Thanks for the Edmund Fitzgerald reference and video. I remember the sinking, and the song; it is one of the maybe-not-so-short list of songs that always make me cry.

I offer two songs for this category. First, a song I am used to hearing done by Steeleye Span, but the only video I found was by the Hollies, so it is below.

The key verse, which is the second layer of meaning of this song/poem:

He wondered if his shipmates
were ready just to pray and give in,
So he called their names out one by one,
But there was no one else around but him,
He saw the ship go down in the fading light,
And he knew they could've saved her.
He said "The captain lied
when the captain cried,
There's none of us here can save her."

Sometimes we are indeed too much "crew" and not enough "captain." "Lost in the open ocean was some of the crew and me, while our captain steered our wounded ship to the bottom of an angry sea...." A apt metaphor for today, perhaps?

And of course, a Rush tune. Can't locate a video for this one, but I selected it in particular to counterbalance some of the more libertarian-leaning lyrics I've put on this site before. This one is from 1989, and the issues it speaks to were not new even then.

Red Tide, from the Presto album (one of my personal favorite Rush albums)

nature has some new plague
to run in our streets
history some new wrinkle
we are doomed to repeat
fugitives at the bedroom door
lovers pause to find an open store
rain is burning on the forest floor
and the red tide kisses the shore

THIS IS NOT A FALSE ALARM
THIS IS NOT A TEST

stay out of the sun
it only burns my skin
sky full of poison
and the atmosphere's too thin
bless the sun, the rain no more
river running like an open sore
black wind falling to the ocean floor
and the red tide washes ashore

THIS IS NOT A FALSE ALARM
THIS IS NOT A TEST
Nowhere we can fly away
Nowhere we can rest
The party is disrupted by
An uninvited guest

deadline approaches
for the weary land
it used to be something
but we let it run down in our hands
too late for debate, too bad to ignore
quiet rebellion leads to open war
bring a sea-change to the factory floor
as the red tide covers the shore

Now's the time to turn the tide
Now's the time to fight
Let us not go gently
To the endless winter night
Now's the time to make the time
While hope is still in sight
Let us not go gently
To the endless winter night

Probably the most evocative piece of wave-music is Debussy's La Mer. I'm almost afraid to post a youtube link, because the orchestral colors are so rich and subtle that sounds a bit flat. But this is really one of the greatest pieces of orchestral tone-painting ever written, and the first score I ever bought (I was too curious how he had pulled off some of the effects). There are sea-sounds throughout, but the waves really come crashing in at the end.

Here's the full first movement, beginning with the ominous deep sounds of the ocean. The whole piece is excellent, but if you want to get to the more traditional-sounding waves, skip ahead to the 8 minute mark. After an eerie calm, the waves start crashing against each other via cymbals and tympani:

The other two movements continue these themes of sea and storm, and are also very much worth the listen. In fact the second movement is specifically called "the waves playing ".

If I'm being more hyperbolic than usual here, it's because La Mer is my favorite piece of orchestral music, period. I've listened to that first movement so many times, I could probably re-write it from memory.

Some notes on listening: if you're more used to traditional classical music, Debussy can make for uncomfortable listening. His music is never less than jaw-droppingly gorgeous, but while he was scoring major innovations in harmony and color, he was dropping more traditional anchors like melody and form. This makes it harder to form an immediate connection with the material: the melodies seem to drift nowhere, often without the kind of intonational pauses we expect; the lack of repetitions make it hard for us to figure out where we are. So instead, you have to sit back and soak up the pure sound.

Thanks again for sharing it with us. In addition to the "Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald", the Hollie's version of the song "Let the Ship go Down" has been added to my list of favorite songs. I love the paintings, too. Come to think of it, I'd love to be able to create a waves pattern for a marriage-of-metals top for a box or pendant. Wonderfully powerful, beautiful and inspirational.