The Mary Ellen Carter: A Boat's Legacy

The Mary Ellen Carter is a song written and first recorded by Stan Rogers in 1979. It tells the story of a group of sailors attempting to salvage their sunken ship, the Mary Ellen Carter, after its skipper's drunken mistake leads to a mortal blow. The song has become a folk standard, with cover versions by numerous artists. It is also credited with saving at least one life.

The type of boat that inspired the song has been the subject of much speculation. Some have imagined it to be a small fishing trawler, a schooner, or a freighter. One source suggests that Rogers initially envisioned the Mary Ellen Carter as a spaceship. However, Rogers' biography, Unfinished Conversation, indicates that the singer likely intended it to be a freighter.

The song 'The Mary Ellen Carter' was written by Stan Rogers in 1979

"The Mary Ellen Carter" is a song written and first recorded by Stan Rogers in 1979. It is a classic salvage ballad about a group of men who set out to rescue or pillage a sunken ship. The song tells the story of the eponymous ship, the Mary Ellen Carter, and the heroic efforts of her crew to salvage her.

The song chronicles the crew's determination to raise the ship, implying that it will be accomplished the following day:

> We've patched her rents, stopped her vents,

> Dogged hatch and porthole down,

> Put cables to her fore and aft

> And girded her around.

> Tomorrow noon, we'll hit the air

> And then take up the strain

> And make the Mary Ellen Carter rise again.

Rogers intended the song to be an inspirational message of perseverance in the face of adversity. The crew's refusal to give up on the Mary Ellen Carter becomes a metaphor for resilience and the power to overcome challenges:

> And you, to whom adversity has dealt the final blow

> With smiling bastards lying to you everywhere you go

> Turn to, and put out all your strength of arm and heart and brain

> And like the Mary Ellen Carter, rise again!

The song has had a significant impact, with some people even crediting it with saving their lives. One notable example is the story of Robert Cusick, the chief mate of the ship Marine Electric, which sank in 1983. Cusick survived the night in freezing waters by singing "The Mary Ellen Carter" to himself, drawing strength from its uplifting message. He later wrote to Rogers, crediting the song with helping him endure until he was rescued.

The song has appeared on multiple albums and has been covered by various artists, ensuring its legacy and spreading its message of hope and resilience to audiences worldwide.

The song is about salvaging a sunken ship

"The Mary Ellen Carter" is a song written and first recorded by Stan Rogers in 1979. The song is about salvaging a sunken ship and tells the story of a heroic effort to salvage the eponymous ship, the Mary Ellen Carter, by members of her crew.

The song chronicles the efforts to salvage the ship, implying that it will be raised the following day:

> We've patched her rents, stopped her vents,

> Dogged hatch and porthole down,

> Put cables to her fore and aft

> And girded her around.

> Tomorrow noon, we'll hit the air

> And then take up the strain

> And make the Mary Ellen Carter rise again.

The song ends with an inspirational message of resilience and perseverance in the face of adversity:

> And you, to whom adversity has dealt the final blow

> With smiling bastards lying to you everywhere you go

> Turn to, and put out all your strength of arm and heart and brain

> And like the Mary Ellen Carter, rise again!

The song has become an anthem of triumph over adversity and has even been credited with saving a life. On February 12, 1983, the ship Marine Electric sank in the Atlantic, and its chief mate, Robert Cusick, kept himself alive by singing "The Mary Ellen Carter." Cusick wrote a letter to Stan Rogers, crediting the song with saving his life, and his testimony spurred far-reaching maritime safety reforms.

While the Mary Ellen Carter in the song is a fictional ship, some have speculated about the type of boat she might have been. Some imagine her as a small trawler, a Great Lakes freighter, or even a two-masted schooner. Ultimately, the song leaves it open to interpretation, allowing listeners to picture their own version of the Mary Ellen Carter.

The ship in the song is fictional

The ship in the song "The Mary Ellen Carter" is indeed fictional. The song was written and first recorded by Stan Rogers in 1979. It tells the story of a valiant attempt to salvage a sunken ship by its crew. The lyrics do not specify the type of ship, and people have imagined it as anything from a small trawler to a schooner or even a spaceship.

Rogers himself is quoted as saying that the song began in his mind as a story about a spaceship, as he was a big fan of hard science fiction. However, in an unfinished radio play, he describes the ship as "a smallish freighter, as old and rickety as possible." In his biography, "Unfinished Conversation," Rogers also suggests that the Mary Ellen Carter was meant to be a freighter.

Despite the ambiguity surrounding the type of ship, the song has become a folk standard, with numerous artists performing and recording their own arrangements. Its enduring popularity is due in part to its inspirational message of perseverance in the face of adversity, as exemplified by the story of the Marine Electric.

On February 12, 1983, the ship Marine Electric sank in a storm while carrying coal from Norfolk, Virginia, to Massachusetts. The chief mate, Robert Cusick, kept himself alive by singing "The Mary Ellen Carter," later crediting the song with saving his life. This real-life connection has added to the song's impact and resonance with audiences.

In conclusion, while the ship in "The Mary Ellen Carter" may be fictional, its message of resilience and its ability to inspire people facing adversity are very real. The song's open-ended nature allows listeners to project their own interpretations onto it, making it a versatile and enduring piece of folk music.

The song has been covered by several artists

The song "The Mary Ellen Carter", written and first recorded by Stan Rogers in 1979, has been covered by several artists. It is a motivational song with an atheist gospel hymn-like quality, intended to inspire people to keep going in the face of adversity.

The song tells the story of a fictional ship, the Mary Ellen Carter, and the crew's valiant attempt to salvage her after she sank. The lyrics detail the crew's efforts to raise the ship, with the promise that she will rise again. The song ends with an uplifting message, encouraging people who have faced adversity to never give up and to rise again like the Mary Ellen Carter.

The song has become a folk standard, with various artists putting their own spin on it. Here is a list of notable cover versions:

• Derina Harvey Band, an Edmonton-based Celtic rock group, released a cover in 2016.
• Jim Post began performing the song in the 1980s.
• Makem and Clancy recorded the song on their 1986 album "We've Come a Long Way".
• The English a cappella trio Artisan popularised their harmony version in UK folk circles throughout the 1980s and 1990s.
• Portland, Maine-based folk group Schooner Fare included the song on their 1983 album "Alive!".
• Ian Robb recorded the song with Finest Kind for his album "From Different Angels".
• The seven-piece Newfoundland band The Irish Descendants recorded it as part of the tribute album "Remembering Stan Rogers: An East Coast Tribute".
• Alex Beaton covered the song on his "Live in Concert" album, released in 2012.
• American folk-punk band Mischief Brew released a 7-inch split featuring the song in 2013.
• The Bristolian folk group The Longest Johns released their version in 2020.

In addition to these recorded covers, "The Mary Ellen Carter" is also sung annually at the Winnipeg Folk Festival and the Annual Summerfolk Music and Crafts Festival in tribute to Stan Rogers.

The song is credited with saving a life

"The Mary Ellen Carter" is a song written and recorded by Stan Rogers in 1979. It is a salvage ballad about a group of men who attempt to rescue or salvage a sunken ship. The song ends with an uplifting message to people "to whom adversity has dealt the final blow":

> Never give up, and, "like the Mary Ellen Carter, rise again!"

The song is credited with saving the life of Robert Cusick, the chief mate of the ship Marine Electric, which sank in the Atlantic on 13 February 1983. Cusick was trapped under the deckhouse as the ship went down and had to spend the night alone, up to his neck in freezing water, clinging to an overturned lifeboat. Battling hypothermia, he was tempted to let go of the lifeboat and fall unconscious. It was at this moment that he remembered the concluding stanzas of "The Mary Ellen Carter":

> And you, to whom adversity has dealt the final blow

> With smiling bastards lying to you everywhere you go

> Turn to, and put out all your strength of arm and heart and brain

> And like the Mary Ellen Carter, rise again.

> Rise again, rise again—though your heart it be broken

> Or life about to end.

> No matter what you've lost, be it a home, a love, a friend,

> Like the Mary Ellen Carter, rise again.

Cusick started singing the song, shouting out "Rise again, rise again" and holding his breath as the waves washed over him. At 7 a.m. the next morning, a Coast Guard helicopter spotted him and pulled him to safety. Only two or three of the thirty-three to thirty-four people on board the Marine Electric survived the wreck.

After his rescue, Cusick wrote a letter to Rogers, crediting the song with saving his life. In response, Rogers invited Cusick to attend what turned out to be the second-to-last concert he ever performed. Cusick lived another 30 years, and his testimony and activism after the accident spurred far-reaching maritime safety reforms.

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