So happy to learn that there are still new Stan fans that are listening to and enjoying his great music and voice. Never will he be forgotten. I am so grateful that we were all blessed with his music and although he was taken from us far too soon, his legend will live on forever. Truly a master of his trade and a legacy that will matched by none. Keep enjoying everyone!
@@SitInTheShayd Stan was truly one of the greatest songwriters of any genre. So refreshing to know young people like you are enjoying his music. I've been listening to him for 30 years and it never gets old. It's real and relevant. Unlike much of today's music that, in my opinion, has no soul and is nothing more than noise. Thank you for your comment and keep enjoying the gift of Stan Rogers!
I was following a trail earlier today or his brother's songs and decided I had to hear this again. As someone who grew up on the shores of Lake Erie it touched a long ago place in my heart and I could not help but cry as listened once more.
@@riasomers642 I LOVE that song. This one too. Little that he's done that I don't love, actually. I was lucky to meet Stan, Garnet, and David Alan Eadie when they were touring on Northwest Passage. Spent a hysterical evening with Garnet, his girlfriend, and David, wandering around Minneapolis shouting Goon Show bits back and forth. Really great people. We definitely lost Stan too soon. It doesn't surprise me, though, that he died while going back into the crashed plane to rescue others. He was that kind of man. Only the good die young...
I found Stan a year ago when my Celtic punk playlist brought me to Barrett's Privateers by the Real McKenzies and haven't looked back. Hard to believe everyone hasn't heard of him.
What a story teller and singer. I still get goose bumps every time I hear this. I first discovered Stan in the summer of 2017 and listen to his music regularly. We had a similar experience when I was a teen. We were anchored off Cruger Island, Tivoli Bays, Hudson River NY. It was a crystal clear summer day. Suddenly a violent storm raged down the river. Our 32', wide beamed, sea worthy cruiser nearly capsized as we were hit broadside. Lasted about 5 minutes and cleared again. Something I'll never forget and never want to experience again.
You have to appreciate that last chorus when he sings “they go from calm to a hundred knots so fast they seem enchanted” and the instruments do exactly that.
2 years late but there's actually a term for that in music "Word Painting" or "Prosody". It's used to describe anytime the music matches what the lyrics are saying. It is one of my favourite concepts in music because it's something that can easily go unnoticed. Some examples of where it may go unheard are in the song "Hallelujah" by Leonard Cohen when the lyrics say "It goes like this the fourth [cord IV] the fifth [cord V] the minor fall [falls to A minor], the major lift [raises back to F]" and if you chose to take a language other than Spanish in HS "Despacito" by Luis Fonsi Despacito is the Spanish word for 'slowly', each time it is said in the song the tempo drops from 177 bpm to 142 bpm.
@@liamgriffin218 This is informative and fascinating even two years late, so thank you! I’d heard of prosody as a poetic device but never thought to apply it to music for some reason.
@@coeurlregina128 with how vast the internet be, I'd say there isn't such a thing as being ">insert period of time< late" as the chances of someone who has information regarding a topic, finding the passage where someone asks a question answered by said information is rather slim
Ive loved stan rogers music for years and this is without a doubt my favorite song of his i met his son at a folk festival in canada at this same festival the last song they play on the main stage is mary ellen carter l. R.I.P to stan rogers he was gone too soon
Every year , the first weekend in July, people come from all over to celebrate Stan's life. Hope everybody has a great 3 day blast at the Stan Rogers Folk Festival in Canso, Nova Scotia.We've been there many times. What a feeling. Strangers become friends. There are babies, seniors, and everyone in between, all united because of Stan.
I was fortunate enough to see Stan in concert at the Groaning Board in Toronto. I still remember having to tell my younger sister, who was going to see him June 2, 1983, that he wouldn't be there, because he'd been killed in an airliner fire.
The first time I heard Stan Rogers ,I said I can't wait to see this man live.I had not heard any history on him and I did not know at the time that he had died..Then one day I heard this song on the radio and I was so full of joy just listing to this amazing voice but after the song ended the D.J. told the story of his untimely death and I was moved to tears .God bless Stan Rogers may he rest in peace.
Definitely among my favs. He sent us an angel in you Stan! I will always remember those days, your music and times, back when...Your Uniqueness, inspiring songs, of a legacy "almost forgotten"... Is not forgotten here. " CANADA- STAN ROGERS!"
The most remarkable thing is that I don't cry for the boy washed overboard, or even for his wife. The pain, frustration and guilt is so effectively communicated as he sings "I told that kid a hundred times, 'Don't take the lakes for granted.'" that I cry for the pain the narrator feels at losing a young shipmate.
Stan Rogers had a way of getting that emotional hook into your soul that gives you license to cry. I've had experience taking young guys under my wing in industrial settings as an "old guy" and first aid attendant, and the first thing I tell them when I hand out the PPE and do the tour is, "Everything on this site can kill you. Or worse." Am I trying to scare young, invincible guys? Yes. I do not want to tell a loved one why someone isn't coming home or, at best, is coming home broken for life. I've seen the latter happen to a fellow who, at 20 had one infant and another on the way, be permanently disabled (not on my shift but it was gut wrenching to see him months afterwards hobbling like he was in his late 90s). I still feel guilt that I didn't do enough to instill the danger zone in his head. "The kid was so damned eager..." Those words haunt me to this day. His then babies would be adults now but I still feel I failed them.
Wiarton is on Georgian Bay, part of Lake Huron. It is a small town on a cove on the Bruce Peninsula. The Soo refers to the Soo Canals, near Sault Ste. Marie on the border of Ontario and Michigan's Upper Peninsula, connecting Lake Huron to Lake Superior.
I had a very similar experience to yours. I felt a little like that Wiarton girl - how could he be gone already; I just found him... RIP Stan Rogers... I'm a proud US citizen, but I become a tiny bit Canadian every time I listen to you.
I have built "Lakers" and sailed the Great Lakes. Have witnessed these squalls firsthand and seen them break ships or capsize them. Mere words cannot describe the fury of the water and winds Many sailors and boaters are lost each year in these phenomenon. Love this song!
We still have Stan's music. Beyond that, his brother Garnet who was his fiddle player and toured with Stan is also a wonderful singer and you can catch him live. Moreover, Stan's son Nathan carries on the family tradition and has a great voice like his dad and uncle. Check out the music of both singers and see then in concert if you get the change: you won't regret it.
Now it's just my luck to have the watch, with nothing left to do But watch the deadly waters glide as we roll north to the 'So' And wonder when they'll turn again and pitch us to the rail And whirl off one more youngster in the gale The kid was so damned eager. It was all so big and new You never had to tell him twice, or find him work to do And evenings on the mess deck he was always first to sing And show us pictures of the girl he'd wed in spring But I told that kid a hundred times "Don't take the Lakes for granted They go from calm to a hundred knots so fast they seem enchanted" But tonight some red-eyed Wiarton girl lies staring at the wall And her lover's gone into a white squall Now it's a thing that us oldtimers know. In a sultry summer calm There comes a blow from nowhere, and it goes off like a bomb And a fifteen thousand tonner can be thrown upon her beam While the gale takes all before it with a scream The kid was on the hatches, lying staring at the sky From where I stood I swear I could see tears fall from his eyes So I hadn't the heart to tell him that he should be on a line Even on a night so warm and fine But I told that kid a hundred times "Don't take the Lakes for granted They go from calm to a hundred knots so fast they seem enchanted" But tonight some red-eyed Wiarton girl lies staring at the wall And her lover's gone into a white squall When it struck, he sat up with a start; I roared to him, "Get down!" But for all that he could hear, I could as well not made a sound So, I clung there to the stanchions, and I felt my face go pale As he crawled hand over hand along the rail I could feel her keeling over with the fury of the blow I watched the rail go under then, so terrible and slow Then, like some great dog she shook herself and roared upright again Far overside, I heard him call my name But I told that kid a hundred times "Don't take the Lakes for granted They go from calm to a hundred knots so fast they seem enchanted;" But tonight some red-eyed Wiarton girl lies staring at the wall And her lover's gone into a white squall So it's just my luck to have the watch, with nothing left to do But watch the deadly waters glide as we roll north to the 'So' And wonder when they'll turn again and pitch us to the rail And whirl off one more youngster in the gale But I tell these kids a hundred times "Don't take the Lakes for granted They go from calm to a hundred knots so fast they seem enchanted" But tonight some red-eyed Wiarton girl lies staring at the wall And her lover's gone into a white squall
Highly recommend The Stan Rogers Folk Festival and the highlight for me is always "Singing Stan" early on Sunday afternoon. an hour of the very best Stan songs sung by some of the most amazing talent you'll ever hear. Dave Gunning, Bruce Guthro, Carl Bond, Ariel Rogers, Nathan Rogers and the list goes on - it varies a bit from year to year but is always amazing. Google for this year's dates and performers.
I never heard of Stan Rogers or White Squall before I saw Enter the Haggis perform the song. They made a point of introducing that is was written by Rogers and that they were singing it a a tribute to him. Rogers puts such Heart and Soul into this song which is what makes this a song for the Centuries, plus any one who know the Lakes/Seas can relate!!!
My late father, Bill Staines, who of course was also a lifelong and extremely prolific folk musician in his own right, was very close friends with Stan Rogers, and he said that Stan was kind of a douche haha, but also that he died as an undeniably heroic soul. I remember growing up listening to this song, and even played it live when I performed at the Stan Rogers folk festival some years ago. Beautiful track, and one of my favorites.
first time hearing this song tonite, legitimately brought a tear to my eye. those who dont feel emotion during this song, i feel sorry for you. been quite some time since i felt this way
I'm A Coast Guardsman, my friends are, my family is Sailors, My Grandfather was a lock Keeper on the Erie Canal, Coasties... We HAVE to go OUT... We don't have to come back. yeah... I've seen white squalls on the Lakes, on the seas and on the land... Never take anything in life for granted... Make sure every day you let those you love and respect know they are so very special to you! That is a LEGACY!!! Good SONG! Thank You Stan!!!
for more great stories, try his brother Garnet. Different stories, but another great musician with a great voice. One song in particular that is quite haunting is Night Drive. You can also pick up his book about his travels with Stan. I discovered his music in the fall of 1983 when I was commuting between Toronto and picked up Sunday Night with theFolks on Q101 out of smiths Falls hosted by Allen Weekes. There was a lot of great music, but I was partial to Stan's voice and songs.
Look up the history of the town of Wiarton and the lakes district. This song is one of several tributes made to the sailors who were lost/died during the freak gales that beset the region. This song reflects the pure tragedy and resignation of the people who've lost endless relatives, friends, loved ones and colleagues to the sudden smashing violence of the waves. "Tonight some red-eyed Wiarton girl lies staring at the wall; and her lover's gone into a white squall."
This song is about Lake Huron, more than likely somewhere around Manitoulin island. The lover of the greenhorn sailor is from Wiarton which is on the Bruce peninsula that separates Georgian Bay from Lake Huron.
As part of our church Canada Day celebration, I'm going to sing this song. I picked it as very appropriate for a town at the South end of the Welland Canal. It'll be tough, because the haunting tone of his voice in this song always brings on the tears (a few of his others have a similar effect, but none as intense as this one). I hope I do it justice, and Stan's happy to know he's still remembered.
Now it's just my luck to have the watch, with nothing left to do But watch the deadly waters glide as we roll north to the 'Soo', And wonder when they'll turn again and pitch us to the rail And whirl off one more youngster in the gale. The kid was so damned eager. It was all so big and new. You never had to tell him twice, or find him work to do. And evenings on the mess deck he was always first to sing, And show us pictures of the girl he'd wed in spring. CHORUS But I told that kid a hundred times "Don't take the Lakes for granted. They go from calm to a hundred knots so fast they seem enchanted." But tonight some red-eyed Wiarton girl lies staring at the wall, And her lover's gone into a white squall. CHORUS Now it's a thing that us oldtimers know. In a sultry summer calm There comes a blow from nowhere, and it goes off like a bomb. And a fifteen thousand tonner can be thrown upon her beam While the gale takes all before it with a scream. The kid was on the hatches, lying staring at the sky. >From where I stood I swear I could see tears fall from his eyes. So I hadn't the heart to tell him that he should be on a line, Even on a night so warm and fine. CHORUS When it struck, he sat up with a start; I roared to him, "Get down!" But for all that he could hear, I could as well not made a sound. So, I clung there to the stanchions, and I felt my face go pale, As he crawled hand over hand along the rail. I could feel her keeling over with the fury of the blow. I watched the rail go under then, so terrible and slow. Then, like some great dog she shook herself and roared upright again. Far overside. I heard him call my name. CHORUS So it's just my luck to have the watch, with nothing left to do But watch the deadly waters glide as we roll north to the 'Soo', And wonder when they'll turn again and pitch us to the rail And whirl off one more youngster in the gale. But I tell these kids a hundred times "Don't take the Lakes for granted. They go from calm to a hundred knots so fast they seem enchanted." But tonight some red-eyed Wiarton girl lies staring at the wall, And her lover's gone into white squall.
I'm hoping you don't mind that I mention that as of this year, Nova Scotians (bluenosers) commemorate "Mariners Day" on the 2nd Sunday in August, honouring all of those who make their living on the water especially those who've lost their lives doing so.
Any sailor can relate to this. I spent 8 years in the Navy. On my way home from my last Med cruise we encountered a storm in the North Atlantic that swept three men from our escort group over the side. There was no possibility of rescuing them.
"Then, like some great dog she shook herself and roared upright again". Every once in a while, you hear a song lyric that's so perfectly descriptive. Another was in Bad Company's "Shooting Star, "Johnny's life passed him by like a warm summer day".
This song has absolutely nothing to do with fishing in the song he is referring to bulker ship carrying ore or coal or the like he is singing about a greenhorn sailor not listening to the advice from more experienced sailors about the dangers of the great Lakes because of how dangerous it is to sail them. Trust me I'm a canadian sailor
A warm and fine night... that's why there was a gale. Southern Ontario is well-known for sudden severe pop up thunderstorms, often with very powerful winds, especially in the summer. That's probably what Stan was singing about.
I asked about that on a call-in program on the local LPR station when they had a meteorologist as the guest for the day, and he was handicapped by not knowing the song and perhaps not being familiar with the term, white squall; but he did say there was something called a line squall, and that sounds something like what Stan is talking about. So I didn't get all that much of an answer, but my guess is that the reason it goes with the lakes is the large area of flat surface. Through a sunny day the surface of the water gets warmer, and then in the night the air cools from the top, so the normal decrease of temperature with altitude gets more enthusiastic, until the air at high altitude is higher density than down at the surface. And being a large flat area, that can continue for a while, with the difference becoming larger. Eventually the higher density air breaks through as a downdraft, and continues to flow down and spread out, and somebody on the surface, especially on a dark night, might not notice anything until the "line" reaches him, and then what he sees is that the ##!%&# weather went from calm to 100 knots. Roger-dodger, you old codger, I'm a chemist too :-)
while he lived around Hamilton, he spent a lot of time in the Maritimes and he was truly a Maritimer by heart and nature as reflected in many of his songs.
Alan Batterman -- My father's ancestry goes back to the Town of BRUCE on the Bruce Peninsula , I may be American but my ROOTS are firmly in Ontario , Canada
I think there is a Canadian style of music that I like to call "the lonely guitar" sound. Songs like "Beautiful" by Gordon Lightfoot, "Heart of Gold" by Neil Young or "All The Diamonds" by Bruce Cockburn. Those are just a few examples.
Living on Lake Michigan, this song is especially neat. Sometimes I walk out to the shore, and it's cool to imagine sailing on it through a "white squall".
I felt the same way.If you'd like to share your thoughts with his wife Ariel, she sometimes responds to emails through the Fogarty's Cove/Cole Harbour Music Site, his son Nathan also, occasionally through his site.Stans' brother Garnet,was a bandmate for about 10 years and did the Lions share of writing and arranging the tunes. His facebook page is up to date if you care to know what he's up to.
Just saw your note, in an account I haven't been using. Looks like it's going to be a good one, but aren't they all? LOL. Suggestion, if you haven't heard it, Bruce Guthro, Stan's Tune.Cheers
With Ariel Rogers' permission, I took Stan Rogers' epic song, the Mary Ellen Carter and expanded it into a 44 chapter novel, just recently released and available at Amazon.com (search by the title: Rise Again - The Story of the Mary Ellen Carter). White Squall is one of the chapters. Still looking for a Canadian publishing house willing to publish and distribute in Canada. Jim Cain
So happy to learn that there are still new Stan fans that are listening to and enjoying his great music and voice. Never will he be forgotten. I am so grateful that we were all blessed with his music and although he was taken from us far too soon, his legend will live on forever. Truly a master of his trade and a legacy that will matched by none. Keep enjoying everyone!
Discovered him last week.....hooked
‘ Nother new Stan fan, here.
I've been a fan for a good year now. I've got friends hooked as well
Been four years since your comment but I love every song I hear by this man. I'm 23
@@SitInTheShayd Stan was truly one of the greatest songwriters of any genre. So refreshing to know young people like you are enjoying his music. I've been listening to him for 30 years and it never gets old. It's real and relevant. Unlike much of today's music that, in my opinion, has no soul and is nothing more than noise. Thank you for your comment and keep enjoying the gift of Stan Rogers!
I was following a trail earlier today or his brother's songs and decided I had to hear this again. As someone who grew up on the shores of Lake Erie it touched a long ago place in my heart and I could not help but cry as listened once more.
Roger sings with such feeling, and his voice is so pure and deep you could swim in it. Absolutely genius! Hammer
I spent 30 years going to sea. I’m practically bawling when I listen to this ballad. I sailed with a guy who had shipped on the Edmund Fitzgerald.
The one that gets me is Let Her Go Down by Steeleye Span. Makes me think of the sinking of The Pride of Baltimore.
RIP Stan Rogers, you are sorely missed. You wrote so much beautiful and important music and we wish you were still here making sense of all this.
If this song doesn't send chills up and down your spine then you have no soul. One of my absolute favourites!!
Deon Canning If you want to be moved try Mary Ellen Carter
@@riasomers642 I LOVE that song. This one too. Little that he's done that I don't love, actually.
I was lucky to meet Stan, Garnet, and David Alan Eadie when they were touring on Northwest Passage. Spent a hysterical evening with Garnet, his girlfriend, and David, wandering around Minneapolis shouting Goon Show bits back and forth. Really great people. We definitely lost Stan too soon. It doesn't surprise me, though, that he died while going back into the crashed plane to rescue others. He was that kind of man. Only the good die young...
I found Stan a year ago when my Celtic punk playlist brought me to Barrett's Privateers by the Real McKenzies and haven't looked back. Hard to believe everyone hasn't heard of him.
HAUNTING. I feel tears every single time I listen.
To see those waters and think of the stories all revolving around them, my god...
Out on Lake Ontario at this very moment on a 225 meter bulker, fitting tune :) Stan forever. Complete and total Canadian legend and icon.
What a story teller and singer. I still get goose bumps every time I hear this. I first discovered Stan in the summer of 2017 and listen to his music regularly. We had a similar experience when I was a teen. We were anchored off Cruger Island, Tivoli Bays, Hudson River NY. It was a crystal clear summer day. Suddenly a violent storm raged down the river. Our 32', wide beamed, sea worthy cruiser nearly capsized as we were hit broadside. Lasted about 5 minutes and cleared again. Something I'll never forget and never want to experience again.
You have to appreciate that last chorus when he sings “they go from calm to a hundred knots so fast they seem enchanted” and the instruments do exactly that.
2 years late but there's actually a term for that in music "Word Painting" or "Prosody". It's used to describe anytime the music matches what the lyrics are saying. It is one of my favourite concepts in music because it's something that can easily go unnoticed.
Some examples of where it may go unheard are in the song "Hallelujah" by Leonard Cohen when the lyrics say "It goes like this the fourth [cord IV] the fifth [cord V] the minor fall [falls to A minor], the major lift [raises back to F]"
and if you chose to take a language other than Spanish in HS "Despacito" by Luis Fonsi Despacito is the Spanish word for 'slowly', each time it is said in the song the tempo drops from 177 bpm to 142 bpm.
@@liamgriffin218 This is informative and fascinating even two years late, so thank you! I’d heard of prosody as a poetic device but never thought to apply it to music for some reason.
@@coeurlregina128 with how vast the internet be, I'd say there isn't such a thing as being ">insert period of time< late" as the chances of someone who has information regarding a topic, finding the passage where someone asks a question answered by said information is rather slim
What a beautiful voice and wonderful story teller❤️
I miss him more and more as the years go by, and his work is a fresh and moving as it ever was, and more beautiful and poignant.
Ive loved stan rogers music for years and this is without a doubt my favorite song of his i met his son at a folk festival in canada at this same festival the last song they play on the main stage is mary ellen carter l. R.I.P to stan rogers he was gone too soon
Every year , the first weekend in July, people come from all over to celebrate Stan's life.
Hope everybody has a great 3 day blast at the Stan Rogers Folk Festival in Canso, Nova Scotia.We've been there many times. What a feeling. Strangers become friends. There are babies, seniors, and everyone in between, all united because of Stan.
This song is so beautiful,Stan was the greatest folk singer I ever heard. His legacy is right here, with one masterpiece after another!.
JohnHorganFolk He was great. Pete Sseger was greater.
I agree with everything you said. As far as I'm concerned the greatest .
I was fortunate enough to see Stan in concert at the Groaning Board in Toronto. I still remember having to tell my younger sister,
who was going to see him June 2, 1983, that he wouldn't be there, because he'd been killed in an airliner fire.
just started getting into stan rogers . RIP MATE thank you for your music
The first time I heard Stan Rogers ,I said I can't wait to see this man live.I had not heard any history on him and I did not know at the time that he had died..Then one day I heard this song on the radio and I was so full of joy just listing to this amazing voice but after the song ended the D.J. told the story of his untimely death and I was moved to tears .God bless Stan Rogers may he rest in peace.
What a heartbreaking song :(
I can listen to this over and over again and never get tired of it.
I can too and I never fail to shed tears.
I've been listening to Stan for close to 50 years, and I still love every note and word.
Stan roger' s music is so so awesome and will always bs loved !!!!
Definitely among my favs. He sent us an angel in you Stan! I will always remember those days, your music and times, back when...Your Uniqueness, inspiring songs, of a legacy "almost forgotten"... Is not forgotten here. " CANADA- STAN ROGERS!"
this song breaks my heart..
The most remarkable thing is that I don't cry for the boy washed overboard, or even for his wife. The pain, frustration and guilt is so effectively communicated as he sings "I told that kid a hundred times, 'Don't take the lakes for granted.'" that I cry for the pain the narrator feels at losing a young shipmate.
Makes sense. Pain and frustration at losing a good guy.
“ show us pictures of the girl he’d wed in Spring”. The red-eyed Wiarton girl never becomes his wife.
Stan Rogers had a way of getting that emotional hook into your soul that gives you license to cry. I've had experience taking young guys under my wing in industrial settings as an "old guy" and first aid attendant, and the first thing I tell them when I hand out the PPE and do the tour is, "Everything on this site can kill you. Or worse." Am I trying to scare young, invincible guys? Yes. I do not want to tell a loved one why someone isn't coming home or, at best, is coming home broken for life. I've seen the latter happen to a fellow who, at 20 had one infant and another on the way, be permanently disabled (not on my shift but it was gut wrenching to see him months afterwards hobbling like he was in his late 90s). I still feel guilt that I didn't do enough to instill the danger zone in his head. "The kid was so damned eager..." Those words haunt me to this day. His then babies would be adults now but I still feel I failed them.
So beautiful and heartbreaking, just like the heroic story of Stan Rogers himself.
Sure miss this guy. He's master of this kind of tune. Guitars sound fabulous
Wiarton is on Georgian Bay, part of Lake Huron. It is a small town on a cove on the Bruce Peninsula. The Soo refers to the Soo Canals, near Sault Ste. Marie on the border of Ontario and Michigan's Upper Peninsula, connecting Lake Huron to Lake Superior.
I had a very similar experience to yours. I felt a little like that Wiarton girl - how could he be gone already; I just found him...
RIP Stan Rogers... I'm a proud US citizen, but I become a tiny bit Canadian every time I listen to you.
stoked to have found Stans music……one warm line….found my way here….
I have built "Lakers" and sailed the Great Lakes. Have witnessed these squalls firsthand and seen them break ships or capsize them. Mere words cannot describe the fury of the water and winds Many sailors and boaters are lost each year in these phenomenon. Love this song!
One of the best Melodic Song ever heard
Beena Fan of Stan since I watched the great canadian TV Series Due South
Greetings from Germany
Such a great song, probably as strong and touching as any song he ever did.
Hello from the soo!
Oh man, I just learned today that he died so young. :( Such a tragedy. But his music lives on, and I'll pass it on to my kids one day!
He died a hero, he ran back into the plane to try and save more people. So take solace in that fact.
We still have Stan's music. Beyond that, his brother Garnet who was his fiddle player and toured with Stan is also a wonderful singer and you can catch him live. Moreover, Stan's son Nathan carries on the family tradition and has a great voice like his dad and uncle. Check out the music of both singers and see then in concert if you get the change: you won't regret it.
Now it's just my luck to have the watch, with nothing left to do
But watch the deadly waters glide as we roll north to the 'So'
And wonder when they'll turn again and pitch us to the rail
And whirl off one more youngster in the gale
The kid was so damned eager. It was all so big and new
You never had to tell him twice, or find him work to do
And evenings on the mess deck he was always first to sing
And show us pictures of the girl he'd wed in spring
But I told that kid a hundred times "Don't take the Lakes for granted
They go from calm to a hundred knots so fast they seem enchanted"
But tonight some red-eyed Wiarton girl lies staring at the wall
And her lover's gone into a white squall
Now it's a thing that us oldtimers know. In a sultry summer calm
There comes a blow from nowhere, and it goes off like a bomb
And a fifteen thousand tonner can be thrown upon her beam
While the gale takes all before it with a scream
The kid was on the hatches, lying staring at the sky
From where I stood I swear I could see tears fall from his eyes
So I hadn't the heart to tell him that he should be on a line
Even on a night so warm and fine
But I told that kid a hundred times "Don't take the Lakes for granted
They go from calm to a hundred knots so fast they seem enchanted"
But tonight some red-eyed Wiarton girl lies staring at the wall
And her lover's gone into a white squall
When it struck, he sat up with a start; I roared to him, "Get down!"
But for all that he could hear, I could as well not made a sound
So, I clung there to the stanchions, and I felt my face go pale
As he crawled hand over hand along the rail
I could feel her keeling over with the fury of the blow
I watched the rail go under then, so terrible and slow
Then, like some great dog she shook herself and roared upright again
Far overside, I heard him call my name
But I told that kid a hundred times "Don't take the Lakes for granted
They go from calm to a hundred knots so fast they seem enchanted;"
But tonight some red-eyed Wiarton girl lies staring at the wall
And her lover's gone into a white squall
So it's just my luck to have the watch, with nothing left to do
But watch the deadly waters glide as we roll north to the 'So'
And wonder when they'll turn again and pitch us to the rail
And whirl off one more youngster in the gale
But I tell these kids a hundred times "Don't take the Lakes for granted
They go from calm to a hundred knots so fast they seem enchanted"
But tonight some red-eyed Wiarton girl lies staring at the wall
And her lover's gone into a white squall
Highly recommend The Stan Rogers Folk Festival and the highlight for me is always "Singing Stan" early on Sunday afternoon. an hour of the very best Stan songs sung by some of the most amazing talent you'll ever hear. Dave Gunning, Bruce Guthro, Carl Bond, Ariel Rogers, Nathan Rogers and the list goes on - it varies a bit from year to year but is always amazing. Google for this year's dates and performers.
Dunno why, but this songs reminds me so much about my hometown, in the South of America. My dearest Patagonia.
sachonski music knows no border
RIP Stan Rogers and RIP to all of those the seas and lakes have taken.
I discovered stan at 19. now I'm 25 and it seems like 3ver day I find a better and better song by him. R.I.P stan, much love.
I get chills every time I listen to Stan.
My dad introduced me to Stan Rogers when I was 5-6, thanks dad.
I never heard of Stan Rogers or White Squall before I saw Enter the Haggis perform the song. They made a point of introducing that is was written by Rogers and that they were singing it a a tribute to him. Rogers puts such Heart and Soul into this song which is what makes this a song for the Centuries, plus any one who know the Lakes/Seas can relate!!!
My late father, Bill Staines, who of course was also a lifelong and extremely prolific folk musician in his own right, was very close friends with Stan Rogers, and he said that Stan was kind of a douche haha, but also that he died as an undeniably heroic soul. I remember growing up listening to this song, and even played it live when I performed at the Stan Rogers folk festival some years ago. Beautiful track, and one of my favorites.
first time hearing this song tonite, legitimately brought a tear to my eye. those who dont feel emotion during this song, i feel sorry for you. been quite some time since i felt this way
I miss him so very much.
I'm A Coast Guardsman, my friends are, my family is Sailors, My Grandfather was a lock Keeper on the Erie Canal,
Coasties...
We HAVE to go OUT...
We don't have to come back.
yeah... I've seen white squalls on the Lakes, on the seas and on the land...
Never take anything in life for granted...
Make sure every day you let those you love and respect know they are so very special to you!
That is a LEGACY!!!
Good SONG! Thank You Stan!!!
I grew up in Wiarton :D
for more great stories, try his brother Garnet. Different stories, but another great musician with a great voice. One song in particular that is quite haunting is Night Drive. You can also pick up his book about his travels with Stan. I discovered his music in the fall of 1983 when I was commuting between Toronto and picked up Sunday Night with theFolks on Q101 out of smiths Falls hosted by Allen Weekes. There was a lot of great music, but I was partial to Stan's voice and songs.
I got a lump in my throat every time
Every time I hear this song I hope the kid makes it
mrmaxstorey same...
It's sad, because he sings "We lost one more youngster to the gale" which heavily implies he is dead.
Jeremy Chen yeah when it pitched over he went under and didnt come back up
Look up the history of the town of Wiarton and the lakes district. This song is one of several tributes made to the sailors who were lost/died during the freak gales that beset the region. This song reflects the pure tragedy and resignation of the people who've lost endless relatives, friends, loved ones and colleagues to the sudden smashing violence of the waves.
"Tonight some red-eyed Wiarton girl lies staring at the wall; and her lover's gone into a white squall."
The whole point of the song is that he doesn't. The song is the speaker meditating on the death.
This song is about Lake Huron, more than likely somewhere around Manitoulin island. The lover of the greenhorn sailor is from Wiarton which is on the Bruce peninsula that separates Georgian Bay from Lake Huron.
As part of our church Canada Day celebration, I'm going to sing this song. I picked it as very appropriate for a town at the South end of the Welland Canal. It'll be tough, because the haunting tone of his voice in this song always brings on the tears (a few of his others have a similar effect, but none as intense as this one). I hope I do it justice, and Stan's happy to know he's still remembered.
LOVE HIS WORK! :D
Thank you Stan Rogers.
Cant wait for this years festival , cheers.
GREAT SONG!!
God Bless all you Lakers out there. from a former H.Lee White Mate.
Now it's just my luck to have the watch, with nothing left to do
But watch the deadly waters glide as we roll north to the 'Soo',
And wonder when they'll turn again and pitch us to the rail
And whirl off one more youngster in the gale.
The kid was so damned eager. It was all so big and new.
You never had to tell him twice, or find him work to do.
And evenings on the mess deck he was always first to sing,
And show us pictures of the girl he'd wed in spring.
CHORUS
But I told that kid a hundred times "Don't take the Lakes for granted.
They go from calm to a hundred knots so fast they seem enchanted."
But tonight some red-eyed Wiarton girl lies staring at the wall,
And her lover's gone into a white squall.
CHORUS
Now it's a thing that us oldtimers know. In a sultry summer calm
There comes a blow from nowhere, and it goes off like a bomb.
And a fifteen thousand tonner can be thrown upon her beam
While the gale takes all before it with a scream.
The kid was on the hatches, lying staring at the sky.
>From where I stood I swear I could see tears fall from his eyes.
So I hadn't the heart to tell him that he should be on a line,
Even on a night so warm and fine.
CHORUS
When it struck, he sat up with a start; I roared to him, "Get down!"
But for all that he could hear, I could as well not made a sound.
So, I clung there to the stanchions, and I felt my face go pale,
As he crawled hand over hand along the rail.
I could feel her keeling over with the fury of the blow.
I watched the rail go under then, so terrible and slow.
Then, like some great dog she shook herself and roared upright again.
Far overside. I heard him call my name.
CHORUS
So it's just my luck to have the watch, with nothing left to do
But watch the deadly waters glide as we roll north to the 'Soo',
And wonder when they'll turn again and pitch us to the rail
And whirl off one more youngster in the gale.
But I tell these kids a hundred times "Don't take the Lakes for granted.
They go from calm to a hundred knots so fast they seem enchanted."
But tonight some red-eyed Wiarton girl lies staring at the wall,
And her lover's gone into white squall.
Thanks for the upload.
This American regrets he never got to see Stan preform..
Binnew Stan was one of those musicians whose work spread mostly by word to mouth. He was really just becoming big when he died.
There is a Stan Rogers festival every year in
July, in Nova Scotia.
Never found out about him until after his death sadly. What a beautiful soul.
Saw him dozens of times, and each was wonderful.
So does this Canadian.👋
I'm hoping you don't mind that I mention that as of this year, Nova Scotians (bluenosers) commemorate "Mariners Day" on the 2nd Sunday in August, honouring all of those who make their living on the water especially those who've lost their lives doing so.
Stans son Nathan is amazing. Watch for him in your neighbourhood.
Love Stan wish i could have gone to the festival! Love hiw he is Canadian to!!:)
Any sailor can relate to this. I spent 8 years in the Navy. On my way home from my last Med cruise we encountered a storm in the North Atlantic that swept three men from our escort group over the side. There was no possibility of rescuing them.
So so sad at his loss.
"Then, like some great dog she shook herself and roared upright again". Every once in a while, you hear a song lyric that's so perfectly descriptive. Another was in Bad Company's "Shooting Star, "Johnny's life passed him by like a warm summer day".
This song has absolutely nothing to do with fishing in the song he is referring to bulker ship carrying ore or coal or the like he is singing about a greenhorn sailor not listening to the advice from more experienced sailors about the dangers of the great Lakes because of how dangerous it is to sail them. Trust me I'm a canadian sailor
Sailors these days don't even practice shore rape anymore. Things are not the same it started changing back in the mid 60's
Shore rape!!!
A warm and fine night... that's why there was a gale. Southern Ontario is well-known for sudden severe pop up thunderstorms, often with very powerful winds, especially in the summer. That's probably what Stan was singing about.
I asked about that on a call-in program on the local LPR station when they had a meteorologist as the guest for the day, and he was handicapped by not knowing the song and perhaps not being familiar with the term, white squall; but he did say there was something called a line squall, and that sounds something like what Stan is talking about. So I didn't get all that much of an answer, but my guess is that the reason it goes with the lakes is the large area of flat surface. Through a sunny day the surface of the water gets warmer, and then in the night the air cools from the top, so the normal decrease of temperature with altitude gets more enthusiastic, until the air at high altitude is higher density than down at the surface. And being a large flat area, that can continue for a while, with the difference becoming larger. Eventually the higher density air breaks through as a downdraft, and continues to flow down and spread out, and somebody on the surface, especially on a dark night, might not notice anything until the "line" reaches him, and then what he sees is that the ##!%&# weather went from calm to 100 knots. Roger-dodger, you old codger, I'm a chemist too :-)
Worked on the white
Jimmy Rogers and Hank Snow for Train songs, Dave Dudley and Merle Haggard for Truck songs and Stan and Gordon for ship songs. Said on forever...
Which Gordon? Gordon Bok for ship songs and Gordon Lightfoot for "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald."
@@dennisking7872I immediately thought Gordon Bok, but you're right, Gordon Lightfoot had a great one, too.
Fine song damn well sung and played; I'm guessing by the feeling in it he too spent some time at sea or on big water.
while he lived around Hamilton, he spent a lot of time in the Maritimes and he was truly a Maritimer by heart and nature as reflected in many of his songs.
A classic !
Alan Batterman -- My father's ancestry goes back to the Town of BRUCE on the Bruce Peninsula , I may be American but my ROOTS are firmly in Ontario , Canada
Would love to be able to see this festival in Canso this year, see what happens....
yes, I am here, Thanksgiving 2021 !
As a Chinese, I was attracted by this song, before that , I trying to figure out some folk song can reflect Canada culture or Canada style.
+Barney Yin see "The field behind the plow" by Stan .
Thanks!!
Fogarty's cove, maid on the shore, north west passage, the Nancy, check out stans albums
That was the kind of music Stan specialized in; he wrote songs which touched every part of Canada.
I think there is a Canadian style of music that I like to call "the lonely guitar" sound. Songs like "Beautiful" by Gordon Lightfoot, "Heart of Gold" by Neil Young or "All The Diamonds" by Bruce Cockburn. Those are just a few examples.
the very best
>find an amazing musician
>wikipedia them
>died in a plane accident
every time.
Do winds really come up that fast on the Great Lakes?
Yes, and come up just as fast as sung.
Yes, some say the lakes are deadlier than the oceans, in terms of sudden violent storms.
Ever heard The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald?
So sad, precisely because it's so realistic.
Is there 1 hour loop of this song?
It's amazing 😍
I started listening Stan 2 days ago.....this is soooo good of a music....but is there a lyrics to his songs anywhere
Living on Lake Michigan, this song is especially neat. Sometimes I walk out to the shore, and it's cool to imagine sailing on it through a "white squall".
More effective than any OSHA training could ever be.
I felt the same way.If you'd like to share your thoughts with his wife Ariel, she sometimes responds to emails through the Fogarty's Cove/Cole Harbour Music Site, his son Nathan also, occasionally through his site.Stans' brother Garnet,was a bandmate for about 10 years and did the Lions share of writing and arranging the tunes. His facebook page is up to date if you care to know what he's up to.
I've added the link in the description. :)
please post a link to this festival
Was alaker, been thru several
I'm left thinking about Dylan's line "in a world filled with death and men fighting to be warm."
Just saw your note, in an account I haven't been using. Looks like it's going to be a good one, but aren't they all? LOL. Suggestion, if you haven't heard it, Bruce Guthro, Stan's Tune.Cheers
Anyone else from Wiarton here?
Makes me miss living in the Michigan UP. I loved living p the shores of the gitche gumee.
All my time on the lakes,I never came across a "white squall", gales.yes,they were bad enough.
How was it, the festival ? Just happened upon your reply in mail...LOL.
Amazing Vacation Ideas? Give me a break. SAY WHAT?
At first I thought this was Gordon Lightfoot when I heard this song on the radio.
I miss him toohe is missedwhat a body of workkilled by smokers!
See below.
With Ariel Rogers' permission, I took Stan Rogers' epic song, the Mary Ellen Carter and expanded it into a 44 chapter novel, just recently released and available at Amazon.com (search by the title: Rise Again - The Story of the Mary Ellen Carter). White Squall is one of the chapters. Still looking for a Canadian publishing house willing to publish and distribute in Canada. Jim Cain
Mr crant