"Midnight Special" is a traditional folk song thought to have originated am… Read Full Bio ↴"Midnight Special" is a traditional folk song thought to have originated among prisoners in the south of the USA. The song refers to the passenger train Midnight Special and its "ever-loving light" (sometimes "ever-living light").

The first printed reference to the song was in a 1923 issue of Adventure magazine. In 1927, Carl Sandburg published two different versions of "Midnight Special" in his The American Songbag, the first published versions.

The song has been covered by many artists.

Midnight Special
Leadbelly Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

When you gets up in the morning, when that big bell ring
You go to marching to the table, where you meet the same damn thing
Knife and fork are on the table, there's nothing in my pan
And if you said a thing about it, havin' trouble with the man

Let the Midnight Special shine her light on me
Oh, let the Midnight Special shine her ever-lovin' light on me

Well I went to the nation and to Terry Jo
But I thought about the a I love, lived in Mexico

Let the Midnight Special shine her light on me
Now, let the Midnight Special shine her ever-lovin' light on me

If you ever go to Houston, oh you better walk right
And you better not squabblue and you better not fight
Bashin' Bronco will arrest you, Eddie Boone will take you down
You can bet your bottom dollar, penitentiary bound

Let the Midnight Special shine her light on me
Now, let the Midnight Special shine her ever-lovin' light on me

Well, jumpin' little Judy, she was a mighty fine girl
Well, Judy brought jumpin' to this whole round world
Well, she brought it in the mornin', just a while before day
She brought me the news, that my wife was dead
That started me to grievin', then hollerin' and a-cryin'
Then I was gettin' worried, 'bout it's been a long time

Let the Midnight Special shine her light on me
Let the Midnight Special shine her ever-lovin' light on me

Overall Meaning

The song "Midnight Special" by Leadbelly is a traditional folk song that tells the story of being in prison and trying to get out. The singer of the song, a prisoner, sees the light from the Midnight Special train and believes that if the train shines its light on them, it will bring good luck and help them escape from prison. As the song progresses, the singer talks about different people they know and their experiences in life. Miss Rosie is mentioned, and the singer recognizes her by the apron she wears. He talks about going to ask the governor to release his man.

In the next verse, the song mentions the hardship prisoners face, such as the lack of food on their plate. The singer then talks about going to the nation and Terry Jo, but he thinks about the person he loves who lives in Mexico. The song references Houston and the importance of staying out of trouble, as Bashin' Bronco and Eddie Boone will arrest and take you down. The singer then talks about the loss of his loved one and how it impacted him emotionally.

Line by Line Meaning

Yonder comes Miss Rosie, how in the world do you know?
How do you recognize Miss Rosie coming this way?

Well, I know her by the apron and the dress she wore
I can identify her by the type of clothing she's wearing

Umbrella on her shoulder, piece of paper in her hand
She's carrying an umbrella and a paper with her

Well, I'm goin' and ask the governor, he turnin' loose my man
I'm going to ask the governor to release my man from prison

When you gets up in the morning, when that big bell ring
When you wake up to the sound of the morning bell

You go to marching to the table, where you meet the same damn thing
You go to the table where you always find the same food

Knife and fork are on the table, there's nothing in my pan
There are utensils on the table, but no food in my plate

And if you said a thing about it, havin' trouble with the man
If you complain about it, you'll have problems with the authorities

Let the Midnight Special shine her light on me
I want the Midnight Special train to shine her light on me

Oh, let the Midnight Special shine her ever-lovin' light on me
I want the train's light to shine on me and bring me some comfort

Well I went to the nation and to Terry Jo
I traveled to different places looking for help

But I thought about the a I love, lived in Mexico
I couldn't stop thinking about my loved one who lives in Mexico

If you ever go to Houston, oh you better walk right
If you ever go to Houston, you better behave properly

And you better not squabblue and you better not fight
You should avoid arguments and fights

Bashin' Bronco will arrest you, Eddie Boone will take you down
If you misbehave, Bashin' Bronco and Eddie Boone will arrest you

You can bet your bottom dollar, penitentiary bound
You'll end up in jail for sure

Well, jumpin' little Judy, she was a mighty fine girl
Judy was a great girl and a good friend of mine

Well, Judy brought jumpin' to this whole round world
Judy brought joy to the world with her energy and spirit

Well, she brought it in the mornin', just a while before day
She brought joy in the morning, before the day started

She brought me the news, that my wife was dead
She told me that my wife had passed away

That started me to grievin', then hollerin' and a-cryin'
That made me very sad and I started yelling and crying

Then I was gettin' worried, 'bout it's been a long time
I started worrying because it had been a long time since I saw my wife

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Most interesting comments from YouTube:

@slint69

5y↑113

Yonder come Miss Rosie, how in the world do you know
Well I know by the apron and the dress she wore
Well an umbrella on her shoulder, piece of paper in her hand
Well I'm gonna ask the governor, he turn a-lose a-my man

Let the midnight special, shine the light on me
Let the midnight special, shine the ever-lovin' light on me

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, havin' trouble with the man

Well I went to the nation and to the territo(ry)
Well I thought about the girl I love, in that Mexico

If you ever go to Houston, oh you better walk right
And you better not squallow and you better not fight
Sheriff Rocko will arrest you, Eddie Boone will take you down
You can bet your bottom dollar, penitentiary bound

Well jumpin' little Judy, she was a mighty fine girl
Well Judy brought jumpin' to this whole round world
Well she brought it in the mornin', just a while before day
She brought me the news, that my wife was dead
That started me to grievin', then hollerin' and a-cryin'
Then I had to give the worry about a been a long time

@myoho777

2y↑2

Brilliant classic !!!! Fabulous!!!!

Subject: Midnight special

Yes it is a song about prison. The midnight special was a train that came by the prison and the story is...
If the train shined it's light on you, your woman was on the train with a pardon in her hand.

Yonder comes Miss Rosie, how in the world do you know?
Well, I know her by the apron and the dress she wore
Umbrella on her shoulder, piece of paper in her hand
Well, I'm goin' and ask the governor, he turnin' loose my man
Let the Midnight Special shine her light on me
Now let the Midnight Special shine her ever-lovin' light on meIf you ever go to Houston, oh you better walk right
And you better not squabblue and you better not fight
Bashin' Bronco will arrest you, Eddie Boone will take you down
You can bet your bottom dollar, penitentiary bound

@carlosesccobar2516

5y↑8

Yonder comes Miss Rosie, how in the world do you know?
Well, I know her by the apron and the dress she wore
Umbrella on her shoulder, piece of paper in her hand
Well, I'm goin' and ask the governor, he turnin' loose my man

Let the Midnight Special shine her light on me
Now let the Midnight Special shine her ever-lovin' light on me

When you gets up in the morning, when that big bell ring
You go to marching to the table, where you meet the same damn thing
Knife and fork are on the table, there's nothing in my pan
And if you said a thing about it, havin' trouble with the man

Let the Midnight Special shine her light on me
Oh, let the Midnight Special shine her ever-lovin' light on me

Well I went to the nation and to Terry Jo
But I thought about the a I love, lived in Mexico

Let the Midnight Special shine her light on me
Now, let the Midnight Special shine her ever-lovin' light on me

If you ever go to Houston, oh you better walk right
And you better not squabblue and you better not fight
Bashin' Bronco will arrest you, Eddie Boone will take you down
You can bet your bottom dollar, penitentiary bound

Let the Midnight Special shine her light on me
Now, let the Midnight Special shine her ever-lovin' light on me

Well, jumpin' little Judy, she was a mighty fine girl
Well, Judy brought jumpin' to this whole round world
Well, she brought it in the mornin', just a while before day
She brought me the news, that my wife was dead
That started me to grievin', then hollerin' and a-cryin'
Then I was gettin' worried, 'bout it's been a long time

Let the Midnight Special shine her light on me
Let the Midnight Special shine her ever-lovin' light on me

All comments from YouTube:

@TheDrivewayEngineer

5y↑625

It's a damn shame this man doesn't get more credit.

@zachsimon9004

5y↑26

Don't worry im gonna make a film about his life

@o0fernand0

5y↑9

Perhaps he never longed for it

@Mshani-pu5uq

@@zachsimon9004 really?

@mr.vinegaroon3132

5y↑6

@@zachsimon9004 I look forward to it. There is already a good movie about him, a drama. I haven't seen it for years, but
it was/is worthwhile.

@jerryrobinson6250

4y↑1

Concur.l..the only thing left of his name is a Ghetto in Shreveport Louisiana call Ledbetter Heights..

27 More Replies...

@brandonfleming7118

3y↑61

God I love Leadbelly.
I'm so happy Nirvana introduced me to him. Such an amazing artist.

@bday8242

1y↑1

he was-unlike Nirvana.

@d4re416

1y↑4

Found nirvana through him lol

@joeimbesi99

3y↑205

Wrote sooo many songs that others pinched and got credit for..HE WAS FIRST FOLKS..GIVE THIS MAN HIS DUE CREDIT!!

@zanebeyer3017

3y↑49

Most of them he didn’t write, they were traditional folk songs that he was the first to record.

@chriscook5613

3y↑12

Lol, this song was an old song he did, didn't write it.

@westelaudio943

2y↑9

It's a 19th century prison song.

@kcartermontna

2y↑3

Doesn't get any better than Leadbelly.

13 More Replies...

@wesleymiles8756

3y↑59

I love this version and the CCR cover equally. Both are filled with emotion, soul, and talent.

@DakotaVhs

34w

Listen to Willie Watson's version also I saw it in concert it's so good also

@bobaldo2339

3y↑65

Everybody who is old enough to have lived through the "folkie" era (mid 50's to mid 60's) knows and appreciates Leadbelly. Everyone I know from my ancient generation, whether fond of blues, jazz, folk, R & B, country, rock, or even classical knows who Leadbelly was.

@kcartermontna

2y↑1

Yes indeed...

@kishascape

Nope sorry. Folkie era was early 1900s. 20s to 40s.

@reillychoma7248

@@kishascape I’m sure they meant the folk revival era

@barneyronnie

I was born in '27.

@earthf5030

6y↑274

He's underappreciated, not given props for his songs others covered . He's the roots

@patricias5122

5y↑8

Agree....it disgusts me to see the saccharine, country versions of Good Night, Irene. He OWNED that song.

@johnnyvandeweerd9577

5y↑21

Leadbelly did not wrote this song when he record IT was IT allready An oldie

@elektrolyte

5y↑2

not in my house, he ain't

@debschannel6838

5y↑2

Johnny Vandeweerd yep I read it dates backs to 1905.

@gillygil8747

5y↑4

@@patricias5122 I perform that song in public, but always give him the credit. I try to make my harp cry.

11 More Replies...

@applejuice5635

5y↑81

This is one of the most beautiful recordings I've ever listened to.

@Dentsun4228

4y↑1

agree 1000%

@Iainsane

5y↑26

My dad introduced me to Ledbelly many moons ago on vinyl. This stuff is timeless and still will be listened to, long after today's music has been forgotten...providing we pass classics like this onto the next generation!

@cjsdawg67

4y↑17

Leadbelly was one of the most underrated musicians of all time! He wrote so many songs that he never gets any credit for. And he also inspired so many other musicians! It's just a shame he doesn't get more recognition for the amazing music he created.

@bluessman9

9y↑225

Lead Belly had a unique delivery, passion and sound. Only CCR ever came close to a version of the Midnight Special that sounded as good as Lead Belly.

@happinebob5872

5y↑4

Love both of them

@rickstarling4489

5y↑1

Bobby Darin done great live version. Can be found on YouTube.

@dreamweaver1603

5y↑4

I like this version better than CCR’s version.

@krazymoop2

4y↑2

Look up the Mischief Brew cover of the song if you’d like a more punk sound. I think it’s great.

@zachblakemore3567

3y↑2

Van Morrison

15 More Replies...

@NightHawk592

3y↑10

It's so sad to me Leadbelly doesn't get the recognition he deserves. The man wrote so many great songs that everyone knows! And so many people stole, or covered his songs and didn't give him any credit.

@subliminallime4321

95% of the songs he's known for were older than him, including Midnight Special. He was doing cover versions as well.

@joelstein4657

5y↑8

Music at its most simple and beautiful. Pure music. No fancy electronics to make it sound like the singers can stay on key. He sang his own way out of prison with this song.

@rwbyrose7269

3y↑12

So much music came from this man, what a talent

@electricimagesaustralia6899

37w↑1

i love recordings like this- so natural- like you were there. and this takes you back to a unique time in history

@joeblow8817

28w↑1

Controlling the tempo singing those pick up notes is awesome.

@jamesbondisamonkey

2y↑6

Just finding this guy's stuff now, my god it's amazing how much he influenced the history of rock

@dazuk37

48w

Nice to see people still discovering Leadbelly :)

@chrisdickson6649

36w↑1

Unbelievable. Another one. This guy is a LEGEND

@battsbrownsauce1274

4y↑7

Leadbelly was a great blues singer. Pioneer of what became country music and rock 'n' roll, skiffle, bluegrass, western swing. He had to endure Republic of Gilead and ALS disease. He deserved better while alive but his songs live on.

@contrafax

10y↑156

His talent made him immortal.

@caseysmith544

5y↑6

and all the artist that redid the old folk blues songs that he did.

@iamjesuschristintheflesh5866

3y↑1

No I made him immortal his talent is the reason I made him immortal behold

@josephdaniels8162

3y↑1

Cost his soul

@jasonfancher4513

2y↑2

When he was alive true oppression was upon the world. It makes me so frustrated when I see people getting rich off his songs and never once mention his name. The only one to mention him was nirvana. A damn shame his voice was silenced. His music will be lessons for my children as the music that changed the whole game. I pray they pass it on too theirs

@carolbrummett2779

29w↑1

Thats true. Great musician!

@j5santos

2y↑3

We include midnight special at our weekly jam session. The most under-estimated musician of all time.

@luisknowles4368

This is fantastic! Good stuff. Timeless song.

@ky_gearhead

2y↑8

I wonder how much good music we've lost over time due to being unrecorded or forgotten.

@hypokratesthehypocrite3513

4y↑2

Learning about all the songs that CCR and others covered off of this guy really shows the timeless quality in my opinion

@justkiddin84

28w↑1

Y’all, all the covers kept him alive-folks kept these recordings and we might not know about them without the covers. And yes, they should have credited him.💯

@sanchomonaldi

5y↑2

Hoy conocí al autor de muchas de las canciones que he escuchado por Creedence, Nirvana y otros.Creo que es un músico de culto, de excelente vos y también, con muy buenos coros.

@pedrasolta8371

1y↑2

Blues é o cerne da essência

@GuitarPlayingFoool

4y↑22

Such a good song, I listen to CCR everyday and that's it, im also working on playing guitar and becoming a star one day. I have a very lucky parent to each me how to play anything, very "special" :)

@GregoryAnderson

3y↑9

This is the best version of the song yet, that I've heard.

@platinumone1159

46w↑2

Goodnight Irene, House of the Rising Sun, The Midnight Special, this man was a musical genius and one of the greats in the art.

@palhacinho1985

3y↑1

Leadbelly é diferenciado

@fernandocifre4545

44w↑1

This is great! I'm glad I came to know him.

"The only thing that distingueshes this song from many thousands of other songs like it is that it was never recorded by Leadbelly". Utah Phillips ( https://youtu.be/BrrB0BRa5Is )

@frankparker1191

4y↑3

Lead Belly takes me to a special headspace very few others can, a calmness of spirit.

@ajweberman

2y↑1

We need more people like him the world.

@joseantoniolarrea7152

What an amazing song.

@patriot177

5y↑16

This man deserves more respect and credit for this song

@gerwynevans2729

4y↑2

Haven't heard this in years, as brilliant as first time of hearing. Thanks for uploading.

@judythompson5253

never wears out, does it.

@gerwynevans2729

It certainly doesn't

@stevieme8642

5y↑5

When they remade his music it seems like they took all of the heart out of it. All of the meaning went away and it just became some tune to enjoy.

I feel lucky that I discovered his music.

@ashybaedaqueen

5y↑1

this was an old prison song before he recorded it

@slint69

5y↑113

@tobyhiddens7233

5y↑1

Thanks

@tobyhiddens7233

5y↑4

That last verse???!

@KieraQ0323

4y↑5

I heard "Benson Crocker will arrest you".

@hrishikeshjoshi975

4y↑1

Thanks so much

@DarMam

3y↑1

I'm struggling so much with "Then I had to give the worry about a been a long time", any native speaker know what this means?

6 More Replies...

@yduronerom6380

Pure damn gold jams right here. Wish I could have experienced this guy live...all these Kings of blues folk rockers. God Bless him and his ppls, but if you're in the giving mood we'll take some too Lord. A-fukin-men!

@assaultpioneer8414

2y↑3

Seriously the most covered, under acclaimed song writer ever

@josealba5027

4y↑2

Great. Song. Love it.

@richardchirnside7102

Absolutely fantastic.

@faamxsands4684

10y↑5

saludos a lead belly a donde quiera que este , una huella imborrable en la historia

@langostasenelorto

me uno a tu saludo. no puedo evitar recordarlo. el cielo lo sabe

@WizardOfWhoopee

33w↑2

There's Nothing like original Blues, man o man.

@xbigshot1

4y↑3

WOW............Lead Belly nailed this one!

@paulkelly4202

6y↑10

the best rendition ever.It's amazing how many of our modern musicians reach back to the blues for their biggest hits.Hell,Led Zeppelin even stole them by taking writing credits for many songs that weren't theirs. Gallows Pole,When The Levee Breaks, dazed and confused, Whole Lotta Love from Willie Dixon and many more.Sad that those cases exist when most people believe in giving proper credit.

@IMDUNNN

5y↑3

Paul Kelly Its not really fair to say they stole though. Many old blues songs were passed down from generation to generation with origins dating long before willie Dixon, howlin wolf, muddy waters etc. It would be one thing if Led Zeppelin were stealing original material by these artists, but the nature of the genre was covering old songs. Zeppelin just gets a lot of flak because they were popular.

1 More Replies...

@michaelt3798

4y↑4

PURE, you can feel the the raw emotion. Today's music dosnt come close.

@nicksmyth8148

6y↑2

Just downloaded this song I love this song it opens your heart

@myoho777

2y↑2

@davestonehill6177

8y↑10

Great version!

@jeffdawson2786

3y↑1

Love ❤️ it.

@carolstarr6637

4y↑2

LOVE THIS SONG

@frankfurfaro2165

5y↑8

This is where it starts. Elvis heard these great artists and took it to the next level of making thisvgreat music main stream. Love all these guys mudfy wsters ledbelly and many blues singers.

@keef82

This man is the GOAT, he should be revered way more than he is

William Mitchell

5y↑1

What a voice he had.

@HystEric_Demory

50w

I thought it was an original by John Fogerty for Creedence Clearwater Revival. In cases like this, I’m glad that I’m proven wrong. Just so I can listen to the originals and appreciate future generations’ love for classic music. Despite my generations’ lack of enjoyment for music such as this. As well as creating music that involves pure human talent.

@stevenyourke7901

The midnight special refers to the train that goes by the prison at around midnight. Legend has it that if the train’s light shines on a prisoner in his bunk, the prisoner is sure to get released soon. Great old folk song.

@Retslu

9y↑44

This movie really gripped me as I watched it this morning. I've never been on a chain gang even though I spent 20 years in prison, I have worn those shackles walking down the steps of leavenworth, if you've seen the joint you know what that feels like. This mans spirit of freedom and survival are amazing...

@milascave2

9y↑4

John Thomson There are places in the USA where the chain gangs are coming bak. Dispite concerns from officers about fights due to people stepping on the chains and so forth.

@Deftonesdsm

6y↑7

Dude i remodeled the old leavenworth prison. I feel for you....fuck that place

@artsshorts

5y↑5

What movie?

1 More Replies...

@edwardhalpin7503

Damn good, goes right through you

@brucedalwin2184

5y↑5

He did get recognition. He sold out Carnegie Hall and had good record sales.

@blazer6248

4y↑2

Lead Belly was from around here. We have a bronze statue of him playing his guitar in Downtown Shreveport ❤️

Being a guitar player myself now, it really means that much more to me. I feel like I've joined an exclusive club of millionaires and bums and working men and musicians and artists and music lovers. It's given me a much different perspective of guitar playing and music in general.

@carlosesccobar2516

5y↑8

@stonethecrow80

Thanks to rock artists who made me know blues music

@gavintownsley2534

5y↑17

Raw! If you've anything to say then just pick up a guitar and say it!...big love to you all as well

@CthrutheLInEs

Thanks to US Government teacher Elisa Brock for hipping us youngsters to this man circa 1994. You were so much cooler than we deserved.

@jmichael1031

5y↑13

CCR ny ass. leadbelly is one of the iconic and underrated Houston treasures that are under appriciated and often overshadowed by the covers done by others. RIP little Joe Washington my man who could turn out a downtown Houston restaurant with aha's cheers and amazement yuppies questioning "who's that fella" well up till months before his death. Cindi said you can keep that Cydi and I treasure every moment I spent around you my man

@arnofxable

CCR leveled up all covers they made, without denaturing...even if oldies version are awesome...

@undertaker9336

@@arnofxable nah leadbelly made ccr

@arnofxable

@@undertaker9336 he surely did.! Nothing new under the Sun...but some do good covers, some don't....

@undertaker9336

@@arnofxable it was a decent cover nothing special

@arnofxable

@@undertaker9336 different feeling...don't want to change your mind, but can't change mine...it's feeling..! All the greatest for you anyway.!

1 More Replies...

@isaiahcoleman7827

40w

folk singing, songs where people are singing about the hard times of joy.

@TeslasTeaParty

5y↑42

Why do I mostly always have to go back in time to find new music?.. I'm glad I found this though 👍

@cvalente81

4y↑1

That's where the best music is. In the past.

@ruchir7831

@@MB-jg4tr thanks for sharing and thank you more for not rick rolling. Cheers

@MB-jg4tr

@@ruchir7831 https://youtu.be/4FD9_bHiY4c you'll dig this channel, cheers

@TeslasTeaParty

John Jones JJ what are you going on about mate?..

1 More Replies...

@christopherdingus7338

God Bless Lead Belly.

@neil575

3y↑1

No one really knows the origin of the song. It was supposed to have come about with the prisoners in the South. The first appearance of this song in print was in the early 1900s. Various artists had covered it. Leadbelly's version became the most popular version and thus many thought that he was the one who wrote it. He himself had 3 or 4 different versions.

@ludwinao

3y↑3

Bought this album 45 years ago. Many greats on that collection. We used to put Leadbelly on when we we working on the farm. In Maine, not Louisiana.

@drewcherry2794

Really makes you respect John Jogerty even more

@minimouche9143

5y↑1

Merci beaucoup ! Formidable !

@failtrailfails

2y↑1

Lead Belly, Buckwheat Zydeco, John Fogerty, in that order best renditions of this classic

@redrocks1983

1934... A few years before even Robert Johnson. One of the only legends I know of, who was born in the late 1800's. I think his criminal record has unfairly tarnished his legacy.

@evelynperez750

2y↑1

A historic Legend for Sugarland Tx TDJCJ Central unit 1930’s Where he was in jail due to a murder and he made sone beautiful songs expressing his feelings🙏❤️❤️

@shirleyjennings5787

Great Song!

@roflmows

3y↑1

sad but true. when i was a kid, i thought this was a song about being a trucker.

i thought the Midnight Special was something only truckers knew about. like an extra-large black coffee you could get at a truck stop diner, but it wasn't on the menu--you had to ask for it specifically by name. "gimme a Midnight Special, Alice...i'm on an all-night run to Nashville."

the Midnight Special because it kept you awake all night, and because it was dark as night.

yeesh, the crap we come up with as kids, lol.

@rogeralsop3479

Great song.

@adge505

Such a great cover by lead. CCR all the way

@hmackie6823

never stop doing what you love

@BebeLush2

Glorious!

@yolandajohnson8685

5y↑13

John Fogerty did a good cover of this song and so did Andy Griffith.

@laketolbert866

4y↑1

Damn good music.

@subversivelysurreal3645

5y↑3

I LOVE him, for #BourgeoisBlues!! #RespectAndLove!! ❤️✊🏾🌍✌🏾💯

@pcmikefl

38w

Watching War Room. Every day they're playing American folk music 😊. Today is this beauty 🙏🇺🇸

@19irving

22w↑1

Janis Joplin certainly appreciated him.

@ceceliagrant-peters2496

5y↑17

Watching a documentary about him on Smithsonian channel. Inspiring 💙

@normgraham8630

Led Belly, stabbed people in three states. New York, Louisiana, and Texas. If he were a less talented man, he would have served 10x more time. He was a career stabber. It was in Louisiana prison system, that he was discovered. In the Lomax years.

@hrvojevasilj7976

I tought CCR sang this first this man is the root of the modern music

@joseluisayerbe4976

This awesome real version makes me feel chicken skin !!

@alexoakley7144

This man wrote the song but didn't get credit, because he wrote it when he was serving time. (If I'm remembering correctly)

@michaelt3798

you can feel the pain in his voice.

@hungery12

I love this.

@duncanrobertson9176

4y↑2

Still discovering how much we owe that generation/sector of society. All I knew was Creedence Clearwater's cover......

@neilreichenbach2683

4y↑6

I love them blues specially Robert Johnson

@jsbrules

Yes, blues is great and Robert Johnson is phenomenal, but this is not really a blues song. Lead Belly was a very versatile performer of all kinds of folk songs, and probably most of his most famous songs were not exactly blues. But great, yes. And the Golden Gate Quartet are behind him on this and some of his other recordings, and are a superb influential group. Check them out. This recording is from their album together, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Midnight_Special_and_Other_Southern_Prison_Songs

@haeckencosta2260

Very good!!

@heathen637

I ain't woke I just love music.

@TSMPimpDaddyPain

6y↑9

Legendary

@BrianSmith-gg7es

Would love to hear this in an episode of Atlanta.

@Backyardmech1

9y↑133

Written in Central Unit in Sugarland, TX along Hwy 90. The trains passing by every night around midnight were the lights of salvation if they were to escape. Gotta walk straight in Houston