THE MIDNIGHT SPECIAL - Lonnie Donegan video free download
The legend of The Midnight Special is that a train would pass the prison each day at midnight and its headlight would flash through the bars and into the prison. The superstition was that if the light shone on you, that meant you would be the next man to get out of the prison.
Lead Belly saw John Lomax as his Midnight Special, his way to get out of Angola. He asked Lomax to record a song he had written, a plea to Louisiana Gov. O.K. Allen to release him from prison.
Lead Belly asked Lomax to deliver the recording to Gov. Allen. At the end of the song, Lead Belly made sure to tell the governor his given name and exactly where he could be found in prison.
Then in the late 1950's Lonnie got it into the charts and from then on..
Or....
The Midnight Special is a replay of the auld devil's black coach or hunt or horse myth which is coming to take us all away.
......................
Coming for me soon :-(
Comments
8 years ago
Thomascow Mc Mullan
Thank You Malcalum, great video, grew up on Lonnie's songs, no food but great music Cheers OXOX9 years ago
J.K. Marshall
Well done...a Leadbelly classic...9 years ago
Fred Charles
The legend of The Midnight Special is that a train would pass the prison each day at midnight and its headlight would flash through the bars and into the prison. The superstition was that if the light shone on you, that meant you would be the next man to get out of the prison.La légende de "The Midnight Special" est un train qui passait près de la prison chaque jour à minuit et son phare clignotait à travers les barreaux de la prison. La superstition est que si la lumière a brillé sur vous, vous étiez le prochain à sortir de la prison.10 years ago
BookimCrocker
Great to see Lonnie dominating Jools 2000 Hootenanny show with a fine rendition of this.. RIP . Legend Lonnie11 years ago
rigamarrow
The wabash railroad ran three passenger trains a day between each of it terminal cities, usually one which departed in early morning, one in the afternoon, and one late night, usually with "mid"in the name:The Midnight Special""The Mid-Cities Express or just "The Midnight'11 years ago
Darlene Greenhalgh
he served time in the prison were this song was worte it is now closed ghost adventures invesgated it.11 years ago
Chippie Baker
Lonnie - 'A Legend' - Never Forgotten !!11 years ago
marcelaruby84
And it was said Bonnie & Clyde lived in the tower before they died.11 years ago
marcelaruby84
He was incarcerated in Central Unit, Sugarland Texas, I believe he is burried there in the cemetery the bldg is demolished this place should have been made into a museum, and it was about the train, that's how the prisoners knew what time it was! 12 midnight11 years ago
aicram62
This is the song for the tv show the Midnight Special. HA HA didn't know it came from this. I'm just a baby being only 50.11 years ago
Bernard Mainwaring
Lonnie lives on.......11 years ago
Jamie Bambie
This is Great , as I was a fireman in the 1960s , and we did lots of work at night with steam engines . Hard work for not much money , but priceless times , remembered for ever.12 years ago
25FIREBALL
i love train songs12 years ago
flatroofer
Brilliant.12 years ago
jonwints
Whenever I hear Lonnie Donegan I recall the innocent, happy days of my youth. He invited the listener like me to join him- either, grab an instrument or just hop in and hang on. You had to love Lonnie. He was always great fun!12 years ago
jonwints
Whenever I hear Lonnie Donegan I recall the innocent, happy days of my youth. He invited the listener like me to join him either, grab an instrument or just hop in and hang on. You had to love Lonnie. He was always great fun!13 years ago
pinchold pinch
all of us seens to be waitin for the big shiny thing to shine on us an givs freedom that's why the sonold is still so pooular.The engine driver don't fuck up.13 years ago
Nicole Noelle Niehaus
@maolchalium That's interesting about the BBC banning it. I wonder why they thought it obscene. I always thought it was just about some guy stealing some other guy's potatoes. Unless the potatoes refer to the other guy's wife or girlfriend. Here in Cincinnati there's a local Jug Band " Cincinnati Dancing Pigs". They do this song as well as "Sheik of Araby", Alabama Jubilee", "Miss Piggy for President". And several others.13 years ago
FoxRunMan
I heard another interpretation of what the Midnight Special meant - that it referred to a guard who did a walk-through of the prison carrying a light that he shined in the cells to check on the prisoners in the middle of the night.13 years ago
stbricesday
Looked for your Aunt, but this classic is only 2 1/2 mins long, poor old Aunt Cherry slips into obscurity.......Related Videos
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