I finally learned all the words and now they are different

http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/2010/03/25/13358031.html

RAMA, Ont. - Gordon Lightfoot says the families of some of the crewmen of the Edmund Fitzgerald are pleased he's changed the lyrics to his iconic song about the mysterious ship sinking in Lake Superior 35 years ago. At least in a live setting. The move comes after a Canadian documentary claims to have proven the crew of the ship, the Edmund Fitzgerald, was not responsible for the disaster. The yap films documentary, simply called Edmund Fitzgerald and airing on the premiere episode of Dive Detectives on the History Channel on March 31, concludes there is little evidence that failure to secure the ship's hatches caused the sinking and that it was a rogue wave instead. Lightfoot's hit 1976 song about the sinking, The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, includes the verse: "At 7 p.m. a main hatchway caved in, He said, "Fellas, it's been good to know ya.'" But for the last couple of weeks in concert in the U.S., and again on Thursday night during his Canadian tour launch at Casino Rama, Lightfoot has been singing: "At 7 p.m., it grew dark, it was then he said, 'Fellas it's been good to know ya."" In an exclusive interview with QMI Agency backstage after his Casino Rama show, Lighfoot said: "I can't use the hatch cover line anymore. And the whole verse was really conjecture right from start to finish anyway. It's the only verse in the whole song where I give myself complete poetic licence." Lightfoot also praised the documentary for answering a lot of questions about the sinking. "It absolves some of the deckhands who were in charge of those hatch covers because I've been in touch with these people for years," he said. "The mother and the daughter of two of the deck guys who would have been in charge of that have always cringed every time they've heard the line. And they will be very pleased. And they know about it and they're very happy about it." Lightfoot found out about the documentary when the makers of the film called him and asked him to view it for the purposes of using parts of his song for the ending. He said he has no plans to change the copyrighted lyrics of the song and re-record it and that the lyrics change will be incorporated only into live performances.

Ah edmund fitzgerald, nothin like a good Great Lakes brew

In reply to EvanB:

I bought a 6 pack because of the song, and it was on sale. Used my last 2 bottles in a pot roast recipe.

I've spent nearly 35 years trying to banish that song from my brain. Now it's back. Thanks, Wally.

Woody wrote: I've spent nearly 35 years trying to banish that song from my brain. Now it's back. Thanks, Wally.

I hear the best way to get a song out of your head is to sing the theme from Gilligan's Island, to the tune of Amazing Grace.

There, that's better, isn't it?

EvanB wrote: Ah edmund fitzgerald, nothin like a good Great Lakes brew

I hated GLB beers until a friend took me to the restaurant.

I now firmly believe that beer goes bad in the bottle, in a remarkably short period of time. The beer at the restaurant is always fresh, while the beer on store shelves is two to six weeks old (at BEST) and tastes uninspiring at best.

ZOO wrote:

Woody wrote: I've spent nearly 35 years trying to banish that song from my brain. Now it's back. Thanks, Wally.

I hear the best way to get a song out of your head is to sing the theme from Gilligan's Island, to the tune of Amazing Grace. There, that's better, isn't it?

Another solution is to imagine "Jessie's Girl" as it would have been sung by Bob Dylan.

billy3esq wrote:

ZOO wrote:

Woody wrote: I've spent nearly 35 years trying to banish that song from my brain. Now it's back. Thanks, Wally.

I hear the best way to get a song out of your head is to sing the theme from Gilligan's Island, to the tune of Amazing Grace. There, that's better, isn't it?

Another solution is to imagine "Jessie's Girl" as it would have been sung by Bob Dylan.

How about Dylan doing Gilligan's island. Oh, this melting pot of musical mash-up is bringing upon me a malaise. . .

ZOO wrote: I hear the best way to get a song out of your head is to sing the theme from Gilligan's Island, to the tune of Amazing Grace. There, that's better, isn't it?

Except who wants to have either of those two songs stuck in their head instead? That's why I use "Particle Man" by They Might be Giants.

On the subject of the original Gordon Lightfoot song, I never figured it was intended to cast doubts on the deck crew - I just figured it was a big wave that broke the hatch cover structurall.

Inasmuch as I thought about it at all.