<P> The song is historically performed in the country - blues style from the viewpoint of the prisoner and has been covered by many artists . </P> <P> Lyrics appearing in the song were first recorded in print by Howard Odum in 1905: </P> <P> Get up in the mornin' when ding dong rings, Look at table--see the same damn thing </P> <P> The first printed reference to the song itself was in a 1923 issue of Adventure magazine, a three - times - a-month pulp magazine published by the Ridgway Company . In 1927 Carl Sandburg published two different versions of "Midnight Special" in his The American Songbag, the first published versions . </P>

The midnight special shine a light on me