When I was in high school, the Catholic parishes held dances on Friday nights. I think they alternated weeks among St. Bridget’s, St. Gabriel’s, and St. Mary’s. Freshman and sophomore years, even into junior year, the Friday night parish dance was THE place to be, partly because we didn’t yet have drivers’ licenses and had to rely on parents to get us there. In my case, the Friday night dance was just about the only place my parents allowed me to go at night, foolishly thinking a Catholic dance was the safest place for a young Catholic girl.

Anyway, this week’s Song Lyric Sunday “Dawn/Noon/Dusk/Midnight/Nocturnal/Diurnal” theme got me nostalgic for those dances, because every Friday, no matter which parish was hosting or which band was playing, we knew the night was just about over when we heard the first chords of Wilson Pickett’s “In The Midnight Hour.”

 

 

“In The Midnight Hour”

I’m gonna wait ’till the midnight hour
That’s when my love come tumbling down
I’m gonna wait ’till the midnight hour
When there’ no one else around
I’m gonna take you, girl, and hold you
And do all things I told you, in the midnight hour

Yes I am, oh yes I am
One thing I just wanna say, right here

I’m gonna wait till the stars come out
And see that twinkle in your eyes
I’m gonna wait ’till the midnight hour
That’s when my love begins to shine

You’re the only girl I know
Can really love me so, in the midnight hour

Oh yeah, in the midnight hour
Yeah, all right, play it for me one time, now

I’m gonna wait ’till the midnight hour
That’s when my love come tumbling down
I’m gonna wait, way in the midnight hour
That’s when my love begin to shine, just you and I
Oh, baby, just you and I
Nobody around, baby, just you and I
Oh, right, you know what?
I’m gonna hold you in my arms, just you and I
Oh yeah, in the midnight hour
Oh, baby, in the midnight hour

Writer/s: WILSON PICKETT, STEVE CROPPER