"Midnight Rider" was the second single from their second studio album, Idlewild South (1970), released on Capricorn Records. The song was primarily written by vocalist Gregg Allman, who first began composing it at a rented cabin outside Macon, Georgia. He enlisted the help of roadie Robert Kim Payne to complete the song's lyrics. He and Payne broke into Capricorn Sound Studios to complete a demo of the song.
"Midnight Rider" originated during the group's time spent at Idlewild South, a $165-a-month farmhouse they rented on a lake outside Macon, Georgia. Allman felt free to smoke marijuana with no police around, which contributed to his writing at the cabin. Its genesis was quick: the song came to him out of nowhere, and he completed a rough draft in just over an hour of writing.
Lyrics
Well, I've got to run to keep from hiding
And I'm bound to keep on riding
And I've got one more silver dollar
But I'm not gon' let 'em catch me, no
Not gon' let 'em catch the midnight rider
And I don't own the clothes I'm wearing
And the road goes on forever
And I've got one more silver dollar
But I'm not gon' let 'em catch me, no
Not gonna let 'em catch the midnight rider
And I've gone by the point of caring
Some old bed I'll soon be sharing
And I've got one more silver dollar
But I'm not gon' let 'em catch me, no
Not gon' let 'em catch the midnight rider
No, I'm not gon' let 'em catch me, no
Not gon' let 'em catch the midnight rider
No, I'm not gon' let 'em catch me, no
I'm not gon' let 'em catch the midnight rider
But I'm not gonna let 'em catch me, no
Not gon' let 'em catch the midnight rider
Songwriters: Gregg L. Allman / Robert Kim Payne
Midnight Rider lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.