The Gales Of November Came Early
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Part of a series on Catchphrases. [View Related Entries]
Related Explainer: What Does 'The Gales Of November Came Early' Mean? The Viral 'Gordon Lightfoot' And 'SS Edmund Fitzgerald' Memes Explained
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About
The Gales Of November Came Early is a selection of lyrics from the 1976 Gordon Lightfoot song "Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald" about the November 10th, 1975 sinking of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald. 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.
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.
Various Examples
Search Interest
External References
[1] Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum – The Fateful Journey.
[2] Michigan Seargant – The Storm that Sunk the Edmund Fitzgerald
[4] Reddit – HistoryMemes
[5] X – eightfoldpathPM
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