Skip to content

The City Of New Orleans Lyrics By Arlo Guthrie

    publishers al bunetta dba jurisdad music
    last update december 0 04
    popularity 5605 users have visited this page
    genrefolk
    released97
    sponsored links
    riding on the city of new orleans
    illinois central monday morning rail
    fifteen cars and fifteen restless riders
    three conductors and twentyfive 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
    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’ card games 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 father’s 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

    nighttime on the city of new orleans
    changing cars in memphis tennessee
    half way home we’ll be there by morning
    through the mississippi darkness
    rolling down to the sea
    and 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 song again
    the passengers will please refrain
    this train’s got the disappearing railroad blues

    good night 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

    Artist: Arlo Guthrie

    Year: 1972

    Decade: 70s

    Language: en

    Word Count: 186