Chords Req: City of New Orleans (Steve Goodman)

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Chords Req: City of New Orleans (Steve Goodman)

18 Jan 01 - 11:43 AM (#376990)
Subject: Ridin on the City of New Orleans
From: Steve in Idaho

Anyone know the chord progression to this? I've got the lyrics and figured out some of the chords - Thanks folks :-)

18 Jan 01 - 02:20 PM (#377106)
Subject: Lyr/Chords Add: CITY OF NEW ORLEANS (Steve Goodman
From: Trapper

Norton -

Here's how I've always done it...

- Al

The City of New Orleans
by Steve Goodman

[C]Ridin' on the [G]City of New [C]Orleans,
Illinois Central, [F]Monday mornin' [C]Rail
Fifteen cars and [G]Fifteen restless [C]Riders
Three con[Am]ductors, [G]Twenty-five sacks of [C]mail
All a[Am]long the southbound odyssey
[Em]Trains pull out of Kankakee
[G]Rolls along past houses, farms and [D]fields.
[Am]Passin' trains that have no names,
[Em]Freight yards full of old black men
And the [G]graveyards of the [F]rusted automo[C]biles.

CHORUS:
[F]Good morning A[G]merica how [C]are you?
[Am]Don't you know me [F]I'm your native [C]son, [G]
I'm the [C]train they call The [G]City of New [Am]Orleans,
I'll be [Bb]gone five [Am]hundred [G]miles
when the day is [C]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.

18 Jan 01 - 03:45 PM (#377164)
Subject: Chords Add: CITY OF NEW ORLEANS (Steve Goodman)
From: Sarah2

Or, if you like:

[G]Ridin' on the [D]City of New [G]Orleans,
[Em]Illinois Central, [C]Monday mornin' [G]Rail [D]
[G]Thirteen cars and [D]fifteen restless [G]riders
Three con[Em]ductors, [D]twenty-five sacks of [G]mail
All a[Em]long the southbound odyssey, the [Bm]train pulls out of Kankakee,
[D]Rolling past the houses, farms and [A]fields.
[Em]Passin' trains that have no names, [Bm]freight yards full of old black men
And the [D]graveyards of the [C]rusted automo[G]biles.

CHORUS: [C]Good morning A[D]merica how [G]are you?
[Em]Don't you know me [C]I'm your native [G]son, [D]
I'm the [G]train they call The [D]City of New [Em]Orleans,
I'll be [F]gone five [Em]hundred [D]miles
when the day is [G]done.

***

Just gotta find your own key...

Sarah

18 Jan 01 - 03:47 PM (#377166)
Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: Ridin on the City of New Orle
From: mousethief

The first version eliminates a lot of walk-down progressions from C to Am -- See where there are Em's in the second version? The Arlo Guthrie version contains a walkdown in these places (On 2nd string (A string), play notes C - B - A, and at A, play the whole chord Am.)

Alex

18 Jan 01 - 03:52 PM (#377168)
Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: Ridin on the City of New Orle
From: Sarah2

Alex,

Yeah, but Arlo may not be in Norton1's key, eh? Even the G progression can be weird if you have to capo way up the neck, so the C progresssion might work better for him. Just options. (Thought Arlo always played it on the piano, though...? Did whenever I saw him.)

Sarah

18 Jan 01 - 04:15 PM (#377188)
Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: Ridin on the City of New Orle
From: mousethief

Oh, agree totally on the key thing. If you're playing in G, the walkdown is on the fat (E) string, and goes G - F# - E. All depends on where you sing best. My only point was that the version in C left out the relative minor chord entirely, at least at that point.

Alex

19 Jan 01 - 06:13 PM (#378100)
Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: Ridin on the City of New Orle
From: Steve in Idaho

Thanks to you all - I think I can sing it in C but the G option is always good also. You're fine people - have a superb weekend!! Steve

19 Jan 01 - 09:10 PM (#378204)
Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: Ridin on the City of New Orle
From: Sarah2

Mousethief,

Too true. And the walkdown adds a real "train" touch, somehow -- at least to moi.

Sarah

07 Sep 10 - 11:35 AM (#2981600)
Subject: RE: Chords Req: City of New Orleans (Steve Goodman)
From: GUEST,Tony Levy. from the village of wednesfield.

I know chuff all about music, but this song, and its lyrics allways brings a tear to my eye,its the only song in the country and western idiom that grips my attention. Brought up with steam trains over 50 years ago, i appreaciate the sentiments. over here in these islands, we have over 200 preserved volunteer run lines, from narrow gauge, to standard, the most well known is the seven valley railway,up here in leafy Staffordshire. on the south coast, the Romney Hythe and Dimchurch railway, a one third scale line that runs for 20 miles. In north wales, the little trains of wales, (narrow Gauge) are rack railways, and meander around and up the majestic welsh mountains.So you now undrestand why this song, and its lyrics strike a chord with me.The chord changes, and tone of the song are irellivant to this tone deaf old soldier, what matters is the sentiment.it is the best at summing up the demise of steam travel, and the iconic service it reprsented.

07 Sep 10 - 11:56 AM (#2981612)
Subject: RE: Chords Req: City of New Orleans (Steve Goodman)
From: MissouriMud

The chording shown above for the last two lines of the chorus appears to be based on Arlo's version (which I think may actually have been closer to Eflat, F, G rather than Bflat, Am, G, although I havent listened closely to it for a while).

I think Steve Goodman's original (in C) was simpler and fit the slightly different the way he sang that part of the melody - he just had it go:

I'll be [Am]gone five [F]hundred [G]miles
when the day is [C]done.

07 Sep 10 - 04:16 PM (#2981775)
Subject: RE: Chords Req: City of New Orleans (Steve Goodman)
From: DonMeixner

I remember seeing Steve Goodman do this song as the last song on the 1970 Philadelphia Folk Festival shown in the US on PBS. I remember thinking it was the best train song I had ever heard. Then JOhn Denver did it on his Aerie LP and he changed the last verse to a bridge (With Goodman's permission, he told me so) and it pretty much wrecked the song. John got points latter when he repaired his Karma and recorded the song as written.

Arlo Guthrie recorded it and I was not so impressed but he did the song pretty OK and Steve Goodman said he sang the song as it was meant to be sung. Well it was Goodman's song and he can say what he liked about who ever recorded it.

I think it was never done better that it was in Philadelphia in 1970.
This is how I play it.

[G]Ridin' on the [D]City of New [G]Orleans,
[Em]Illinois Central, [C]Monday mornin' [G]Rail [D]
[G]Fifteen cars and [D]fifteen restless [G]riders
Three con[Em]ductors, [D]twenty-five sacks of [G]mail
All a[Em]long the southbound odyssey, the [Bm]train pulls out of Kankakee,
[D]Rolling past the houses, farms and [A]fields.
[Em]Passin' trains that have no names, [Bm]freight yards full of old black men
And the [D]graveyards of the [C]rusted aut(D)omo[G]biles.

CHORUS: [C]Good morning A[D]merica how [G]are you(G-Em)?
Don't you know me [C]I'm your native [G]son, [D]
I'm the [G]train they call The [D]City of New [Em]Orleans,
I'll be [F]gone five hundred [D]miles
when the day is [G]done.

Don

07 Sep 10 - 06:29 PM (#2981861)
Subject: RE: Chords Req: City of New Orleans (Steve Goodman)
From: open mike

i do it in C with the walk down to Am on the way to the F

if you know what i mean....for more train info go to this thread

http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=50331#1271901 or this one

http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=50331#765339 or this one

with a wonderful story from SPAW - love affair with (not on) trains

http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=48724#2977665