City of New Orleans by Arlo Guthrie

Intro

D

Verse 1

                    D
                  
                    Riding on the 
                  
                    A
                  
                    City of 
                  
                    D
                  
                    New Orleans
                  
                    Bm
                  
                    Illinois Central, 
                  
                    G
                  
                    Monday morning 
                  
                    D
                  
                    rail
                  
                    D
                  
                    Fifteen cars and 
                  
                    A
                  
                    fifteen restless 
                  
                    D
                  
                    riders
                  
                    Bm
                  
                    Three conductors and 
                  
                    A
                  
                    twenty-five sacks of 
                  
                    D
                  
                    mail.

Pre-Chorus 1

                    
                    All a-
                  
                    Bm
                  
                    long the south bound odyssey, the 
                  
                    F#m
                  
                    train pulls out of Kankakee
                  
                    A
                  
                    Rolls along past houses, farms and 
                  
                    E
                  
                    fields
                  
                    Bm
                  
                    Passing trains that have no name, 
                  
                    F#m
                  
                    freight yards full of old black men
                  
                    And the 
                  
                    A
                  
                    graveyards of the 
                  
                    A7
                  
                    rusted automo-
                  
                    D
                  
                    biles.

Chorus 1

                    G
                  
                    Good morning A-
                  
                    A
                  
                    merica, how 
                  
                    D
                  
                    are you?
                  
                    Say, 
                  
                    Bm
                  
                    don't you know me, 
                  
                    G
                  
                    I'm your native 
                  
                    D
                  
                    son.
                  
                    A7
                  
                    I'm the 
                  
                    D
                  
                    train they call the 
                  
                    A
                  
                    City of 
                  
                    Bm
                  
                    New Orleans
                  
                    E7
                  
                    I'll be 
                  
                    C
                  
                    gone five 
                  
                    G
                  
                    hundred 
                  
                    A
                  
                    miles when the day is 
                  
                    D
                  
                    done. 
                  
                    D

Verse 2

                    
                    Dealing 
                  
                    D
                  
                    card games with the 
                  
                    A
                  
                    old men in the 
                  
                    D
                  
                    club car
                  
                    Bm
                  
                    Penny a point, ain't 
                  
                    G
                  
                    no one keeping 
                  
                    D
                  
                    score
                  
                    D
                  
                    Pass the paper bag that 
                  
                    A
                  
                    holds the 
                  
                    D
                  
                    bottle
                  
                    Bm
                  
                    Feel the wheels 
                  
                    A
                  
                    rumblin' 'neath the 
                  
                    D
                  
                    floor

Pre-Chorus 2

                    
                    And the 
                  
                    Bm
                  
                    sons of Pullman porters and the 
                  
                    F#m
                  
                    sons of engineers
                  
                    Ride their 
                  
                    A
                  
                    fathers' magic carpets made of 
                  
                    E
                  
                    steel
                  
                    Bm
                  
                    Mothers with their babes asleep, 
                  
                    F#m
                  
                    rockin' to the gentle beat
                  
                    And the 
                  
                    A
                  
                    rhythm of the 
                  
                    A7
                  
                    rails is all they 
                  
                    D
                  
                    feel.

Chorus 2

                    G
                  
                    Good morning A-
                  
                    A
                  
                    merica, how 
                  
                    D
                  
                    are you?
                  
                    Say, 
                  
                    Bm
                  
                    don't you know me, 
                  
                    G
                  
                    I'm your native 
                  
                    D
                  
                    son.
                  
                    A7
                  
                    I'm the 
                  
                    D
                  
                    train they call the 
                  
                    A
                  
                    City of 
                  
                    Bm
                  
                    New Orleans
                  
                    E7
                  
                    I'll be 
                  
                    C
                  
                    gone five 
                  
                    G
                  
                    hundred 
                  
                    A
                  
                    miles when the day is 
                  
                    D
                  
                    done. 
                  
                    D

Verse 3

                    D
                  
                    Night time on the 
                  
                    A
                  
                    City of 
                  
                    D
                  
                    New Orleans
                  
                    Bm
                  
                    Changing cars in 
                  
                    G
                  
                    Memphis, Tennes-
                  
                    D
                  
                    see
                  
                    D
                  
                    Halfway home, 
                  
                    A
                  
                    we'll be there by 
                  
                    D
                  
                    morning
                  
                    through the 
                  
                    Bm
                  
                    Mississippi darkness 
                  
                    A
                  
                    rolling down to the 
                  
                    D
                  
                    sea.

Pre-Chorus 3

                    
                    But 
                  
                    Bm
                  
                    all the towns and people seem to 
                  
                    F#m
                  
                    fade into a bad dream
                  
                    And the 
                  
                    A
                  
                    steel rail still ain't heard the 
                  
                    E
                  
                    news
                  
                    The 
                  
                    Bm
                  
                    conductor sings his songs again, the 
                  
                    F#m
                  
                    passengers will please refrain
                  
                    This 
                  
                    A
                  
                    train got the disappearing railroad 
                  
                    D
                  
                    blues.

Chorus 3

                    G
                  
                    Good night A-
                  
                    A
                  
                    merica, how 
                  
                    D
                  
                    are you?
                  
                    Say, 
                  
                    Bm
                  
                    don't you know me, 
                  
                    G
                  
                    I'm your native 
                  
                    D
                  
                    son.
                  
                    A7
                  
                    I'm the 
                  
                    D
                  
                    train they call the 
                  
                    A
                  
                    City of 
                  
                    Bm
                  
                    New Orleans
                  
                    E7
                  
                    I'll be 
                  
                    C
                  
                    gone five 
                  
                    G
                  
                    hundred 
                  
                    A
                  
                    miles when the 
                  
                    A7
                  
                    day is 
                  
                    D
                  
                    done. 
                  
                    D

Outro

D

A

D

Bm

G

D