Originally formed as The Golliwoggs in 1959, Creedence Clearwater Revival consisted of singer, lead guitarist, and primary writer John Fogerty, rhythm guitarist Tom Fogerty, bass player Stu Cook, and drummer Doug Clifford. Their musical style encompassed rock and roll and so-called swamp rock genres. The band’s songs are often cited as examples of patriotic, liberal American protest songs, and of good-time roots rock.
In 1967, they were offered a chance to record a full-length album, but only if the band changed their name. Not really liking The Golliwogs, the foursome readily agreed.
The band took the three elements from Creedence Nuball, a friend of Tom Fogerty; “clear water”, from a TV commercial for Olympia beer; and revival, which spoke to the four members’ renewed commitment to their band. (Other contenders were Muddy Rabbit, Gossamer Wump, and Creedence Nuball and the Ruby.)
Midnight Special
“Midnight Special” is a traditional folk song thought to have originated among prisoners in the American South. The title comes from the refrain which refers to the Midnight Special and its “ever-loving light” (sometimes “ever-living light”).
The song is historically performed in the country-blues style from the viewpoint of the prisoner. The song has been covered by many different artists.
Lyrics appearing in the song were first recorded in print by Howard Odum in 1905:
Get up in the mornin’ when ding dong rings,
Look at table—see the same damn thing.
In 1934 Huddie William “Lead Belly” Ledbetter recorded a version of the song at Angola Prison for John and Alan Lomax, who mistakenly attributed it to him as the author. However, Ledbetter, instead, for his Angola session, appears to have inserted several stanzas relating to a 1923 Houston jailbreak into the traditional song.[10] Ledbetter recorded at least three versions of the song, one with the Golden Gate Quartet, a slick gospel group.
John and Alan Lomax, in their book, Best Loved American Folk Songs, told a credulous story identifying the Midnight Special as a train from Houston shining its light into a cell in the Sugar Land Prison. They also describe Ledbetter’s version as “the Negro jailbird’s ballad to match Hard Times Poor Boy. Like so many American folk songs, its hero is not a man but a train.” The light of the train is seen as the light of salvation, the train which could take them away from the prison walls. It is highly reminiscent of the imagery of such gospel songs as Let the Light from your Lighthouse Shine on Me. Carl Sandburg had a different view. He believed the subject of the song would rather be ran over by a train than spend more time in jail.
The song, as popularized by Ledbetter, has many parallel lines to other prison songs. It is essentially the same song as “De Funiac Blues,” sung and played by Burruss Johnson and recorded by John Lomax at the Raiford State Penitentiary in Florida on June 2, 1939. Many of the lines appear in prison work songs such as “Jumpin Judy,” “Ain’t That Berta,” “Oh Berta” and “Yon’ Comes de Sargent.” These songs, including Ledbetter’s “Midnight Special.” are composite. They mix standard prison song verses indiscriminately. Many of these component pieces have become canonized in the blues idiom and appear in mutated forms regularly in blues lyrics.
Although later versions place the locale of the song near Houston, early versions such as Walk Right In Belmont (Wilmer Watts; Frank Wilson, 1927) and North Carolina Blues (Roy Martin, 1930)—both essentially the same song as Midnight Special—place it in North Carolina. Most of the early versions, however, have no particular location. Only one recording, collected by the Lomaxes at the Mississippi State Penitentiary, actually identifies the train operating the Midnight Special— the Illinois Central which had a route through Mississippi.
http://djallyn.org/media/CCR-midnight_special.flv
Well, you wake up in the mornin’, you hear the work bell ring,
And they march you to the table to see the same old thing.
Ain’t no food upon the table, and no pork up in the pan.
But you better not complain, boy, you get in trouble with the man.
Let the Midnight Special shine ‘er light on me,
Let the Midnight Special shine ‘er light on me,
Let the Midnight Special shine ‘er light on me,
Let the Midnight Special shine ‘er everlovin’ light on me.
Yonder come miss Rosie, how in the world did you know?
By the way she wears her apron, and the clothes she wore.
Umbrella on her shoulder, piece of paper in her hand;
She come to see the gov’nor, she wants to free her man.
Let the Midnight Special shine ‘er light on me,
Let the Midnight Special shine ‘er light on me,
Let the Midnight Special shine ‘er light on me,
Let the Midnight Special shine ‘er everlovin’ light on me.
If you’re ever in Houston, well, you better do the right;
You better not gamble, there, you better not fight, at all
Or the sheriff will grab ya and the boys will bring you down.
The next thing you know, boy, Oh! You’re prison bound.
Let the Midnight Special shine ‘er light on me,
Let the Midnight Special shine ‘er light on me,
Let the Midnight Special shine ‘er light on me,
Let the Midnight Special shine ‘er everlovin’ light on me.
Let the Midnight Special shine ‘er light on me,
Let the Midnight Special shine ‘er light on me,
Let the Midnight Special shine ‘er light on me,
Let the Midnight Special shine ‘er everlovin’ light on me.
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Creedence Clearwater Revival
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