Midnight Special is believed to have originated from prisoners in the southern US. The first recording was in 1926 but Huddy Leadbetter (Leadbelly) helped to spread the song into the 30's as well.
The Midnight Special was a train out of Houston. It's lights would momentarily flood the SugarLand prison as it turned down the tracks. Does the narrator see the train as a way out of prison, or is he saying he'd rather be under the train then spend another night in jail?
And another beautiful rendition of this traditional blues song by an artist who deserves to be on this Top 100 Political Music Countdown, but (with apologies) isn't - Odetta.
