This Is How It Really Goes

The Globe and Mail reports that Gordon Lightfoot is changing the lyrics to "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald." This is in light of new evidence that suggests the ship was sunk due to a rogue wave and not the result of the crew improperly securing the hatches.

"The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" is one of Lightfoot's most endearing and popular songs. A ballad in the true sense, it tells the story of the doomed freighter, which sank in Lake Superior. Until now, conventional wisdom held that the crew had neglected to secure the hatches and when the ship encountered high waves that washed over the deck, the holds rapidly filled with water leading to the Edmund Fitzgerald's demise.

The seventh strophe goes like this:

When suppertime came the old cook came on deck
He said fellas it's too rough to feed ya
At seven p.m. the main hatchway caved in
He said fellas it's been good to know ya

Out of respect for the families of the crew and because of the new information, Lightfoot is now singing the seventh strophe like this:

When suppertime came the old cook came on deck
He said fellas it's too rough to feed ya
At seven p.m. it grew dark, it was then
He said fellas it's been good to know ya

Lightfoot has said he is only changing the lyrics during live performances, he won't re-record the song. Kudos to him for being aware enough to recognize that the lyric should be changed, although he concedes the strophe has been conjecture from start to finish. Granted, unless he records a live album, most of the Great Unwashed will never hear Gordon's new version. The new lyric absolves the deckhands and deflects attention away from the families of the crew, who have had to live with the theory that their loved ones were negligent resulting in the catastrophe.

I wonder how long will it be before Lightfoot's old label Warner Brothers sues him for changing the lyrics?