October 25, 2010
Midnight Special: A Prison Anthem
One of the greatest prison songs ever written is “Midnight Special” originally sung by Lead Belly. The song is based on his experience of getting arrested Houston, his stay at the Sugar Land Prison (now the Beauford H. Jester pre-release Center) in 1925, and the legend of the Midnight Special.
The Midnight Special was a train that ran from Houston to San Antonio, approximating the route of Alternate 90. The train passed through the middle of the town of Sugar Land, and west of town, through the heart of what used to be known as the Imperial State Prison Farm (Sugar Land Prison), each day at midnight. Its headlight flashed through the bars and into the prison.
The superstition was that if the light shined on you, that meant your woman was on the train with the papers from the Governor to get you out of prison. Thus, the men hoped the light of the Midnight Special would shine it light on them.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Lyrics:
(Lead Belly Version)
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
CHORUS:
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
CHORUS
Well I went to the nation and to the territo(ry)
Well I thought about the girl I love, in that Mexico
CHORUS
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
CHORUS
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
CHORUS
Category: CERR Prison Project, Prison Songs |
No Comments »
Tags:
