How to Play City of New Orleans by Steve Goodman

The Chords

 

EADGBE
xx0232 = D
x02220 = A
320003 = G
x2003x = G/B
x32010 = C
x24432 = Bm
244222 = F#m
022100 = E
4xx454 = E/G#

Chords and Lyrics

D                    A                     D

Riding on the City of New Orleans

Bm                G                      D

Illinois central, Monday morning rail

D                    A                     D

Fifteen cars and fifteen restless riders

Bm                G                      D

Three conductors and twenty-five sacks of mail

Bm

All along the southbound odyssey

F#m

The train pulls out at Kankakee

A                                            E

And rides along rivers, farms, and fields

Bm

Passing trains that have no names

F#m

The freight yards full of old black men

A                                            D

And the graveyards of rusted automobiles

 

[Begin Chorus]

G                    A                     D

Good morning, America, how are ya?

Bm                  G                     D

Don’t you know me, I’m your native son

A                    D                     A                      Bm         A          E/G#

I’m the train they call the City of New Orleans

C                   G/B                 A                                      D

And I’ll be gone five hundreds miles when the day is done

[End Chorus]

 

D                    A                     D

Playing cards with the old man in the club car

Bm                G                      D

Penny a point, ain’t no one keeping score

D                    A                     D

Pass the paper bag that holds the bottle

Bm                G                      D

Feel the wheels rumblin’ ‘neath the floor

 

Bm

And the sons of pullman porters

F#m

And the sons of engineers

A                                            E

Ride their fathers’ magic carpet made of steel

Bm

Mothers with their babes asleep

F#m

Are rocking to the gentle beat

A                                            D

And the rhythm of the rails is all they feel

 

[Chorus]

 

D                    A                     D

Night time on the City of New Orleans

Bm                G                      D

Changing cars in Memphis, Tennessee

D                    A                     D

Halfway home, we’ll be there by morning

Bm                G                      D

Through the Mississippi delta, rollin’ down to the sea

Bm

But all the towns and people seem

F#m

To fade into a bad dream

A                                            E

And the steel rails still ain’t heard the news

Bm

The conductor sings his song again

F#m

The passengers will please refrain

A                                            D

This train has got the disappearing railroad blues

 

[Chorus]

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