Odettta - The Midnight Special

(Lyrics below)
A traditional folk song believed to have originated among prisoners in the American South. Howard Odum first printed the lyrics in 1905. In 1927, Carl Sandburg published two versions of "Midnight Special" in his The American Songbag, and since then many musicians have performed the piece.

Midnight Special Lyrics:

Well you wake up in the morning, hear the ding dong ring,
you go a marching to the table, you see the same old thing.
Baby all I wanna tell ya, I'm like a pork in the pan and if you
say a thing about it, you're in trouble with the man.

Let the midnight special shine a light on me.
Let the midnight special shine it's ever lovin' light on me.
Yes let the midnight special shine a light on me.
Let the midnight special shine it's ever lovin' light on me

If you ever go to Houston then you better walk alright,
You better not stagger and you better not fight.
'Cause sheriff Benson will arrest you, he'll carry you on down,
and if the jury finds you guilty you're penitentiary bound.

So let the midnight special shine a light on me.
Let the midnight special shine it's ever lovin' light on me.

A yonder comes Miss Rosey, how I wonder did you know,
Well I know about her apron, and the dress she wore,
Umbrella on her shoulder piece of paper in her hand,
She goes a walkin' to the captain says I'm losin' my man.

So let the midnight special shine it's light on me.
Let the midnight special shine it's ever lovin' light on me.
Let the midnight special shine it's light on me.
Let the midnight special shine it's ever lovin' light on me.
Let the midnight special shine it's light on me

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Folk
• Song
• Traditional
• Odetta
• Prison
• Train
• Spadecaller

[irmaladouce56]

miserable circumstances... and people make a song of it. That's fortitude.

[Azizip17]

Odetta was the first woman I saw on an album cover who was photographed with an afro. This was in the early1960s when few women were wearing afros. My (White) high school history teacher introduced me to this great folk singer by sharing that album with me. Thank you Ms Shemdin. And thank you Odetta for being such a wonderful gifted role model to me & to many other Black girls struggling to like ourselves inspite of racism. You are still an inspiration!

Love, an African American sista

[IcePrincess00011]

amazing voice! I remember this song, it was played as an opening/closing song on one of the rock music programs I watched in the 70's.

[loserlover87]

Great video!

[ingraham48]

Great version

[bhamtajogi]

TTHNKS FOR SHARING THIS GEM

[bloodandwinearered]

Whoa Spadecaller, You have out done yourself. The images and editing are stunning. Tremendously artistic work. Bravo. I had the enourmous honor of performing on the same performance with Odetta when I was 18 years old. I took her as my role model for her work ethic. She changed my life. Thnaks.

[ingraham48]

I came on this by accident. Funny how things work. Back in 1966 I went to a jr. college in Middletown New York. I played in a folk group with a guy John Foster who played piano and eventually played for Odetta. On the last night before he went on the road with her we sat on the floor in my apartment and played Odetta songs. I believe we played all night. Started off with a bag and a bottle of wine and by 5 am we crashed. What a memory. Kirby

[ingraham48]

I came on this by accident. Funny how things work. Back in 1966 I went to a jr. college in Middletown New York. I played in a folk group with a guy John Foster who played piano and eventually played for Odetta. On the last night before he went on the road with her we sat oon the floor in my apartment and plaayed Odetta songs. I believe we played all night. Started off with a a bag and a bottle of wine and by 5 am we crashed. What a memory. Kirby

[bloodandwinearered]

Thespadecaller = class act. Thanks.

[oldneighboor]

sure wish she would have lived to see Obama inguraated GYHS