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Lyr Add: The City of New Orleans (Steve Goodman)

19 Mar 99 - 10:40 PM (#64417)
Subject: Lyr Add: THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS (Steve Goodman)
From: bseed(charleskratz)

The eerie coincidence of the deadly wreck of the City of New Orleans in Kankakee, the one named spot that the train passes through in the song.


THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS
(Steve Goodman)
As recorded by Steve Goodman on "Steve Goodman" (1971)

1. 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're all out on the southbound odyssey,
And the train pulls out o' Kankakee,
Rolls along past 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'm the train they call the City of New Orleans,
And I'll be gone five hundred miles when day is done.

2. 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.
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 their 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.

3. Night time 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.
It's "Passengers Will 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.

--seed


19 Mar 99 - 11:22 PM (#64431)
Subject: RE: LYRICS ADD: The City of New Orleans
From: Gene

CITY OF NEW ORLEANS is in database - *CLICK HERE*


20 Mar 99 - 01:28 AM (#64454)
Subject: RE: LYRICS ADD: The City of New Orleans
From: bseed(charleskratz)

I tried two bracketed forum searches: [The City of New Orleans} and [I'm the train they call the City of New Orleans] and both came up empty. This seems to happen from time to time. --seed


20 Mar 99 - 12:21 PM (#64532)
Subject: RE: LYRICS ADD: The City of New Orleans
From: dick greenhaus

Hi Seed- Did you include a space between of and New (your last post suggests that you didn't)? It's usually easier and safer to keep search strings short: [New Orleans} finds the song easily enough, and doesn't present the risk of typos and spelling variations.


20 Mar 99 - 12:45 PM (#64538)
Subject: RE: LYRICS ADD: The City of New Orleans
From: Gene

The following work also--

[the city of new orleans]

train & [new orleans]

kankakee & odyssey

goodman & train

[i'm the train they call the city of new orleans]
works, but WAY TOO MUCH typing.....


21 Mar 99 - 01:04 AM (#64676)
Subject: RE: LYRICS ADD: The City of New Orleans
From: Alex

Unfortuneately, this is a song that won't be getting sung much for a while. What a tragedy in all respects.