Karaoké City of New Orleans John Prine & Steve Goodman

Ridin' on the city of New Orleans

Illinois central monday mornin' rail

Fifteen cars and fifteen restless riders

Three conductors and twenty five sacks of mail

All along the southbound odyssey the train pulls out of kankakee

It rolls along past houses farms and fields

Passin' towns that have no name

Freight yards full of old black men

And the graveyards of rusted automobiles

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 nobody 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 daddy's magic carpet made of steel

Mothers with their babes asleep

Are rockin' to the gentle beat and the rhythm of the rails

Is all they feel

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

Night time on the city of New Orleans

Changin' cars in

Memphis Tennessee

Halfway home we'll be there by mornin'

Through the Mississippi darkness rollin'

Down to the sea

But all the towns and people seem to fade into a bad dream

And the steel rail still ain't heard the news

The conductor sings that song again

The passengers will please refrain

This train's got the disappearin' railroad blues

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