City of New Orleans

Willie Nelson

Written by Steve Goodman

Key of C · Chords: I II IV V VI iii vi

Verse 1

C             G7          C
Riding on the city of New Orleans
Am               F              C
Illinois central Monday morning rail
                 G7               C
Fifteen cars and fifteen restless riders
Am                   G7                   C
Three conductors and twenty five sacks of mail

Verse 2

Am
All along the southbound Odyssey
Em
The train pulls out of Kankakee
G7                                   D7
And rolls along the houses farms and fields
Am
Passing towns that have no name
Em
And freight yards full of old black men
G7                               C
And the graveyards of the rusted automobiles

Verse 3

F            G7              C
Good morning America how are you
Am                    F               C
Say don't you know me I'm your native son
G7      C                   G7          Am
I'm the train they call the city of New Orleans
        A7                G7                    C
I'll be gone five hundred miles when the day is done

Verse 4

                       G7                  C
Dealing cards with the old men in the club car
Am                     F           C
Penny a point ain't no one keeping score
               G7                 C
Pass the paper bag that holds the bottle
Am              G7                  C
Feel the wheels grumbling neath the floor

Verse 5

Am
And the sons of Pullman porters
Em
And the sons of engineers
G7                                      D7
Ride their fathers magic carpet made of steel
Am
Mothers with their babes a sleep
Em
A rocking to the gentle beat
G7                                     C
And the rhythm of the rail is all they feel

Verse 3

F            G7              C
Good morning America how are you
Am                    F               C
Say don't you know me I'm your native son
G7      C                   G7          Am
I'm the train they call the city of New Orleans
        A7                G7                    C
I'll be gone five hundred miles when the day is done

Verse 6

                 G7          C
Nighttime on the city of New Orleans
Am               F       C
Changing cars in Memphis Tennessee
                 G7                C
Halfway home and we'll be there by morning
Am                               G7                  C
Through the Mississippi darkness rolling down to the sea

Verse 7

Am
And all the towns and people seem
Em
To fade into a bad dream
G7                                       D7
And the steel rail still ain't heard the news
Am
The conductor sings his song again
Em
The passengers will please refrain
G7                                        C
This trains got the disappearing railroad blues

Verse 3

F            G7              C
Good morning America how are you
Am                    F               C
Say don't you know me I'm your native son
G7      C                   G7          Am
I'm the train they call the city of New Orleans
        A7                G7                    C
I'll be gone five hundred miles when the day is done