Gordon Lightfoot Lyrics

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 - 26,000 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 Wisconson As the big freighters go it was bigger than most With a crew and the 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 ships bell rang Could it be the North Wind they'd been feeling. The wind in the wires made a tattletale sound And a wave broke over the railing And every man knew, as the Captain did, too, T'was the witch of November come stealing. The dawn came late and the breakfast had to wait When the gales of November came slashing When afternoon came it was freezing rain In the face of a hurricane West Wind When supper time came the old cook came on deck Saying fellows it's too rough to feed ya At 7PM a main hatchway caved in He said fellas it's been good to know ya. The Captain wired in he had water coming 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 words turn the minutes to hours The searchers all say they'd have made Whitefish Bay If they'd 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 ruins 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 29 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 say, never gives up her dead When the gales of November come early. © 1976 Moose Music, Inc.

Too Late for Prayin' It was only yesterday When I heard the teacher say Patiently, one and two make three We were children, you and me Let us pray for the ones they call The children of today Nothin' left but promises Nothin' much is certain All we see is want and need across the board, why thank you lord We're livin' in the glory of your care Skies of blue have all turned brown To the sound of sighin' Lord abide, let us stem the tide Of broken dreams Sometimes you seem to tell us It's too late for prayin' See the ocean wild and blue Think of all that's in her She will not surrender to the likes of us, but then she must They tell us, wise men tell us, it's too late For each child with eyes that smile There'll be ten more cryin' Lord abide, let us stem the time Of helplessness But then I guess we're livin' Is it too late for tryin'? Nothin' here but grains of sand Nothin' much worth savin' Guess we've all got problems of our own to bear, and still we share Tomorrow could get better than today To the ones who've loved in vain Will ya be beholden Lord abide, let us stem the tide Of broken dreams Sometimes ya seem to tell us It's too late for prayin'...

Carefree Highway Pickin' up the pieces of my sweet shattered dream I wonder how the old folks are tonight Her name was Ann and I'll be damned if I recall her face She left me not knowin' what to do Carefree highway, let me slip away on you Carefree highway, you seen better days The mornin' after blues from my head down to my shoes Carefree highway, let me slip away Slip away on you Turnin' back the pages to the times I love best I wonder if she'll ever do the same Now the thing that I call livin' is just bein' satisfied With knowin' I got no one left to blame Carefree highway, got ta see you my old flame Carefree highway, you seen better days The mornin' after blues from my head down to my shoes Carefree highway, let me slip away Slip away on you Searchin' through the fragments of my dream-shattered sleep I wonder if the years have closed her mind I guess it must be wanderlust or tryin' to get free From the good old faithful feelin' we once knew Carefree highway, let me slip away on you Carefree highway, you seen better days The mornin' after blues from my head down to my shoes Carefree highway, let me slip away Slip away on you Let me slip away on you Carefree highway, got ta see you my old flame Carefree highway, you seen better days The mornin' after blues from my head down to my shoes Carefree highway, let me slip away Slip away on you

I'm Not Supposed to Care I think you have somebody waiting outside in the rain to take you away You got places to go, you got people to see still I'm gonna miss you but anyway I wish you good spaces in the far away places you go If it rains or it snows may you be safe and warm and never grow old And if you need someone who loves you, you know I will always be there I'll do it although I'm not supposed to care I'll give you the keys to my flying machine if you'd like I will show you the light and when you call I'm gonna come to you And when you find someone who loves you, I'll know you would treat me the same Just lie there, you're not supposed to care I think you have somebody waiting outside in the rain to take you away. That's some kind of a game still I'm glad it came down to the final round but anyway If you think you need someone who needs you, you know I will always be there I'll do it although I'm not supposed to care I'll do it although I'm not supposed to care

Summer Side of Life He came down through fields of green On the summer side of life His love was ripe There were no illusions On the summer side of life Only tenderness And if you saw him now You'd wonder why he would cry The whole day long There were young girls everywhere On the summer side of life They talked all night To the young men that they knew On the summer side of life Goin' off to fight And if you saw them now You'd wonder why they would cry The whole day long He came down through fields of green On the summer side of life He prayed all night Then he walked into a house Where love had been misplaced His chance to waste And if you saw him now You'd wonder why he would cry The whole day long

Affair on 8th Avenue The perfume that she wore was from some little store On the down side of town But it lingered on long after she’d gone I remember it well And our fingers entwined like ribbons of light And we came through a doorway somewhere in the night Her long flowing hair came softly undone And it lay all around And she brushed it down as I stood by her side In the warmth of her love And she showed me her treasures of paper and tin And then we played a game only she could win And she told me a riddle I’ll never forget Then left with the answer I’ve never found yet How long, said she, can a moment like this Belong to someone What’s wrong, what is right, when to live or to die We must almost be born So if you should ask me what secrets I hide I’m only your lover, don’t make me decide The perfume that she wore was from some little store On the down side of town But it lingered on long after she’d gone I remember it well And she showed me her treasures of paper and tin And then we played a game only she could win And our fingers entwined like ribbons of light And we came through a doorway somewhere in the night

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