Verse
C
She was there at the dock when the lines cast off,
Ab A# C
And the Fitz got under way.
D# A# C
The sun shone down as the wake trailed out
F C G
On that cold November day.
F C
When she wrapped her cloak over ship and crew,
F C G
When the winds began to roar.
C D# A# C
Every man aboard tightened down their souls,
F G C
Far from the Michigan shore.
[Violin]
D# A# C F F F C
[Verse 2]
C
McSorley true, telephoned the crew,
Ab A# C
When the storm was setting in.
D# A# C
Better hold on tight, through this day and night,
F C G
Of straight line killer winds.
F C
Forty-four years I have met these storms,
F C G
When Nor'easter gales have blown;
C D# A# C
But oh, these mountains on Superior,
F G C
Are the worst I've ever known.
[Violin]
C A# C F F F C
[Verse 3]
C
Who hears a prayer, when the wind strikes down
Ab A# C
And the seas boil into foam,
D# A# C
When the waves cap off and are blown away,
F C G
And you're miles away from home?
F C
Who hears a cry when the north wind roars,
F C G
And the crew are pitched to the rail,
C D# A# C
As the great ship rolls, and the church bell tolls,
F G C
For those who are lost in the gale?
[Violin]
D# A# C F F F C
C A# A# F F F C
[Verse 4]
C
When he first saw her, we'll never know,
Ab A# C
On the deck wash, or the bridge.
D# A# C
He must have known when the Fitz would groan,
F C G
And the bow began to pitch;
F C
When she came for the crew, and McSorley too,
F C G
As the Fitz rose up no more.
C D# A# C
"Oh, lady of the storms, you won this year,
F G C
But I bested you for forty-four!"
[Violin]
C C C F F F C C
C A# C F F F D