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Table of Contents
About “City of New Orleans”
At once a bittersweet celebration of and lamentation for a long-lost America… written by Steve Goodman… as made famous by Arlo Guthrie…
Arlo Guthrie’s Recording
In the key of G Flat Major…
Lyrics
Riding on the City of New Orleans,
Illinois Central, Monday morning rail.
Fifteen cars and fifteen restless riders.
Three conductors and twenty-five sacks of mail.
All along the southbound odyssey
The train pulls out at Kankakee
Rolls along past houses, farms and fields.
Passin’ trains that have no names
Freight yards full of old black men
And the graveyards of the rusted automobiles.
Good morning, America. How are you?
Say don’t you know me I’m your native son.
I’m the train they call The City of New Orleans.
I’ll be gone five hundred miles when the day is done.
Dealin’ cards with the old men in the club car.
Penny a point ain’t no one keepin’ score.
Won’t you pass the paper bag that holds the bottle.
Feel the wheels rumblin’ ‘neath the floor.
And the sons of Pullman porters
And the sons of engineers
Ride their fathers’ magic carpets made of steel.
Mothers with their babes asleep
Are rockin’ to the gentle beat
And the rhythm of the rails is all they feel.
Good morning, America. How are you?
Don’t you know me I’m your native son.
I’m the train they call The City of New Orleans.
I’ll be gone five hundred miles when the day is done.
Nighttime on The City of New Orleans.
Changing cars in Memphis, Tennessee.
Halfway home, we’ll be there by morning.
Through the Mississippi darkness
Rolling down to the sea.
But all the towns and people seem
To fade into a bad dream
And the steel rails still ain’t heard the news.
The conductor sings his songs again,
The passengers will please refrain
This train’s got the disappearing railroad blues.
Good night, America. How are you?
Say, don’t you know me I’m your native son.
I’m the train they call The City of New Orleans.
I’ll be gone five hundred miles when the day is done.
Chords & Lyrics
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“City of New Orleans” in Other Keys
Buy Frank a cup of coffee (donations) and he’d be happy to rewrite the chart in another key.
Roman Numeral Analysis of the Chord Changes
Let Frank know if you’d like to see a Roman Numeral Analysis (RNA) of the chord changes. Such knowledge and skill enables you to more deeply internalize the chord changes and enables you to quickly transpose them to another key.
learn more… Chords & Lyrics for Iconic Songs