City of New Orleans
Steve Goodman
C G C
1.Riding on the City of New Orleans
Am F C
Illinois Central Monday morning rail
G C
Fifteen cars and fifteen restless riders
Am G C
Three conductors and twenty-five sacks of mail
Am Em
All along the southbound odyssey, the train pulls out of Kenkakee
G D
Rolls along past houses farms and fields
Am Em
Passing trains that have no name, freight yards of old black men
G G7 C
And graveyards of rusted automobiles
C G C
2. Dealing card games with the old men in the club car
Am F C
Penny a point ain't no one keeping score
G C
Pass the paper bag but hold the bottle
Am G C
Feel the wheels rumbling ‘neath the floor
Am Em
And the sons of pullman porters and the sons of engineers
G D
Ride their father's magic carpets made of steel
Am Em
Mother with her babes asleep rocking to the gentle beat
G G7 C
And the rhythm of the rails is all they feel
C G C
3.Night time on the City of New Orleans
Am F C
Changing cars in Memphis Tennessee
G C
Half way home we'll be there by morning
Am G C
Through the Mississippi darkness rolling down to the sea
Am Em
But all the towns and people seem to fade into a dark dream
G D
And the steel rail still ain't heard the news
Am Em
The conductor sings his songs again, the passangers will please refrain
G G7 C
This trains got the disappearing railroad blues
Chorus
F G7 C
Good morning America, how are you?
Am F C
Say, don't you know me, I'm your native son
G Am
I'm the train they call the City of New Orleans
Eb F G G7 C
I'll be gone five hundred miles when the day is done
The last line of the chorus is a little tricky on this, but other than that it's real easy.
Tim Madsen
Nobody cares how much you know,
until they know how much you care.
"What you keep to yourself you lose, what you give away you keep forever." -Axel Munthe
Many Many years ago, while I was in the Navy, my mom sold my entire music collection at a yard sale. I'm beginning to wonder if you're the guy who bought it! :wink:
-- Scratch 8)
"...if heartaches were commercials, we'd all be on TV" -- John Prine
42
Tim,
That's a very different key then what I have it in. Did you change that yourself or do you have a recording of Steve Goodman doing it in that key? The versions I have listened and used to tab out the song are by Arlo Guthrie and another by Willie Nelson... both in the Key of Gb by tuning down a half a step and palying G D G Em C G D G Em D G Em Bm D A Em Bm D D7 G for the verses.
And forgive me Steve Goodman, and anybody else who holds this song dear, but I also made a couple of minor lyric changes so it would rhyme better.
Verse 1 > PASSIN' TRAINS THAT HAVE NO NAME AND FREIGHT YARDS THAT ALL LOOK THE SAME
Verse 3 > THE CONDUCTOR SINGS HIS SONGS AGAIN AND THE PASSENGERS ALL JOIN IN
It just seemed to flow a lot better for me.
E doesn't = MC2, E = Fb
Music "Theory"? "It's not just a theory, it's the way it is!"
Jonny T.
I put all my tab in keys that I can sing the song in.
Your changes do rhyme better but you loose the picture that the lyric paints.
Tim Madsen
Nobody cares how much you know,
until they know how much you care.
"What you keep to yourself you lose, what you give away you keep forever." -Axel Munthe
Changing the key to fit the voice I understand, I've changed plenty with my narrow low range.
Verse 3 the wording change keeps the picture, but yes, the lyric change in verse 1 does loose some of the original picture and paints a slightly different picture.
E doesn't = MC2, E = Fb
Music "Theory"? "It's not just a theory, it's the way it is!"
Jonny T.
can you guys give me any other chords to play insteed of the F ? that chord drives me nuts.lol
Here's my tab in the Key I perform it in... tuned down a half a step.
CITY OF NEW ORLEANS - Arlo Guthrie and/or Willie Nelson
(Written by Steve Goodman – 2 lyric modifications by Jonny T.) STRUMMING:
(NOTES: 4/4 Time/Written in Key of G/72 BPM/TUNE DOWN A ½ A STEP) VAV VAV
Sounds like a
INTRO: G D G (like the first line of the verse) train or pick
root note & then
VERSE 1: a down-up strum.
G D G
RIDIN' ON, THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS
Em C G
ILLINOIS CENTRAL MONDAY MORNING RAIL
D G
FIFTEEN CARS AND FIFTEEN RESTLESS RIDERS
Em D G
THREE CONDUCTERS AND TWENTY FIVE SACKS OF MAIL
Em
ALL A-LONG THE SOUTHBOUND ODYSSEY
Bm
THE TRAIN PULLS OUT OF KANKAKEE
D A
AND ROLLS ALONG PASS HOUSES, FARMS AND FIELDS
Em
PASSIN' TRAINS THAT HAVE NO NAME
Bm
AND FREIGHT YARDS THAT ALL LOOK THE SAME
D D7 G
AND THE GRAVEYARDS OF THE RUSTED AUTOMO-BILES
CHORUS: (The D7-NC “I'M THE†part is played much slower.)
C D7 G
GOOD MORNING A-MERICA HOW ARE YOU? (GOOD “NIGHT†3rd time)
Em C G
SAID DON'T YOU KNOW ME, I'M YOUR NATIVE SON
D7 – NC G D Em Em7-A7
I'M_ THE_ TRAIN THEY CALL THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS
Bb C D G | G |
I'LL BE GONE FIVE HUNDRED MILES WHEN THE DAY IS DONE
(REPEAT LAST LINE LAST TIME THROUGH – STAY ON G INSTEAD OF A7)
(NOTE: you can go to the C chord at “gone†and skip the Bb)
VERSE 2:
G D G
DEALIN' CARDS GAMES, WITH THE OLD MEN IN THE CLUB CAR
Em C G
PENNY A POINT AIN'T NO ONE KEEPIN' SCORE
D G
PASS THE PA-PER_ BAG THAT HOLDS THE BOTTLE
Em D G
FEEL THE WHEELS, GRUMBLIN' ‘NEATH THE FLOOR
Em Bm
AND THE SONS OF PULLMAN PORTERS, AND THE SONS OF ENGINEERS
D A
RIDE THEIR FATHERS MAGIC CARPETS, MADE OF STEEL
Em Bm
MOTHERS WITH THEIR BABES A SLEEP ARE ROCKIN' TO THE GENTLE BEAT
D D7 G > GO TO
AND THE RHYTHM OF THE RAILS IS ALL THEY FEEL CHORUS
VERSE 3:
G D G
NIGHTTIME_ ON THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS
Em C G
CHANGIN' CARS IN MEMPHIS TENNES-SEE
D G
HALFWAY HOME, WE'LL BE THERE BY MORNIN'
Em D G
THROUGH THE MISSISSIPPI DARKNESS ROLLIN' DOWN TO THE SEA
Em Bm
BUT ALL THE TOWNS AND PEOPLE SEEM, TO FADE INTO A BAD DREAM
D A
AND THE STEEL RAIL, STILL AIN'T HEARD THE NEWS
Em
THE CON-DUCTOR SINGS HIS SONGS AGAIN
Bm
AND THE PASSENGERS ALL JOIN IN
D D7 G > GO TO
THIS TRAIN'S GOT THE DISAPPEARIN' RAILROAD BLUES CHORUS
E doesn't = MC2, E = Fb
Music "Theory"? "It's not just a theory, it's the way it is!"
Jonny T.
can you guys give me any other chords to play insteed of the F ? that chord drives me nuts.lol
F/E 003210 might work in this case, I haven't tried it. But you really need to learn to play the F. Try rolling your hand slightly toward the nut.
Tim Madsen
Nobody cares how much you know,
until they know how much you care.
"What you keep to yourself you lose, what you give away you keep forever." -Axel Munthe
Verse 3 the wording change keeps the pictureNot really, because the "passengers will please refrain" part refers to to the conductor "singing" the standard warning (in the days before "retention" toilets) about not flushing while the train was in the station.
If it was the Illinois Central operating the CoNO, it was before 1971. I don't know just when the full-retention gear was required, but it was later than '71.
Side note: Look up the lyrics to the little tune "Humoresque." You might even find chords for it somewhere. :lol:
There is a terrific norwegian version of this song - it's about a small little green twin otter plane - made by the guitarist Øistein Sunde - the song, not the plane ;)
He plays it in C BTW.
The song is good for fingerpicking IMO
Lars
...only thing I know how to do is to keep on keepin' on...
LARS kolberg http://www.facebook.com/sangerersomfolk
can you guys give me any other chords to play insteed of the F ? that chord drives me nuts.lolI hear ya. I assume you mean the "full barre Fmaj," as shown here: http://www.all-guitar-chords.com/index.php?ch=F&mm=&v=1 . I've been playing about thirty years, and rarely (if ever) use that one. (I promise to practice it more, though. New Year's Resolution and all that. :P )
I know David Hodge has suggested Fmaj7 for Fmaj in at least one of his lessons, but I can usually manage to make what I call the "short F," or http://www.all-guitar-chords.com/index.php?ch=F&mm=&v=0 . I seem to recall a time when I thought that one was hard to make, too.
Almost forgot to thank Tim for putting that up here. I've got other copies of it around someplace, but it was kinda getting covered by the dust in my memory bank. ("Gravity Filing System," y'know.) :lol:
Good song to know if I ever get to sneak my guitar onto the excursion train we have around here. I imagine my employer will want me to be an assistant conductor rather than an onboard musician. :wink:
Tune down half a step and play it as though it's in the Key of G, like Arlo & Willie do. No F chord, just a Bm. That version is posted in this thread.
E doesn't = MC2, E = Fb
Music "Theory"? "It's not just a theory, it's the way it is!"
Jonny T.
ah a wonderful tune about the city of chocoalte haha
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