One of the great songwriters of our time; a member of Songwriters Anonymous. Link to a great half hour discussion ’bout Stevie. Link to where SG’s mind was at when he was writing: You Never Even Call Me By My Name – he was a darlin’, darlin’.
Steve Goodman : City Of New Orleans (Live 1972)
thanks to Steve and 1000magicians and the Old Grey Whistle Test
Steve’s Song (a little different from how I play it but that’s what it’s all about (baby))
(capo 3)
G
D
G
Riding on the
City of New Or
leans,
Em
C
G
Illinois Central,
Monday morning
rail,
G
D
G
Fifteen cars and fi
fteen restless
riders,
Em
D
G
Three con
ductors, and t
wenty five sacks of
mail.
Em
All a
long the southbound odyssey,
Bm
The
train pulls out of Kankakee,
D
A
And
rolls along the houses, farms and
fields.
Em
Passing towns that have no name,
Bm
And
freight yards full of old black men,
D
G
And
graveyards of the rusted automo
biles.
Chorus:
C
D
G
Good morning Am
erica, how a
re you?
Em
C
G
Say
don’t you know me,
I’m your native
son.
D
G
D
Em
I’m the
train they call the
City of New
Orleans,
F
C
D
G
I’ll be gon
e five
hundred miles
when the day is
done.
Dealing card games with the old men in the club cars,
A penny a point, ain’t no one keeping score.
Pass the paper bag that holds the bottle( tequila),
And feel the wheels rumbling ‘neath the floor.
And the sons of Pullman porters,
And the sons of engineers,
Ride their fathers’ magic carpet made of steel.
Mothers with their babes asleep,
Rocking to the gentle beat,
And the rhythm of the rails is all they feel (dream).
Chorus.
Nighttime on the City of New Orleans,
Changing cars in Memphis, Tennesee.
Halfway home, and we’ll be there by morning,
Through the Misissippi darkness, rolling down to the sea.
But all the towns and people seem
To fade into a bad dream,
The steel rail still ain’t heard the news.
The conductor sings his songs again,
The passengers will please refrain,
This train’s got the disappearin’ railroad blues.
Chorus:
Goodnight 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
