If you ever go to Houston, you better walk right
You better not gamble, you better not fight
Cause the sheriff will arrest you, and the judge will send you down
And you can bet your bottom dollar, you’re penitentiary bound
Then you’ll wake up in the morning, hear the ding dong ring
They’ll march you to the table, see the same damn thing
Won’t be no food upon the table, won’t be no water in the pan
And if you say anything about it, you’ll be in trouble with the man
Where’s the Midnight Special, to shine its light on me
Where’s the Midnight Special, to shine its ever-loving light on me
My bunk-mate tells me he’s my buddy, he pins my rap-sheet on the wall
He says that they don’t know the half of it, but that just makes me feel more small
He says that train ain’t coming through here, he says you’re stuck here in this hole
So hunker down and count the days off, and let the shame man take his toll
Chorus…
Yonder comes Little Annie, how in the world did she know
That I been rotting in this jailhouse, that I been sinking slow and low
She said now don’t you fret your head none, she said I come to take you home
So set right down and be forgiven, and you’ll no longer be alone
Chorus…
But whoa, looky yonder, what in the world do I see
That train the Midnight Special, and it’s a slowing down for me
Inside there’s turkey on the table, a feast to die for, pass the ham
And don’t be thinking you’ve been hoodwinked, cause this would be the other man
Chorus…