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 ↴
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
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
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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@slint69
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
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
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
@TheDrivewayEngineer
It's a damn shame this man doesn't get more credit.
@zachsimon9004
Don't worry im gonna make a film about his life
@o0fernand0
Perhaps he never longed for it
@Mshani-pu5uq
@@zachsimon9004 really?
@mr.vinegaroon3132
@@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
Concur.l..the only thing left of his name is a Ghetto in Shreveport Louisiana call Ledbetter Heights..
@brandonfleming7118
God I love Leadbelly.
I'm so happy Nirvana introduced me to him. Such an amazing artist.
@bday8242
he was-unlike Nirvana.
@d4re416
Found nirvana through him lol
@joeimbesi99
Wrote sooo many songs that others pinched and got credit for..HE WAS FIRST FOLKS..GIVE THIS MAN HIS DUE CREDIT!!