The Midnight Special
Creedence Clearwater Revival Lyrics

Well, you wake up in the mornin', you hear the work bell ring
Every day starts with the sound of the bell that signals the start of work.

And they march you to the table, you see the same old thing
Workers go to lunch and always eat the same thing.

Ain't no food upon the table, and no pork up in the pan
Sometimes, there’s not enough food for workers to eat and they don’t have meat.

But you better not complain, boy, you get in trouble with the man
Workers cannot complain about their food or the job, or they could lose their job.

Let the Midnight Special shine a light on me
The song is asking for help or for someone to shine a light on a difficult situation.

Yonder come miss Rosie, how in the world did you know?
Someone named Rosie is coming, and the singer is curious about how they knew about it.

By the way she wears her apron, and the clothes she wore
The singer recognizes Rosie by her clothing.

Umbrella on her shoulder, piece of paper in her hand
Rosie has an umbrella on her shoulder and is holding a piece of paper.

She come to see the governor, she want to free her man
Rosie is going to see the governor to try and get her man out of prison.

If you're ever in Houston, well, you better do the right
If someone is in Houston, they should behave properly and follow the rules.

You better not gamble, there, you better not fight, at all
It’s important not to gamble or fight in Houston, or there could be serious consequences.

Or the sheriff will grab ya and the boys will bring you down
If someone gets into trouble, the sheriff and his team will arrest them and bring them to justice.

The next thing you know, boy, oh, you're prison bound
If someone is caught breaking the law in Houston, they could end up in prison.