Empress of Ireland – Lawrence - Disaster SongsDisaster Songs

Empress of Ireland – Lawrence

Susan’s CD is available through iTunes.

Tags: 1914 Empress of Ireland

Lyrics

1 The Empress set sail from Quebec May 28, 1914
With 1,400 souls on deck for Liverpool she made steam
On board 200 Sally Anners dressed in their red tunics best
Played proudly on their horns of brass as they pulled from the quay.

CHORUS:
God be with you till we meet again, when life’s perils sore confound you
Put his arms unfailing round you, God be with you till we meet again.

2 1:40 a.m., all in bed, the ship was past Rimouski now
The captain saw some lights ahead ‘bout six miles off his starboard bow
The gap was closing in between them, so he turned a bit abeam
Thinking they’d pass green to green, then fog obscured his view.

3 The freighter Storstad was on course from Sydney to Quebec with coal
Her hull was small but reinforced, 10,000 tons were in her hold.
The first mate watched the lights ahead then planned on passing red to red
Intentions on both sides misread, as fog descended round.

CHORUS:
God was nowhere to be found that night, Captain Kendall seemed confounded
Stopped his ship as fog surrounded; no one knows just who was wrong or right.

4 The Storstad struck the Empress midship, sparks flew as she sliced deep in
The blood upon her anchor tip was evidence of carnage grim.
There was no time for chivalry, no time to get the lifeboats free,
Scarce 14 minutes ‘til the sea entombed 1,000 souls.

CHORUS:
God be with you till we meet again, keep love’s banner floating o’er you,
Smite death’s threatening wave before you, God be with you till we meet again.

5 Although her bow was bent aside, the lucky Storstad didn’t sink
But rescued those who hadn’t died –a mere 400– from the brink
Including Captain Kendall, who survived to sail another day
And one musician who swam to the ship and lived to play

CHORUS:
God be with you till we meet again, when life’s perils sore confound you,
Put his arms unfailing round you, God be with you till we meet again.
Till we meet, till we meet, till we meet at Jesus’ feet
Till we meet, till we meet, God be with you till we meet again.

Source: Susan Lawrence’s website (now defunct).

by Susan Lawrence

Susan Lawrence (1946-2013) discovered songwriting relatively late in life, composing a couple of dozen songs over about twenty songs with the help of her grand piano. Although she played piano as a child, it wasn’t until she returned to it as an adult that she really embraced it. In 1983, she attended the Woods Music & Dance Camp for the first time, and attended it regularly in the years that followed. As a result of that experience, she formed a song circle of fellow songwriters and musicians that continue to meet weekly in each other’s homes. The circles enable members to discuss both music and song-writing with those who enjoy similar interests. She regularly performed at local concerts and benefit events.

The Camp and song circle fuelled her desire to share her music beyond her immediate family and friends, realized with the support and help of her friends (including Donna Green, Shelley Posen, and Tom Leighton), in the form of an album, Welcome to Lawrenceville , released in 2010.

Lawrence’s song, “Empress of Ireland,” was inspired by an interest in the sinking of the ship by the same name. Lawrence was fascinated by the story, having read about it in Reader’s Digest as a child. As someone with a lifelong interest in words and language, she was particularly influenced later in life by other books on the subject, such as Forgotten Empress by David Zeni. After writing a song about the Titanic as part of a song-writing exercise, Lawrence decided to keep the tune but write a new song about the Empress of Ireland since the Titanic has already received ample attention. She also wanted to raise awareness of this shipwreck that killed more passengers than even the Titanic (even though the Titanic resulted in more overall loss of life), a disaster about which most Canadians are unaware. The song “Empress of Ireland,” according to Lawrence, should convey to listeners the whole story of the Empress without romanticizing it. Inspired by song-writers such as Stan Rogers and James Keelaghan, Lawrence believes that disaster songs should remain true to the facts; listening to the song should transport a listener to the time of the event and help them to understand, and perhaps even experience, the emotions of those who were present.