City Of New Orleans Acoustic Chords

by Steve Goodman
3,496 views, added to favorites 246 times
Have fun, play with it. Basic chord version of Goodman's folk classic. album version 3min 50 sec. Use transition notes walking up or down between chords where needed.Was this info helpful?
Difficulty: intermediate
Tuning: E A D G B E
Key: C
Capo: no capo
Author rocknwroll [a] 505. Last edit on Dec 20, 2022

Chords

F
G
C
C/B
Am
G7
Em
D
G6
C7
Bb

Strumming

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Lively double time strum, freely  178 BPM metronome
                             F
Chorus chord  variation for "Good morning America"
 F            G
"Good morning America" 
lowercase intro notes harmonize and are played together, walking up to C Chord on "Ridin'"
 
                         c  d  eb
         Intro I         g  a  b
 
Verse I
C             G           C      C/B
Ridin' on the City of New Orlins
Am                F              C     G
Illinois Central, Monday morning rail
G     G7  C                G                C      C/B
There are fifteen cars and fifteen restless riders
Am                   G                    C
Three conductors and twenty-five sacks of mail
 
[Bridge]
C      C/B  Am
They're all out on the south-bound odyssey
Am      Em                           G
And the train pulls out at Kankakee
G                                D
Rolls past the houses, farms and fields
Am
Passing towns that have no name
    Em
And freight yards full of old black men
        G             G7       G6  C
And the graveyards of rusted automobiles
 
]Chorus]
C7       F                         C
Singing, Good morning America, How are ya
C/B     Am                 F               C   G
Saying, don't you know me, I'm your native son
G       G7  C                   G           C
Yes I'm the train they call the City of New Orlins
C      C/B  Am        F       G          Em     C      Em   C
And I'll be gone five hundred miles when day is done
 
Verse II
G         C                      G              C
And I was dealin' cards with the old men in the club car
         Am                         F              C     G
And it's penny a point, There ain't no one keeping score
G        G7  C               G              G7   C
Oh won't you pass that paper bag thet holds that bottle
C  C/B  Am              G                     C
You can feel the wheels grumblin' through the floor
 
[Bridge]
C  C/B  Am
And the sons of pullman porters
    Em
The sons of engineers
    Em              G                              D
And they ride their fathers' magic carpet, Made of steam
    Am
And mothers with their babes asleep
   Em
Go rockin' to the gentle beat
    G             G7                C
The rhythm of the rails is all they dream
 
[Chorus]
C7             F                         C
Just a singin' Good morning America, how are ya
C       Am                 F               C    G
Saying, don't you know me, I'm your native son
G       G7  C                   G           C
And I'm the train they call the City of New Orlins
C       Am        F       G          Em     C    Em  C
I'll be gone five hundred miles when day is done
 
[Transition]
Am   F    G    Em    C    Em    C    G
 
Verse III
C                G           C       C/B
Nighttime on the City of New Orlins
Am               F             C    G
Changing cars in Memphis, Tennessee
G7   C                    G           C
It's Half way home, We'll be there by morning
C           Am                    G              C
Through the Mississippi darkness, rollin' to the sea
 
[Bridge]
    Am
And all the towns and people
             Em
They seem to fade into a bad dream
    G                                  D
The old steel rail, It ain't heard the news
    Am
The conductor sings, His song began
     Em
It's passengers will please refrain
Em   G                   G7                    C     C7
But this train's got the disappearin' railroad blues
 
[Chorus]
 C7            F                      C
Just a singin' Good night America, how are ya
 
C  C/B  Am                 F               C    G
Sayin', don't you know me, I'm your native son
G       G7  C                   G           C
And I'm the train they call the City of New Orlins
C       Am        F       G          Em     C    Em  C7
I'll be gone five hundred miles when day is done
C7             F                       C
Just a singin' Good night America, how are ya
C       Am                 F               C    G
Sayin', don't you know me, I'm your native son
G        G7  C                   G           C
Well I'm the train they call the City of New Orlins
C           Am   F         G                Bb
And I'll be gone long,long time when day is done
 
[Outro}
Am   F   C   G   Em   C   G   C
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City Of New Orleans – Steve Goodman
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"City Of New Orleans"
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4 comments
same.meaning
That Dm sounds more like a borrowed lydian (D major or possibly D7) to me on the album. The fiddle definitely isn't playing minor notes.
+2
perrinopeter2
And how many albums did you sell
+1
hunggus
Great interpretation, Thanks for the post!
+1