Midnight Special
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Transcription: by Darryl D. Bush
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Lyrics:
When you get up in the mornin',
When that big bell ring,
You go and march to the table,
See the same damn thing,
Knife and fork are on the table,
There's nothin' in my pan
And if you say anything about it,
You in trouble with the man.
Chorus
Let the midnight special
Shine the light on me.
Let the midnight special
Shine the ever-lovin' light on me
Yonder come Miss Rosie,
How in the world do you know?
Well I know by the apron
And the dress she wore.
Umbrella on her shoulder,
Piece of paper in her hand,
She go marchin' to the captain,
Sayin' "I want to see my man."
Chorus
If you ever go to Houston,
Oh, you better walk right
And you better not squabble
And you better not fight.
Sheriff Johnson will arrest you
And the jury'll send you down.
You can bet your bottom dollar,
You're penitentiary bound.
Chorus
According to folk music historian Alan Lomax as documented in his book<br> Folk Song USA, the Midnight Special was a real train: the Southern Pacific<br> Golden Gate Limited. A traditional folk song, Leadbelly popularized it<br> upon his release from Sugar Land prison in Texas, where he could hear the<br> Midnight Special come through. In the song, the light of the train gives<br> the inmates hope - if it shines on them they take it as a sign they will<br> soon go free.<br> Lyrics appearing in the song were first recorded in print by Howard Odum in 1905.<br> The first printed reference to the song itself was in a 1923 issue of Adventure<br> magazine. In 1927 Carl Sandburg published two different versions of "Midnight<br> Special" in his The American Songbag.<br> The song was first commercially recorded on the OKeh label in 1926 as "Pistol<br> Pete's Midnight Special" by Dave "Pistol Pete" Cutrell.<br> In 1934 Huddie "Lead Belly" Ledbetter recorded a version of the song at Angola<br> Prison for John and Alan Lomax, who mistakenly attributed it to him as the author.<br> Ledbetter recorded at least three versions of the song, one with the Golden Gate<br> Quartet, a gospel group.<br> Lead Belly, Big Bill Broonzy, Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee, Odetta, Les Paul,<br> The Kingston Trio, Pete Seeger, Peter, Paul and Mary, The Beatles, Burl Ives,<br> Cisco Houston, Lonnie Donegan, Eric Clapton, and Creedence Clearwater Revival,<br> among others, have recorded the song.<br> I probably learned it from Pete Seeger long ago.<br>
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