title: The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald
key: 70s
harp type: Chromatic
genre: C
skill: Intermediate

Music & Lyrics by Gordon Lightfoot
Key of C Major Range: C4 – D5
Notations: none=blow -= draw *=button in
4 4 -5 4 -3* 3 3 3
3 -3 -3* -3* -3 3 -2 3
3 -4 3 -2 3 1
3 4 4 4 4
The legend lives on
-5 4 -3* 3 3 3 3
from the Chip-pe-wa on down
-3* -3* -3* -3* -3* -3
of the big lake they called
3 -2 3 1
“Git-che Gu-mee.”
3 4 4 4 4
The lake, it is said,
-5 4 -3* 3 3 3
Ne-ver gives up her dead
-3* -3* -3* -3* -3* -3 3
when the skies of No-vem-ber
-2 3 1
turn gloo-my.
3 4 4 4 4
With a load of iron ore
-5 4 -3* 3 3 3 3
twenty-six thousand tons more
-3* -3* -3*-3* -3* -3 3
than the Ed-mund Fitz-ger-ald
-2 3 1
weighed emp-ty,
3 4 4 4 4
That good ship and true
-5 4 -3* 3 3 3
was a bone to be chewed
-3* -3* -3* -3* -3* -3 3
when the “Gales of No-vem-ber”
-2 3 4
came early.
3 4 4 4 4 -5
The ship was the pride
4 -3* 3 3 3 3 3
of the A-mer-i-can side
-3* -3* -3* -3* -3* -3
Com-ing back from some mill
3 -2 3 1
in Wis-con-sin.
3 4 4 4 4 4
As the big freighters go,
-5 4 -3* 3 3 3
it was big-ger than most
-3* -3* -3* -3* -3* -3 3
with a crew and good captain
-2 3 4
well sea-soned,
3 4 4 4 4 -5
concluding some terms
-5 4 -3* 3 3 3
with a couple of steel firms
-3* -3* -3* -3* -3* -3 3
when they left ful-ly loaded
-2 3 1
for Cleveland.
3 4 4 4
And later that
4 -5 4 -3* 3 3 3
night when the ship’s bell rang,
-3* -3* -3* -3* -3* -3
could it be the north wind
3 -2 3 4
they’d been feelin’?
4 4 -5 4 -3* 3 3 3
3 -3 -3* -3 3 -2 3
3 4 4 4
The wind in the
4 -5 4 -3* 3 3 3 3
wires made a tattle-tale sound
-3* -3* -3* -3* -3* -3
and a wave broke ov-er
-2 3 1
the railing.
3 4 4 4 4
And ev’ry man knew,
-5 4 -3* 3 3 3
as the cap-tain did too
-3* -3* -3* -3* -3* -3 3
’twas the witch of No-vem-ber
-2 3 4
come stealin’.
3 4 4 4
The dawn came late
-5 4 -3* 3 3 3 3
and the breakfast had to wait
-3* -3* -3* -3* -3* -3 3
when the Gales of No-vem-ber
-2 3 4
came slashin’.
3 4 4 4 4
When af-ter-noon came
-5 4 -3* 3 3
it was freezin’ rain
-3* -3* -3* -3* -3* -3 3 -2
in the face of a hur-ri-cane
3 4
west wind.
4 4 -5 4 -3* 3 3 3
3 -3 -3* -3* -3 3 -2 3 4
-3 -3 3* 3 -4 3 -2 3 1
3 4 4 4 4
When suppertime came
-5 4 -3* 3 3 3 3 -3*
the old cook came on deck say-in’.
-3* -3* -3* -3* -3 3
“Fellas, it’s too rough
-2 3 1
t’feed ya.”
3 4 4 4 4
At seven P. M.
-5 4 -3* 3 3 3
a main hatchway caved in;
-3* -3* -3* -3* -3* -3 3
he said, “Fel-las, it’s bin good
-2 3 4
t’know ya!”
3 4 4 4 4
The captain wired in
-5 4 -3* 3 3 3
he had wa-ter comin’ in
-3* -3* -3* -3* -3* -3 3
and the good ship and crew was
-2 3 1
in per-il.
3 4 4 4 4
And later that night
-5 4 -3* 3 3 3 3
when ‘is lights went outta sight
-3* -3* -3* -3* -3* -3 3
came the wreck of the Ed-mund
-2 3 4
Fitzgerald.
4 4 -5 4 -3* 3 3 3
3 -3 -3* -3* -3 3 -2 3 4
-3 -3 3* 3 -4 3 -2 3 1
3 4 4 4
Does any one know
-5 4 -3* 3 3 3
where the love of God goes
-3* -3* -3* -3* -3* -3 3
when the waves turn the minutes
-2 3 1
to hours?
3 4 4 4 4
The searchers all say
-5 4 -3* 3 3 3 3
they’d have made Whitefish Bay
-3* -3* -3* -3* -3* -3 3
if they’d put fifteen more miles
-2 3 4
behind ‘er.
3 4 4 4 4
They might have split up
-5 4 -3* 3 3 3
or they might have capsized;
-3* -3* -3* -3* -3
they may have broke deep
3 -2 3 1
and took water.
3 4 4 4 4
And all that remains
-5 4 -3* 3 3 3
is the faces and the names
-3* -3* -3* -3* -3* -3
of the wives and the sons
3 -2 3 4
and the daughters.
4 4 -5 4 -3* 3 3 3
3 -3 -3* -3* -3 3 -2 3 4
-3 -3 3* 3 -4 3 -2 3 1
3 4 4
Lake Huron
4 -5 4 -3* 3 3 3
rolls, Su-per-i-or sings
-3* -3* -3* -3* -3*
in the rooms of her
-3 3 -2 3 1
ice-water mansion.
3 4 4 4 4
Old Mi-chi-gan steams
-5 4 -3* 3 3
like a young man’s dreams;
-3* -3* -3* -3* -3* -3 -2
the is-lands and bays are for
3 4
sportsmen.
3 4 4 4 4
And farther be-low
-5 4 -3* 3 3
Lake On-ta-ri-o
-3* -3* -3* -3* -3 3
takes in what Lake Er-ie
-2 3 1
can send her,
3 4 4 4 4
But the iron boats go
-5 4 -3* 3 3 3
as the mariners all know
-3* -3* -3* -3* -3* -3 3
with the Gales of No-vem-ber
-2 3 4
Re-mem-bered.
4 4 -5 4 -3* 3 3 3
3 -3 -3* -3* -3 3 -2 3 4
-3 -3 3* 3 -4 3 -2 3 1
4 4 -5 4 -3* 3 3 3
3 -3 -3* -3* -3 3 -2 3 4
-3 -3 3* 3 -4 3 -2 3 1
3 4 4 4 4 4
In a mus-ty old hall
-5 4 -3* 3 3 3
in De-tro-it they prayed,
-3* -3* -3* -3* -3* -3 3
in the “Mar-i-time Sailors’
-2 3 1
Ca-the-dral.”
3 4 4 4
The church bell chimed
-5 4 -3* 3 3 3
’til it rang twenty-nine times
-3* -3* -3* -3* -3*
for each man on the
-3 3 -2 3 4
Ed-mund Fitzgerald.
3 4 4 4 4
The legend lives on
-5 4 -3* 3 3 3 3
From the Chip-pe-wa on down
-3* -3* -3* -3* -3* -3
of the big lake they call
3 -2 3 1
“Git-che Gu-mee.”
3 4 4 4 4
“Su-per-ior,” they said,
-5 4 -3* 3 3 3
“never gives up her dead
-3* -3* -3* -3* -3* -3 3
when the gales of No-vem-ber
-2 3 4
come early!”
4 4 -5 4 -3* 3 3 3
3 -3 -3* -3* -3 3 -2 3 4
-3 -3 3* 3 -4 3 -2 3 1
4 4 -5 4 -3* 3 3 3
3 -3 -3* -3* -3 3 -2 3 4
-3 -3 3* 3 -4 3 -2 3 1(sustain)