Gordon Lightfoot - Ghosts of Cape Horn (Live in Chicago 1979) Soundboard

This song reflects the perilous journeys of sailors navigating the treacherous waters around Cape Horn, capturing both the romance and tragedy of their voyages. The song was reportedly commissioned for a documentary about tall sailing ships, adding to its historical resonance.

Ghosts of Cape Horn Lyrics:

All around old Cape Horn
Ships of the line, ships of the morn
Some who wish they'd never been born
They are the ghosts of Cape Horn
Fal deral da riddle de rum
With a rim dim diddy and a rum dum dum
Sailing away at the break of morn
They are the ghosts of Cape Horn
See them all in sad repair
Demons dance everywhere
Southern gales, tattered sails
And none to tell the tales
Come all of you rustic old sea dogs
Who follow the bright Southern Cross
You were rounding the Horn
In the eye of a storm
When you lost her one day
And you read all your letters
From oceans away
Then you took them to the bottom of the sea
All around old Cape Horn
Ships of the line, ships of the morn
Some who wish they'd never been born
They are the ghosts of Cape Horn
Fal deral da riddle de rum
With a rim dim diddy and a rum dum dum
Sailing away at the break of morn
They are the ghosts of Cape Horn
Come all you old sea dogs from Devon
Southampton, Penzance, and Kinsale
You were caught by the chance
Of a sailor's last dance
It was not meant to be
And you read all your letters
Cried anchors aweigh
Then you took them to the bottom of the sea
All around old Cape Horn
Ships of the line, ships of the morn
Some who wish they'd never been born
They are the ghosts of Cape Horn
Fal deral da riddle de rum
With a rim dim diddy and a rum dum dum
Sailing away at the break of morn
They are the ghosts of Cape Horn

Gordon Lightfoot was a Canadian singer-songwriter who achieved worldwide success and helped define the singer-songwriter era of the 1970s. Widely considered one of Canada's greatest songwriters, he had numerous gold and platinum albums, and his songs have been covered by many of the world's most renowned musical artists. Lightfoot's biographer Nicholas Jennings wrote, "His name is synonymous with timeless songs about trains and shipwrecks, rivers and highways, lovers and loneliness."
Lightfoot's songs, including "For Lovin' Me", "Early Morning Rain", "Steel Rail Blues", "Home From The Forest", and "Ribbon of Darkness", a number one hit on the U.S. country chart for Marty Robbins, brought him recognition from the mid-1960s. Chart success with his own recordings began in Canada in 1962 with the No. 3 hit "(Remember Me) I'm the One" and led to a series of major hits at home and abroad throughout the 1970s. Robbie Robertson of The Band described Lightfoot as "a national treasure". Bob Dylan said, "I can't think of any Gordon Lightfoot song I don't like. Every time I hear a song of his, it's like I wish it would last forever." Lightfoot was the featured musical performer at the opening ceremonies of the 1988 Winter Olympics and received numerous honors and awards during his career.