About

Edmund Fitzgerald and The Gales Of November Came Early refer to the November 10th, 1975, sinking of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald and a selection of lyrics from the 1976 Gordon Lightfoot song "Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald" about the event. The lyrics first became the subject of memes in the late 2010s as a catchphrase most often used in image macros referencing the SS Edmund Fitzgerald and the gales of November in general, also known as the Witch of November. Every year around November 10th, memetic references to the Edmund Fitzgerald resurfaced on social media platforms like Twitter / X, TikTok and Reddit, among others.

Origin

On November 10th, 1975, the SS Edmund Fitzgerald, a freighter ship, sank in Lake Superior. There is purportedly no conclusive evidence to suggest why the ship sank.^[1] One theory about how it sank claims that the so-called "Witch of November," which refers to strong winds that blow across Lake Superior in the fall, was a major contributing factor.^[2]

On June 1st, 1976, Gordon Lightfoot released a song about the sinking of the ship titled "Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald," which features the lyrics, "That good ship and true was a bone to be chewed / When the gales of November came early."

On June 2nd, 2019, u/Lumina_APV posted a meme to /r/memes^[3] using the lyrics, garnering around 23 upvotes in five years. This is the earliest known meme to use the lyrics.

Spread

Memes referencing the SS Edmund Fitzgerald and specifically using the lyrics of "Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald" became increasingly popular over the following years. On November 10th, 2021, u/ChetWinston posted a meme to /r/HistoryMemes^[4] using the lyrics, garnering over 4,200 upvotes in three years.

On November 10th, 2023, X^[5] user @eightfoldpathPM posted a bae come over meme referencing the early coming of the gales of November, garnering over 6,000 likes in a year.

On October 24th, 2024, X^[6] user @SteadyE69 posted a version of the "my brother in Christ" meme referencing the lyrics, garnering over 21,000 likes in a day.

Later that day, X^[7] user @vexlynx_ quote-reposted it with a Kyle Rittenhouse "don't blow your vape smoke all over my baby" meme referencing the lyrics, garnering over 3,500 likes in the same span of time.

On November 1st, 2025, TikToker^[9] @milesperhour_999 shared a video caption meme that showed Rodrick from the Diary of a Wimpy Kid film series reacting to a slideshow of Edmund Fitzgerald images, captioned, "When you're at home and remember the 10th of November, 1975." Over nine days, the video gained over 76,800 likes.

On November 7th, TikToker^[8] @_tj_newengland posted an image macro in photo mode with a caption reading, "Drink 30 beers on Monday. 29 for each man lost, & 1 for the ship herself." Over three days, the post gained roughly 98,700 likes.

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References