steve goodman
The line "this train's got the disappearing railroad blues" showed up to be only dark thoughts, but at the time Goodman wrote this (1970), that line between Chicago and New Orleans had an uncertain future along with several other famous railroad lines. But it is still going strong.
It all started in 1947 with Illinois Central Railroad, and "City of New Orleans" was the longest daylight run in the United States. Operation was passed to Amtrak in 1971, the train renamed to "Panama Limited" and put to an overnight schedule. In 1981 Amtrak restored the "City of New Orleans" name, while retaining the overnight schedule. It still runs this way, with small changes in tracks and stops. It has it's own website HERE.
The song was first released by Goodman himself, recorded March 23, 1970 for his album "Gathering at the Earl of Old Town"
... In 1972 Arlo Guthrie heard the song and bought it; Willie Nelson caught it 10 years later and there we go ...
... John Prine has called this "the best damned railroad song ever written" :-D
riding on the City of New Orleans
Illinois central • Monday morning rail
fifteen cars and fifteen restless riders
three conductors, twentyfour sacks of mail
all along the southbound odyssey the train pulls out of Kankakee
and rolls along past houses, farms and fields
passing graves that have no name • freight yards full of old black men
and graveyards filled with rusted automobiles
good morning America : how are you ?
don't you know me ? I'm your native son :
I am the train they call the City of New Orleans
I'll be gone 500 miles when the day is done
dealing cards with the old men in the club car
penny a point : ain't no one keeping score
pass the paper bag that holds the bottle
and feel the wheels grumbling 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 • 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 am the train they call the City of New Orleans
I'll be gone 500 miles when the day is done
night time on the City of New Orleans
changing cars in Memphis, Tennessee
halfway home and 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 bad dream
and the steel rail 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 am the train they call the City of New Orleans
I'll be gone 500 miles when the day is done
For the following CHORD section, fullscreen/horizontal mobile is recommended.
Chords in brackets may be omitted.
G D G riding on the City of New Orleans Em C D ...D7 Illinois central Monday morning rail G D G fifteen cars and fifteen restless riders Em D D6 G three conductors twentyfour sacks of mail Em Bm all along the southbound odyssey the train pulls out of Kankakee D A and rolls along past houses farms and fields Em Bm passing graves that have no name freight yards full of old black men D D7 D6 G and graveyards filled with rusted automobiles C D G good morning America : how are you ? Em C D ...D7 don't you know me I'm your native son : G D G ...Em I am the train they call the City of New Orleans Bb C D D6 G I'll be gone five hundred miles when the day is done
