Oh, the light on the lake could be seen far from shore
Blazing fire from cabin to deck quickly tore
And the cries of the dying rang over the roar
Gone was the queen of the lakes
36 years of safe sailing she knew, a ballroom, a salon, a mighty fine crew
On a dark Friday night in September she drew, the cold, cruel stare of the fates
Just half-past 2 in the morning I fear, at the foot of long Yonge street at #9 pier
A hundred and nineteen were lost, lives so dear, on the SS Noronic that night
Most were on board when the fire broke out, sparked in a closet, no crew raised the shout
The hoses were faulty, so it leapt all about, the passengers left unaware
The wood in the halls had been polished with oil, fled for their lives, a crew once so loyal
In 8 minutes half of that ship oh so royal, was lost as the fire raged free
Trampled in panic, some jumped from the boat, the lucky hit water amidst corpses afloat
Many died sleeping the newspapers wrote, as the city grieved in '49
The screams were heard over the fire siren's calls, dead found embracing as bones in the halls
Tears for the lost fell like Niagara Falls, and the EX was turned into a morgue
Despite all the horror, true, some were brave, kept a few souls from a fiery grave
Good Captain Taylor faced hell and did stave, death from collecting the lot
History forgotten, time has moved on, how do we honour the lives lost along
Memories past will live on in a song, come then and sing one with me