10. In 1925, Leadbelly literally sang his way out of prison
At the time of Leadbelly’s incarceration, Pat Morris Neff (1871-1952) was in his last days as governor of Texas. A progressive politician who took a keen interest in the prison system and convicted criminals in the Lone Star State, Neff several times he took his family for a picnic at Imperial State to hear Leadbelly perform. Sensing an opportunity, with his sentence nearing its minimum 7-year term, Leadbelly smartly decided to write a song to Neff pleading for a pardon, which he played with great theatre every time Neff visited according to the governor’s 1925 autobiography.
The song, entitled Please Pardon Me, had the unsubtle refrain, ‘[if I] had you, Governor Neff, like you got me/ I’d wake up in the mornin’, and I’d set you free’. Incredibly, it worked, and Leadbelly received his pardon the day before Neff’s office ended. This bold move is a crucial part of the Leadbelly mythology, but whilst the song did ultimately secure his freedom, Leadbelly had long before decided to behave himself after the infamous knife fight in hope of an early release. Neff, no doubt, would have reviewed the reports of Leadbelly’s good behaviour before approving his pardon.