Added: 2 years ago
From: RagtimeDorianHenry
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  • THE ONLY REASON I DON'T REALLY LIKE CHARLIE PATTON

    I CAN'T UNDERSTAND A WORD THAT NIGGA SAID, WHILE RECORDING

  • it was the train from galveston texas to texas prison system in huntsville tx. Which he happen to take a ride on.

  • Charlie Patton sux

  • he wrote this song while doing time in the penn thats 20 from my home town

  • yall need to read up on the man it<s about his life experience,s to that point

  • Leadbelly Rock's!

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  • satan loves this what and idiot god bless the blues everyone from zeplin,cash,to nirvana covered this man songs hell even the beatles this man a legend.

  • @howard7731 You forgot CCR...They did a great cover of this tune....Leadbelly and all the other fine Southern boys changed the world..Yeah we rock down in Dixie.

  • @wthjrtx1 The members of CCR were from California not the South, but they pulled off the Southern sound very well, God bless 'em. They had the southern sound down and convinced alot of people that the were "Born on a Bayou" instead of in El Cerrito, California.

  • @TheShoreman1 Yep..You bet..But they still did a great cover of it..We know who is who...That is a pretty cool thing!!

  • 666 likes. goddamn, even satan loves this .

  • @eziekial101 LOL :D

  • Mr Leadbetter, better known as Leaadbelly sure could sing a great folk/blues, sitting down there on Parchman "Farm", believe he also served time in Angola in Louisinia sure gives you an appetite for signing your blues out!

  • Huddie William Ledbetter (January 20, 1888 – December 6, 1949) - Just there's no confusion, he did not die at age 20, he was 61; still died too young. He would have been 124 a/o yesterday, which would've been a good age for an old blues cat to die...

  • So uplifting......

  • look, Forgety, that's the music, babe =] 

  • teabagwell is correct on the Midnight Special explanation. Parchman Prison is in Mississippi where a lot of these old bluesmen came from. They knew what was going on in there. Their friends, relatives, or they themselves were in at one time or another.

  • Creedence Clearwater Revival did a version in the 70s. They also did Cotton Fields. They were fans of Leadbelly. So glad all these old songs were handed down but love the originals.

  • An ad for LMFAO's album before a Leadbelly song? lol...

  • Actually the Midnight Special was in reference to a train that ran in to Parchman Penitentiary in the Mississippi Delta. The legend was that if the train lights would shine on you as it was coming in then your woman was on board, and you had a conjugal visit coming! Look it up. These men wrote what they knew, and what they saw.

  • @teabagwell Great post...

  • @khonea3534 Thanks. Went to college in the Delta. Learned a lot about blues legends there.

  • beautiful

  • @deralteist

    It's a special train that usually departs from a penitentiary at midnight or around that time... mostly just in Texas these days!

  • @colliric It also probably refers to the hope of finally dying and being free from the prison, that's what I get from it, but it's music that reaches your soul and each interptrets it their own way I suppose...

  • @baroose67 100%. gotta SING yo bad self towards redemption

  • @Javezzz1

    I still find myself explaining to people what its really about. It's got nothing to do with trains and everything to do with old Sparky... usually still to this day, turned on at midnight.

  • Spend some time behind bars ,You'll understand !

    

  • Led Zeplins 1st album half written by Willie Dixon

    

  • @Syzygy60 It's 1/3rd, cause they were huge blues fans

  • I learned guitar from the best black bluesman ever same as the Stones and Paul Revere the Beatles were partial to Motown

  • leadgot robbed........lol.wrote every good beer joint song evr.....who got those royalties?...hahahahhahahahaha­..........yep SONY.......lol

  • anybody else seen the honeydripper?

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  • better bet ur bottom dollar

  • Every tone,and word, speaks to my existence.

  • You know one of the best thing about these tunes? They don't need drums.

  • @cfcdan123 they are drums, guitar bass, choir.. it all

  • Love this harmony version. His solo version is pretty intense. THANKS RAGTIME> Jumping Judy is a good prostitute.

  • "Jumping Judy" appears in several blues. Does anyone know the references?

  • @leitros Jumping Judy - A woman that takes care of more than one man.

    from Barrelhouse Words, a blues dictonary

  • @1966Noodles Thanks, That's interesting. I had thought she was a real, or, at least, legendary person rather than a generic type. Again, thanks for the information.

  • SHINE HER EVER-LOVIN' LIGHT ON ME

  • Heavens! Have just read all the comments attached to this video and some of you sure have some misconnection with the facts. But, that's ok. It's good that some of you are digging into history to learn where these songs came from. Even if you get it a little bit wrong, at least you are trying.

  • love the background vocals!!

  • @ashlimaribcu The background vocals are done by the Golden gate quartet!

  • this man is the history of the blues,Hughey "Leadbelly" Ledbetter

  • True legend. I heard that when Goodnight Irene became a giant hit he was already passed away, anyone know if this is fact?

  • i like sweet taters on the day before christmas eve's eve.

  • you type in "midnight special" in search and every other crap white version comes up but not the original .

  • @equalikitty Funny, because this isnt the first either. And it was a "crappy whit versiona" that was recorded first.

  • In origin yes but it is not he was the first of this style which came to be known as country so he is the first country artist ever.

  • This was actually country he was a country artist the first country artist

  • @xipototec Everyone has a right to their opinion...even if it is as wrong as yours. Your so called 'country music is welsh/irish/scots in origin.

  • first punkrock ever

  • @jessegguitar Punk carries the same spirit that blues was. I couldn't agree more.

  • This song reminds me of Christmas!

  • nothin better to cheer yourself up with than lead belly

  • @justinejh yeah ur right he brings a wee smile tae my face wi eh's jail blues.

  • This is my favorite Leadbelly song because of the beautiful harmony. I think the

    Midnigh Special was a real or mythical train. When its headlight shined on a

    prisoner it meant he would soon be freed.

    deralteist

  • love this song....

  • Song Of The Day.

  • ...wonderful....

  • que maravilla;-)

  • Now this REAL music!

  • lots of creative power back in these days. Compare it to the 90's rofl

  • Plus it's got Texas Alexander playing it. I mean, look here Boogie Chilluns, Texas Alexander didn't play second banana to very many people. That an artist of Alexander's caliber would be a sideman for Leadbelly speaks volumes all by itself.

  • This versione touch your heart.

  • Thank You Dorian Henry for this beatiful song. I heard many many performances of this song... but this is really SPECIAL !!!!

  • I could've sworn I heard a piano in here.

  • i can't explain it, but this is the first time i've heard this song. i haven't heard another version or anything. i'm on the verge of tears. this is amazing

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  • @roquesand Well at least you finally heard it!

  • @roquesand you've never heard the CCR version? I doubt that. Regardless, this invokes nothing close to tears. For me, anyhow.

  • @roquesand I don't know if you're familiar with a 1970's TV show that came on late Saturday nights called "Midnight Special," but they used this very song as their theme but they updated it to fit the 70's style of music. It was a variety show that featured artists such as Smokie Robinson, Marilyn McCoo, Aretha Franklin, the Staple Singers, Hall & Oats, REO Speedwagon, ABBA, etc.

  • @izzatrite never heard of it, but i'll check it out. thank you!

  • @izzatrite Back when we only had a handful of stations. 

  • Love it!

  • I need a LeadBelly song to get famous on like The Animals, CCR & Ram Jam

  • @shelbylee40 Don't forget Led Zep~ :) If you like this, check out Odetta's version from the 50s. I don't think it's on youtube, but it's probably on itunes. She was another BADASS.

  • @shelbylee40 and Cheap Trick too! covered ain't it a shame

  • great!!

  • wow!

    

  • wow!

    

  • special!

    

  • So who is the one idiot?

  • This is awesome! I have only ever heard the Creedence Clearwater Revival version of this!

  • @splynch1980 Johnny Rivers recorded a great version in '64

  • @splynch1980 Lead Belly's version blows CCR out of the water.

  • @SavageGreywolf And that's saying something because CCR's version is freakin' great.

  • @splynch1980 check out the version by Cryin' Sam Collins, it predates Leadbellys

  • 0 likes to l80 dislikes wouldn't change my mind about the genius of Leadbelly.....

  • sometimes i wonder about technology, but thank god for having computers and the internet and youtube, it brought me this song!

  • 181 likes to 0...that about says it

  • Great song, Great musician,......utterly mental though....

  • this song was wisely used in cool hand luke.

  • WOW! Leadbelly is truley one of the blues greats! Those of you that post this kind of music are the best! Keep on keepin on!

  • Shreveport is proud of you, Huddie!

  • I didn't know who Leadbell was until my boyfriend told me about him.I then listened to his songs on youtube and feel inlove with all his music.So now I got just about everyone of his songs and they are all great.People like him are one of a kind and the music he did was the best.God bless Leadbelly and we all thank him for his untimely music.

  • This is the type of music that inspired everything we love about music today...

  • Damn right no dislikes!!!

  • Holy Cow!!  LeadBelly is classic, this is a good-old-timey tune....

  • Yeh, ragtime, you got it going on. This is great. Thank you so much !

  • my foot loves this song, 'cause it can't stop tappin'

  • Lead Belly's version blows everyone else's out of the water.

  • @SavageGreywolf well, CCR's version was like AWESOME! it really depends on what mood im in.

  • "SMO'KIN" " well judy brought jumpin, to this whole wrong world" what a line that is,

    this is a whole wrong world! thank  you ledbelly for your music!

  • @vikingbiff YO U NEEDA GET UR EARS CHECKED CUZ ITS WHOLE ROUND WORLD

  • @MrThuglifegangsta69 what? shout louder, caint hear you!

  • This is the version with the Golden Gate Quartet (the backing singers), I've never been crazy about them singing the choruses along with him, but I LOVE the harmonizing underneath Huddie during the verses.

    You want to read about a crazy life? Read a book about Lead Belly.

  • In the midnight special ...shine a light on me !

  • like the versions of CCRevival and big bill broonzy (1935) better, but still 'thumbs up'

  • Thanks, NPR

  • great song :) I have to study the music of the Great Depression for school and I wasn't looking forward to it since I am more ot a modern day rap and ska fan. But I listened to Son House and Robert Johnson and Leadbelly and mamie and I must say that I am a converted fan :)

  • Here's to Sisco, and Sonny, and Leadbelly too...

  • great song!!

  • The Midnight Special was a train that came past the prison (Angola, I believe) every midnight. Its headlight swept over the prison dorms.

  • All those times i would watched the midnight special i found out 40 years later that the theme song was a song written by leadbelly. Thank God for the internet.

  • This song by him, talks from the grave, ever to be loved.

  • earn to play prison music u got emotion covered

    

  • i learned guitar by led belly,I'm a bit partial

    

  • it's not lead belly it's Ledbelly

    

  • @Syzygy60 No, it's Lead Belly; he preferred the two-word spelling, despite others' frequent use of "Leadbelly."

  • (His real name was Huddie Ledbetter.)

  • @Syzygy60 -----what's wrong wit u ? didn't get enough drugs? Lead Belly is Lead Belly!!!!!!!!!!!

  • death was a relief

  • no,it was a train that run by the prison if the ligh shone on u u were being executed that day...don't quote me

  • The Midnight Special is a train that people put themselves in front of to kill themselves. That or it's about a train carrying the troops of WWII.

  • That's not quite right -- Midnight Special is a prison song, and it's older than Leadbelly, although he remade many songs so that they became his own. But the song that got him out of jail was one specifically written for the governor (governor, not warden, was able to issue pardons)

  • @theoldmole not true..he wrote this song

  • was in prison... sang this song for the govenor, got pardoned....

  • From what i have heard the midnight special refers to a train that would go by the prison. If you were lucky enough to have the light of the train shine through the window of your cell onto you, the myth goes, you would soon be released/pardoned.

  • @SuperJewbot

    funny, i always kinda assumed it was about committing suicide. As in standing in front of the train

  • @s145611

    ha,

  • @s145611 I was taught the same thing.

  • @SuperJewbot My teacher told me leadbelly wrote this song while in jail. The train passed at about midnight and is the most fun they(the prisoners) had in jail hence the name midnight special. If you listen to the lyrics he talks about being in jail. Apparantly the warden loved this song so much he gave Leadbelly a break and let him out of jail

  • Midnight special was a pardon from the govenor. From what I've heard, not sure if it's true or not, Lead belly received a pardon because of this song.

  • absolutely gorgeous vocal harmonies

  • How can you guys hear a color of a man in such a beautiful song.All I hear is raw recording with great guitar and great harmonies in behind.Music just like love is blind people...

  • @enessx1 that's beautiful

  • one of my favorite songs of all time. thanks for posting this version...

  • My favorite acoustic blues song.

  • how the fuck can lead belly be blocked by youtube?

  • what is the midnight special?

  • Probably the best cover of the Delmore Brothers' song of all I've heard over the years.

  • i first heard this song three years ago when i first got with husband he was singing it in the shower, now im collecting all of the CDs i can get my hands on. I love lead belly the only song i love more than this is "Goodnight Iren"

  • first time i have listened to his music and my god i am now hooked!! WHY HAVENT I HERD THIS BEFORE!!!

  • i love this song but ive also heard a faster verison i guess you can say...where can i find that

  • this man begat rock and roll

  • absolutely

  • with The Golden Gate Quartet

  • OMG! I hope Leadbelly got credit for being the pioneer of rock & blues. Everyone from Creedence to the Stones, Zeppelin and Nirvana owe this man! Weather he wrote these songs or not, hee seems to be the first one to get them recognized.

  • OMG! I hope Leadbelly got credit for being the pioneer of rock & blues. Everyone from Creedence to the Stones, Zeppelin and Nirvana owe this man! Weather he wrote these songs or not, hee seems to be the first one to get them recognized.

  • You've still got the best channel on here. Using a lot of your videos to educate people for this lovely, culture month.

    XO,

    Kimberly J. Owen

  • Lomax introduced him to White audiences . For a time he was working for Lomax in addition to playing. He split from Lomax and became politically involved played with Guthrie(who was not a "musicologist", but a folksinger) and as a solo.

  • heard that musicologists from NYC, Woody Guthrie and Alan Lomax "discovered" Leadbelly and made him their uncle tom. I dunno.

  • Do you happen to know who was backing him?

  • @billchew450 I think he had some singers backing him.

  • @Sixalienasa he def did man lol. sounds awesome tho

  • @cooldevinis Yeah I love harmony where all the singers let it rip but hold their place in the mix.

  • lead belly is one of the best old bluesmen thx for post this song

  • @MrUndeuxtrois456 i wouldnt really classify him as a bluesman, and i definitely wouldnt classify this song as blues

  • @MrUndeuxtrois456 he realy was alittle more rock, blues is playe more in B and shuffled, he played alot of straight chords much like rock now

  • @johnwaynejohnson NO HE WAS NOT ROCK HE WAS COUNTRY MUSIC BY HIS OWN WORDS. BLUES AS WE KNOW IT AS A TERMINOLOGY WAS NOT USED BY MUSIC PLAYERS , BLUES WAS A STATE OF MIND A FEELING YOU HAD THE BLUES THIS IS COUNTRY LIKE MISSISSIPPI JOHN HURT AND THE SHIEKS ETC but over and above anything this is simply a wonderfull tune and song and all should enjoy

  • @deewilki no blues is a type of music, mostly in b, also refered as the devils music and the b riff was band in england for some time. listen to every blues song they are all similar so it has to be a genre and he did not shuffle or use the normal blues style, i know alot about the blues, i am from mississippi and no alot of bluesmen who sit on their porch and pick and it is a style

  • @johnwaynejohnson im not sure of your point jhon. what i said was the manner you referr to the blues and specifiy it as a specific tangiable object is wrong. as the old greats MJH, Chatmon , mr lead better and may others would not recognise the manner they are catalouged as BLUES ARTISTS , lead belly is and was country , it was this man that poularised the old country tunes , ov course he knew about the way to play in a certain style using many varying forms of chords and progressions

  • @johnwaynejohnson such as 12 bar , howlins 9 bar , walking , shuffle the counrty of the shieks and lead belly etc etc at that early stage it was still forming and was still a multitude of varying different forms of expressional music from family and religious background. but the blues as a modern lable is non existant then in the use it is today.