I've been to the Wreck thousands of times,,My Question is What is "True" in That good ship and True???

I've been to the Wreck thousands of times,,My Question is What is "True" in That good ship and True???

I always wondered about that, too...

I always wondered about that, too...

The use of the word "true" in nautical circles denotes a course steered by the compass that has been corrected for variation and deviation. I have always surmised that Gord was singing of the "good ship and true" meaning it was a good sound ship being steered on a proper, reliable compass heading.

By the way, I have often heard that lyric mis-sung as "good ship and crew," which also works nicely but isn't "true" to Gord's original!

Good explaination, michigan, made sense to me!

Good explaination, michigan, made sense to me!

I always thought it was "crew",until I got the album of course. I also thought he said,and I kid you not,"was a phone to be threw!" http://www.corfid.com/ubb/rolleyes.gif http://www.corfid.com/ubb/redface.gif: Kids! http://www.corfid.com/ubb/smile.gif

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Borderstone (Hello! http://www.corfid.com/ubb/smile.gif )

[This message has been edited by Borderstone (edited November 20, 2003).]

Yeah ive heard him say "crew" too. I think it makes more sense to the dummy crowd..No offense.
The song has a couple of "mistakes" there is No such thing as a "main hatchway" they are all equal. They were not going to Cleveland but to Detroit area.

Suim,
I was wondering if it might be some kind of shipping jargon or if I was just not make
ing a connection somewhere..
Your explanation sounds pretty good, but for some reason my eyebrows are still slightly distorted^^^^
Until Mrs. Iron got us into this computer stuff and hooked up with Wayne Francis,I too was a member of the "Crew " club...[that did'nt really bother me cause I didn't even know I was doin it wrong until I got the Lyrics- -The one that drove me nuts was "heirloom cup" in Circle of Steel]
Anyway,I think this is probably a pretty common "Missheard Lyric".Gordon does from time to time,change some words a bit,did you ever notice the Big ship/Good ship variation?
I've been trying to figure out,why ,after all these years ,I find myself captured again by the E. F. Must have been those stage lights....

quote:Originally posted by paddletothesea:
is No such thing as a "main hatchway" they are all equal. They were not going to Cleveland but to Detroit area.


Maybe it was a middle hatchway. I don't know. http://www.corfid.com/ubb/confused.gif

quote:Originally posted by paddletothesea:
is No such thing as a "main hatchway" they are all equal. They were not going to Cleveland but to Detroit area.


Maybe it was a middle hatchway. I don't know. http://www.corfid.com/ubb/confused.gif

quote:Originally posted by paddletothesea:
...The song has a couple of "mistakes" there is No such thing as a "main hatchway" they are all equal.

Well, yes there is, in sailing terms anyway - whether it holds for commercial freighters or not, I can't say. From "William Falconer's Dictionary of the Marine" http://southseas.nla.gov.au/refs/falc/0842.html


"MAIN, an epithet usually applied by sailors to whatever is principal, as opposed to what is inferior or secondary. Thus the main land is used in contradistinction to an island or peninsula; and the main-mast, the main-wale, the main-keel, and the MAIN HATCHWAY, are in like manner distinguished from the fore and mizen-masts, the channel-wales, the false-keel, and the fore and after-hatchways, &c."


It's the opening amidships for lowering cargo (as opposed to the fore and aft openings, square or oblong.)

quote:Originally posted by paddletothesea:
...The song has a couple of "mistakes" there is No such thing as a "main hatchway" they are all equal.

Well, yes there is, in sailing terms anyway - whether it holds for commercial freighters or not, I can't say. From "William Falconer's Dictionary of the Marine" http://southseas.nla.gov.au/refs/falc/0842.html


"MAIN, an epithet usually applied by sailors to whatever is principal, as opposed to what is inferior or secondary. Thus the main land is used in contradistinction to an island or peninsula; and the main-mast, the main-wale, the main-keel, and the MAIN HATCHWAY, are in like manner distinguished from the fore and mizen-masts, the channel-wales, the false-keel, and the fore and after-hatchways, &c."


It's the opening amidships for lowering cargo (as opposed to the fore and aft openings, square or oblong.)