City of New Orleans [Arlo Guthrie Cover] lyrics

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 pulled out of Kankakee

Rolled along past houses, farms and fields

This passing trains that have no name

Freight yards full of old black men

And graveyards of the rusted automobiles

Good morning, America, how are ya?

I say don't you know me, I'm your native son

Hey, I'm the train they call the "City of New Orleans"

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

Dealing card games with the old man in the club car

Penny a point, ain't no one keeping score

Pass the paper bag that holds the bottle

Can you feel the wheels rumbling 'neath the floor?

And the sons of Pullman porters

And the sons of engineers

Ride their daddys' magic carpets made of steel

There's mothers with their babes asleep

Rocking to a gentle beat

The rhythm of the rails is all they feel

Good morning, America, how are ya?

Say don't you know me, I'm your native son

Hey, I'm the train they call the "City of New Orleans"

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

Hey, it's nighttime on the "City of New Orleans"

Changing cars in Memphis, Tennessee

Halfway home and we'll be there by morning

Through the Mississippi darkness rolling down to the sea

Now all the towns and the people seem

To fade into a bad dream

But the steel rail still ain't heard the news

The conductor sings his songs again

The passengers will please refrain

This train's got the disappearing railroad blues

Good night, America, how are ya?

Say don't you know me, I'm your native son

Hey, I'm the train they call the "City of New Orleans"

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

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