City Of New Orleans

Written by Steve Goodman

Sung by Terry Mechan

Riding on the City of New Orleans,
Illinois Central Monday morning rail
Fifteen cars and fifteen restless riders,
Three conductors and twenty-five sacks of mail.
All along the southbound odyssey
The train pulls out at Kankakee
And rolls along past houses, farms and fields.
Passin' trains that have no names,
Freight yards full of old black men
And the graveyards of the rusted automobiles

CHORUS:

Good morning America how are you?
Say, 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.

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.
But 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?
Say 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.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• city
• of
• new
• orleans
• terry
• mechan
• deep
• throat
• steve
• goodwin
• arno

[arinvests]

Well done Terry, great song ~ Arthur

[Persico93]

wer ist der Sänger?????

[Coccomobil]

I like a lot this version by Terry Mechan, as well as all these railroad scenes.

I bet you guys didn't know this Steve Goodman's song is well known here in Finland (North Europe) too, but mostly sung with lyrics in Finnish telling 'bout a trucker driving his truck across the sleeping villages: "Hei huomenta Suomi" - "Hey, Good Morning Finland".

[j263fl]

a great song and even better video. Back in the 50's I rode the trains a lot. I miss those days, that rocking and the wheels clicking down the tracks.

[klipsch0rn]

I moved from NY to AZ. in '74. Somewhere in OK I stopped on the interstate at sunrise, got out of the truck, stood in the middle of the highway, raised my arms and shouted, "Good Morning America"

I'm retired now and have travelled all over the country, avoiding the Interstates, have paced trains and waved and honked at train engineers. All have waved and blown whistles back. It's still there and it's easily found if'n ya stay off the intersatates. I've travelled 66 twice from Chicago to LA

[gaycowboy31]

love the snow shots at night near Chicago cool on the old IC electric potion of the line

[PackerGreg]

Very evocative rendition. I like your old-fashioned delivery and the subtle harmonica accompaniment.

[Snart21]

They don't make music and sing like this any longer. Worst the shame. It brings back some very good memories. Thanx heaps.

[cvvvvvvvvvvv]

Good voice as it is this version of this great song. Nice video. Original . Congratulations.

[edithhughes]

I'm 58. grew up in northern bc, canada. the train came in twice a week and there were two streets in the town [unincorporated area of 1000 square miles] - main street and railway avenue. three days and three nights to get home from school in toronto. we would sleep on the [above seat] luggage racks to stretch out.