"the legend lives on from the Chippewa on down from the big lake they call Gitche Gumee"
Takes me back to 7th grade 1975/76 in Wi... my homeroom teacher was Miss Shelly Fitzgerald, Grand daughter of Edmund Fitzgerald...
Curious if you recall how old she was? My godmother went to HS with a daughters of Edmund Fitzgerald in Downers Grove - late 1930’s. Would have been your teacher’s mother or aunt.
She was about 20 ish IIRC... Blonde & attractive, and we were all bummed out when she got married and moved to Iowa ? midway thru the school yr... by the way, we were in Burlington Wi....
Math works. Looks like Fitz had a daughter and a son so would have been her mom. Small world.
Apologize for the tangent.
To get things back on track, another of my favorites:
It is a small world Indeed!... that song takes me back to those days with Shelly and my clic of classmates (we were just barely coming of age) every time i hear it...
I ain't the kind to hang around With any new love that I found 'Cause movin' is my stock in trade I'm movin' on I won't think of you when I'm gone So don't you shed a tear for me 'Cause I ain't the love you thought I'd be I've got a hundred more like you So don't be blue I'll have a thousand 'fore I'm through
"the legend lives on from the Chippewa on down from the big lake they call Gitche Gumee"
Several times when I lived in Minnesota, I went up to Duluth and rode my Motorcycle, the 1200 miles around Lake Superior.
That song was in my mind the entire way, and the following 2 weeks afterwards...
Same thing when I made the trip in my VW Camper, or my old Volvo Wagon.
I like Gordon Lightfoot, that I had the first release of his first album " Sit Down Young Stranger"
album was released again and title changed to "Me and Bobbie McGee"
Thanks for all the memories Gordo...
Correct me if I'm wrong, but according to his doc....they renamed the album to "If you could read my mind" and that is when it started selling so well. Me and Bobby McGee was on the album...another note Ry Cooder played on that song.
In the mid-70's worked for a sailboat company building sails for sailboats built the sails for the "Golden Goose"....helped teach Gordon how to sail the new boat and use the sails....enjoyed the times Gordon brought out his guitar and would play entertaining us.... Following winter I took on a life long career job and the friendship with Gordon and I drifted apart....several years ago we made contact again.....
When suppertime came, the old cook came on deck Sayin', "Fellas, it's too rough to feed ya" At 7 p.m. a main hatchway caved in He said, "Fellas, it's been good to know ya"
One of the most moving lyrics ever written.
"...aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one." - Paul to the church in Thessalonica.
When suppertime came, the old cook came on deck Sayin', "Fellas, it's too rough to feed ya" At 7 p.m. a main hatchway caved in He said, "Fellas, it's been good to know ya"
Back in the day, when that was a hit, I learned the song and that quote in particular was always on my lips whenever I was involved in a layoff. Everybody knew it, and everybody would nod acceptance. Office layoffs and corporate buyouts-- boy am I glad I'm past that part of my life.
I have another story. Gordon Lightfoot and that song almost got me killed. Back in the day, I was going up north of Sturgeon Bay, WI every year to fish for salmon, lake trout, rainbows, browns, etc. I started at 14 going out on this boat out of Whitefish Bay called the Mudpuppy II, captained by Mac McKenzie, one of the better known charter captains. As I grew older Mac would use me as a mate on the boat.
One time, we were fishing just north of Sturgeon Bay Lighthouse and fog came in. Things had started off wrong that morning, because I'd been brought on to fill out a 4 man charter and the other 3 didn't show. Mac decided to go anyways, with me and the mate, he could do some of his more complicated moves and not have to worry about upsetting the uninitiated. The fog hit like a wall and we were well out. Mudpuppy II was a fairly small boat, but Capt. Mac was a good captain, and he put the mate and me on the prow and started looking for the shore. We'd motor a ways, cut the engine, and listen for breakers on the shore. This went on for 2 hours or so. By this time we'd had the Coast Guard calling us, because we were long overdue. Mac was peeved, because we were in a bit of a jam. He was getting short with the mate.
I thought I'd break out into The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald just to lighten things up. It had the opposite effect. As it turned out, Mac and the mate had both known crew on the E. Fitz, and both ascribed to the theory that McSorely had taken her to the bottom rather than send her to the breakers. I got a freakin' earful in a very short amount of time, and at one point I was being backed into the rail by both Mac and the mate. I apologized profusely, and Mac finally calmed down. I fished and mated with him for another 5 years, and things were good after that.
After that, I remembered never to mention that song anywhere near Sturgeon Bay.
