I wrote:

The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down
Of the big lake they call Gitche Gumee
The lake, it is said, never gives up her dead
When the skies of November turn gloomy.


Snip

I posted the lyrics as a gesture, I suppose. I'm surprised at the
response.

In reference to the line

"That good ship and true..."

I agree with the poster that intereprets this as a
hmmm...vernacular thing. As in, "A good friend and true". "Crew" works
better,absolutely, but to my ear, and appreciating the art of poetics, I
believe it's "true".

In Re the line:

"Does anyone know where the love of God goes
When the words turn the minutes to hours?"

"Waves" works much better here, but again, having listened (loop,
MP3) and thinking about it, I believe "words". Why?

It's about communicating your dire situation, and pilots would feel
this, for sure, because the time frame of an emergency for an aviator is
much smaller than for a ship's captain.

Radio, static, wind and noise... "We need help how soon can...."

Radio, static, wind and noise.....

"Say again, Edmund"
"your position"
& ETC.

Words. For a human being in extremis and trying to communicate, and
needing a miracle during a helluva storm, a ship's radio, "way back"
then could indeed turn the minutes to hours.

My .02

~Dave