City of New Orleans

Ridin' on The City of New Orleans

Illinois Central, Monday mornin' rail

There are fifteen cars and fifteen restless riders

Three conductors and twenty-five sacks of mail

They roll out on southbound odyssey

And the train pulls out at Kankakee

Rolls past the houses, farms, and fields

Passin' towns that have no name

And freight yards full of old, black men

And the graveyards of rusted automobiles

Singin', "Good mornin', America, how are you?"

Sayin', "Don't you know me? I'm your native son"

Yes, I am the train they call The City of New Orleans

And I'll be gone five hundred miles when day is done

And I was dealin' cards with the old men in the club car

And it's penny a point, there ain't no one keepin' score

Oh, won't you pass that paper bag that holds that bottle?

You can feel the wheels grumblin' through the floor

And the sons of Pullman porters

The sons of engineers

They ride their fathers' magic carpet made of steam

And mothers with the babes asleep

Go rockin' to the gentle beat

The rhythm of the rails is all they dream

Just a-singin', "Good mornin', America, how are you?"

Sayin', "Don't you know me? I'm your native son"

And I'm the train they call The City of New Orleans

I'll be gone five hundred miles when day is done

Nighttime on The City of New Orleans

Changin' cars in Memphis, Tennessee

It's halfway home, we'll be there by mornin'

Through the Mississippi darkness, rollin' to the sea

And all the towns and people

Seem to fade into a bad dream

The old steel rail, it ain't heard the news

The conductor sings his song again

Its passengers'll please refrain

This train's got the disappearin' railroad blues

Just a-singin', "Good night, America, how are you?"

Sayin', "Don't you know me? I'm your native son"

And I'm the train they call The City of New Orleans

I'll be gone five hundred miles when day is done

Just a-singin', "Good night, America, how are you?"

Sayin', "Don't you know me? I'm your native son"

Well, I'm the train they call The City of New Orleans

And I'll be gone a long, long time when day is done