Canadian songwriter Gordon Lightfoot’s vignette The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, tells the tragic story of a freighter that sunk in Lake Superior November 10, 1975. Due to unexpected weather conditions and disregard to preparation of the crew, the wreck lead to the death of twenty-nine crew members. Lightfoot’s vignette further explores the themes of environment and loss. Doing so through personification and emotional wording, it persuades the reader to truly be immersed in the events that had occurred.

It is often heard that humans hold a sort of arrogance towards the environment. We do not consider the potential consequences or damages the environment could have on our lives. This was the exact situation the crew had encountered on the Edmund Fitzgerald. From the beginning of the song, the reader is made aware of the conditions of the lake, “The lake, it is said, never gives up her dead/ when the skies of November turn gloomy” (3-4). The extremely brutal conditions of Lake Superior had an advantage over these men, thus taking their lives. This may have preventable if the crew and captain had come more prepared for the unexpected. We are being showed that, we do not have the upper hand when it comes to nature, and we will never be aware of its true capability. The bravery and endurance of these men could be a lesson for those to always be ready for the unexpected.

Loss is another huge theme to this ballad. The wreck captured the innocent lives of 29 men due to harsh weather conditions. The ballad truly shows the impact their deaths had on not only family and loved ones, but also other sailors alike, “In a musty old hall in Detroit they prayed/ In the maritime sailors’ cathedral/ The church bell chimed till it rang twenty-nine times/ For each man on the Edmund Fitzgerald” (49-52). The sailors left an impact on those around them, they are a symbol of bravery in such tragic times. Their story still remains told today.