Chord City Of New Orleans by Arlo Guthrie

the city of new orleans by steve goodman but based on arlo’s version i think this is how my dad usually plays it . some of the chords might be a little off , because apart from the opening D chord i got the rest entirely by ear . sounds great hybrid - or travis - picked . on the lines ending with A ’d’ , you should alternate with Dsus2/4 , but for ease of reading i have not explicitly tabbed those out . lyrics from - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - D A D riding on the city of new orleans , Bm G D A illinois central monday morning rail D A D fifteen cars and fifteen restless riders , Bm A D three conductors and twenty - five sacks of mail . Bm all along the southbound odyssey F#m the train pulls out at kankakee A Em rolls along past houses , farms and fields . Bm passin’ trains that have no names , F#m freight yards full of old black men A G D and the graveyards of the rusted automobiles . chorus : G A D good morning america how are you? Bm G D A don’t you know me i’m your native son , D A D i’m the train they call the city of new orleans , C Em A D 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 . 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 . chorus 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 . 1970 , 1971 emi u catalogue , inc and turnpike tom music ascap