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Song Parodies -> "The Wreck of Edmund Fitzgerald"
Original Song Title:
"The Girl I Left Behind Me"
Original Performer:
Irish Traditional
Parody Song Title:
"The Wreck of Edmund Fitzgerald"
Parody Written by:
Patrick McWilliams
The Lyrics
Robert D Arndt Jr has "I Put A Spell On You". Michael Pacholek is adept at "Epic Rap Battles". Lately, I have become fond of an old Irish melody, "The Girl I Left Behind Me", which seems to be well suited for long-form narratives. Today I decided to combine my "fall-back" tune with my "fall-back" story line.
A giant freighter sailed one day
To transit "Gitche-Gumee"
The captain in defiance roared
And dared the Witch, "Come chew me"!
The Witch would not be trifled with
And soon the waves were swelling
We learn about what happened next
From Gordon Lightfoot's telling
She was launched in Nineteen Fifty Eight
Built for speed, size and endurance
And christened "Ed Fitzgerald"
For some guy who sold insurance
She was the pride of the U.S. side
But the Chippewa were thinking
"Beware ye host who vainly boast.
Pride goes before the sinking".
The lightning flashed, the thunder crashed
The waves broke o'er the railing
And somewhere, unseen, down below
An old repair was failing
The cook could not perform his job
And began apologizing
But they only would have lost their lunch
As the storm surge started rising
The captain sent an S.O.S.
"My ship and crew in peril"
The Anderson on its radar screen
Lost sight of Ed Fitzgerald
What happened to the vessel next
Would leave the Coast Guard guessin'
While Gordon Lightfoot strays off course
For a ge-o-gra-phy lesson
And so, each fall, at the Sailor's Hall
The next of kin, now graying
"Oh, grant them, Lord, eternal rest"
The families are praying
In Gordon Lightfoot's famous song
The legend goes on living
While sailors there must still beware
For the Lake is unforgiving
A troubadour sat down one day
To pen a lively ballad
A topic he was looking for
Historically valid
He posted it online and soon
The comments he was reaping
"This story he has told before.
He could write it while he's sleeping".
To transit "Gitche-Gumee"
The captain in defiance roared
And dared the Witch, "Come chew me"!
The Witch would not be trifled with
And soon the waves were swelling
We learn about what happened next
From Gordon Lightfoot's telling
She was launched in Nineteen Fifty Eight
Built for speed, size and endurance
And christened "Ed Fitzgerald"
For some guy who sold insurance
She was the pride of the U.S. side
But the Chippewa were thinking
"Beware ye host who vainly boast.
Pride goes before the sinking".
The lightning flashed, the thunder crashed
The waves broke o'er the railing
And somewhere, unseen, down below
An old repair was failing
The cook could not perform his job
And began apologizing
But they only would have lost their lunch
As the storm surge started rising
The captain sent an S.O.S.
"My ship and crew in peril"
The Anderson on its radar screen
Lost sight of Ed Fitzgerald
What happened to the vessel next
Would leave the Coast Guard guessin'
While Gordon Lightfoot strays off course
For a ge-o-gra-phy lesson
And so, each fall, at the Sailor's Hall
The next of kin, now graying
"Oh, grant them, Lord, eternal rest"
The families are praying
In Gordon Lightfoot's famous song
The legend goes on living
While sailors there must still beware
For the Lake is unforgiving
A troubadour sat down one day
To pen a lively ballad
A topic he was looking for
Historically valid
He posted it online and soon
The comments he was reaping
"This story he has told before.
He could write it while he's sleeping".
Edmund Fitzgerald was the President and Chairman of the Board of The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company, owner of the ship. "Arthur M Anderson" was the nearest ship to the "Edmund Fitzgerald" on the night that it sank.
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Now that i know the OS you're working off, I'd have to say this is the SOTM (lol) I've heard that melody many times in old western movies, Patrick. Never knew there were lyrics to it
I caught part of an old cavalry movie this morning with John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara. "Rio Grande", I think. As the blue coat soldiers rode out of the fort, the tune was playing on the soundtrack. It shows up in nearly every Custer movie. Partly because it is authentic to the era, and partly because it is public domain, meaning the producers don't have to pay for the rights to perform it.
While the instrumental is fairly common in old Westerns, I don't think I have ever heard the lyrics in a film. The lyrics to "Garryowen" are sung in "They Died With Their Boots On" and "Rough Riders". In the latter, by a pretty, young woman. Not a song I normally associate with female vocalists.
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