A Modern Sea Shanty: ‘The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald’

Gordon Lightfoot’s signature song keeps the memory of the ship’s crew alive.

The SS Edmund Fitzgerald with a photo of Gordon Lightfoot from his “Singer Songwriter” album. Public Domain

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.

On the hit family show “Last Man Standing,” doting dad and hard-working executive Mike Baxter, played by actor Tim Allen, once mentioned the four people who impress him most. His daughter, Eve, made the cut and came in last place.

But his top three?