and Odyssey are not known as epic on account of being brief and succinct. They are known as epic because they are lengthy, comprehensive, poetic, and sublime.

The lyric video would have been of great service to you - it’s a haunting and stirring lyric. He is using a slight affectation with his singing on this song. Try ‘Sundown’ by him.

Lyrics 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 feelin'? 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 T'was the witch of November come stealin' 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 PM, 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 any one 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 fifteen 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 called Gitche Gumee Superior, they said, never gives up her dead When the gales of November come early

In this case, the original video is probably the video you want to watch. The lyrics are clearer and the video is a picture of the ship with the lyrics displayed.

Thank you for your honest reaction. Even at risk of people that can’t handle hearing other people’s views that vary from their own. Good on you. I love GL and if you’re willing, please give him another try. He was a very important singer/songwriter of his era. Great folk musician that might not be your cup of tea but worth exploring.

If the recording year was 1979, Gord was suffering from alcoholism, weight problems and smoking in addition to some personal problems that could have caused his voice to suffer in live performances. He cleaned up his act in the 1980s, became sober and hopefully there are many other recordings of Gord you may enjoy.

The phrase " Superior never gives her dead" is literally true. The lake is so deep and cold that the bodies don't decompose , therefore they don't float to the surface. The bodies have been photographed in and around the wreck. As a matter of fact the families sued a author to prevent him from publishing any of the images. It has since been designated a gravesite by the Canadian government and diving to the wreck is forbidden.

The studio version is much better. Please give that one a listen to. Two lines that always stand out to me are " at seven pm the main hatchway gave in, he (the cook) said fellas it's been good to know ya." The water in lake Superior is so cold that there is basically no chance of survival if you go in. The second is "Does anyone know where the love of God goes when the waves turn the minutes to hours."

Hey guys, I have a difficult time with the singing of song as well. It took me many years to appreciate the song. However, try “If You Could Read My Mind”. The singing is way better and gives you a better perspective of Gordon.

By the way, you're there laughing about a song about the death of a lot of people dying just doing their job. Maybe it's that Brit dark humor. We should all laugh at the bombing of London or something. We would but thankfully, we aren't like you.

"The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald" The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down Of the big lake they call 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 [Former version:] That good ship and true was a bone to be chewed [Latter version:] That good ship and crew 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 Then later that night when the ship's bell rang Could it be the north wind they'd been feelin'? The wind in the wires made a tattle-tale sound When the wave broke over the railing And every man knew, as the captain did too 'Twas the witch of November come stealin' The dawn came late and the breakfast had to wait When the gales of November came slashin' When afternoon came it was freezing rain In the face of a hurricane west wind When suppertime came, the old cook came on deck Saying, "Fellas, it's too rough to feed ya." [Former version:] At seven PM a main hatchway caved in [Latter version:] At seven PM it grew dark, it was then 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 out of 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 fifteen 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 [Former version:] In a musty old hall in Detroit they prayed [Latter version:] In a rustic 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

i appreciate the honesty

Chuey update - still don't know what's wrong but he isn't suffering and he still has his eye for now. I actually remember going to a few of his concerts with our parents back in the day. I think you would like other songs of his, some are more upbeat and shorter (B1).

You are the first ever to laugh at this true story of death of the crew.. ugh..

The studio version video has the lyrics with it. You should look up the lyrics. Great song!! He is not a country singer. He is more of a folk/story teller singer.

Both of your brain 🧠 power combined is 7%!

Here's a few factoids for you. At the time of her building The Fitz was the largest vessel on the great lakes and was dubbed Queen of the Great Lakes. The highest wave ever recorded on Lake Superior is 29.5 Ft tall. According to the Captain of the Arthur M Anderson who was the Fitz's travel companion on that fateful journey they got hit with Sister Rogue waves that were over 30Ft tall. You can get hypothermia from swimming in Lake Superior for any extended period year round. Superior doesn't give up her dead and there is a great video that explains why by Ask a Mortician, here on KZfaq. :)

His voice is much clearer in the studio recording..

Sundown is an awesome song.

This is a sober memorial to a real event

I had a tour of this ship about a year before she sank . My best friend's dad worked at the dry dock and took us aboard one afternoon . This song always makes me cry.

I think most of us know the song so well that ut doesn't matter how Gordon sang it, because we know what he is saying. This is one instance when a lyric video wouldve been beneficial, although i personally love live. There is also a video that actually shows footage of the ship and crew as well as footage of the wreckage at the bottom of the lake, that also lists the names and ages of the crew and captain.

You guys are great. I love your views on these music videos. Gordon is a great song writer and I think his other great songs are "If You Could Read My Mind" and "Sundown". I love to have you react to these songs.

Greatest balladier of all time…

As soon as I saw you were doing this one I wanted to yell through the screen “ turn the captions on!” The lyrics make this song and to not hear the whole story takes so much away. The lyric version or the studio recording would be better for your first listen. I know it wasn’t your thing but I love that you keep it honest.

One of the coldest lake in the world. Freezes in winter rarely over 40F (4-5C) in summer.

His voice is different on different songs. You should have watched a version with lyrics. You Brits are funny. I have no trouble understanding every word. Must be a Canadian thing. This is a very haunting song of 29 men died.

Lake Superior is so cold the bodies can't float so she never gives up her dead they sink to the bottom

his voice sounds a hundred times better studio version...sounds bit tinny here

The studio is much clearer