His most famous work is Alice's Restaurant, a talking blues song that lasts eighteen minutes and twenty seconds (in its original recorded version; Guthrie has been known to spin the story out to forty-five minutes in concert). The song, a bitingly satirical protest against the Vietnam War draft, is based on a true incident. In the song, Guthrie was called up for a draft examination, and rejected as unfit for military service as a result of a criminal record consisting in its entirety of a single arrest, court appearance, fine and clean-up order for littering. In reality, Guthrie, though a carrier of the genetically inherited disease Huntington's chorea, was classified as fit (1A); however, his draft-lottery number did not come up.
City of New Orleans.flac
Arlo Guthrie Lyrics
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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 pulls out at Kankakee
Rolls along past houses, farms and fields
Passin' trains that have no names
And the graveyards of the rusted automobiles
Good morning America how are you?
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' cards with the old men in the club car
Penny a point ain't no one keepin' score
Won't you 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 father's magic carpets made of steam
Mothers with their babes asleep
Are rockin' to the gentle beat
And the rhythm of the rails is all they dream
Good morning America how are you?
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
Nighttime on The City of New Orleans
Changing cars in Memphis, Tennessee
Half way home, we'll be there by morning
Through the Mississippi darkness
Rolling down to the sea
And all the towns and people seem
To fade into a bad dream
And the steel rails still ain't heard the news
The conductor sings his song again
The passengers will please refrain
This train's got the disappearing railroad blues
Good night, America, how are you?
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
The "City of New Orleans" is a song about a long train journey that goes from Chicago to New Orleans. In the opening verse, the singer describes the journey, including the passengers and the mail on board. As the train rolls through the countryside, the singer sees various sights, including abandoned trains and graveyards full of old cars.
The chorus captures the spirit of the trip, as well as the singer's own identity as an American citizen. The train isn't just a mode of transportation - it's a symbol of America itself, representing the country's past, present, and future. The song is an ode to the people who help keep America moving forward, and it celebrates the beauty of the American landscape.
The subsequent verses describe the various people on the train, such as the old men playing cards in the club car and the mothers with sleeping babies. The lyrics paint a picture of a diverse cross-section of society, united in their journey on the train. The song ends with the train approaching New Orleans, passing through the night and the darkness of the Mississippi delta, and the conductor singing his refrain once more, as the passengers prepare to arrive at their destination.
Line by Line Meaning
Riding on the City of New Orleans
Traveling by train on the route known as the City of New Orleans
Illinois Central Monday morning rail
Taking the train run by the Illinois Central Railroad on a Monday morning
Fifteen cars and fifteen restless riders
There are fifteen train cars and fifteen uneasy passengers
Three conductors and twenty-five sacks of mail
The train has three conductors and carries twenty-five bags of mail
All along the southbound odyssey
Throughout the journey going south
The train pulls out at Kankakee
The train departs from Kankakee
Rolls along past houses, farms and fields
The train passes by homes, farms, and fields
Passin' trains that have no names
The train passes by other trains that are anonymous
Freight yards full of old black men
There are many elderly African American men in the freight yards
And the graveyards of the rusted automobiles
The train passes by junkyards full of rusty cars
Good morning America how are you?
Greetings to the people of the United States
Don't you know me I'm your native son
I am a fellow American, just like you
I'm the train they call The City of New Orleans
I am riding on the City of New Orleans train
I'll be gone five hundred miles when the day is done
I will have traveled 500 miles by the end of the day
Dealin' cards with the old men in the club car
Playing cards with the elderly men in the train's lounge car
Penny a point ain't no one keepin' score
The card game is not being seriously tracked or scored
Won't you pass the paper bag that holds the bottle
Could you please hand me the paper bag containing the alcoholic beverage?
Feel the wheels rumblin' 'neath the floor
Sensing the train's motion and vibrations beneath the feet
And the sons of Pullman porters
The children of the train's service staff
And the sons of engineers
The offspring of the train's engineers
Ride their father's magic carpets made of steam
The kids take a trip with their dads on the train and have a fantastical experience
Mothers with their babes asleep
The mothers have put their babies to sleep
Are rockin' to the gentle beat
They're swaying to the train's movement
And the rhythm of the rails is all they dream
The sound of the train's tracks is what they hear in their dreams
Nighttime on The City of New Orleans
It's night on the City of New Orleans train
Changing cars in Memphis, Tennessee
Changing trains in Memphis, Tennessee
Half way home, we'll be there by morning
They will reach their destination by morning, which is halfway to their destination
Through the Mississippi darkness
Going through the pitch-blackness of Mississippi
Rolling down to the sea
The train rolls down towards the coast
And all the towns and people seem
The passengers can perceive towns and people passing by
To fade into a bad dream
It seems like these towns and people disappear into a disturbing dream-like state as the night gets darker
And the steel rails still ain't heard the news
The train tracks haven't heard any recent news
The conductor sings his song again
The conductor sings his familiar song
The passengers will please refrain
The passengers will be quiet while the conductor sings
This train's got the disappearing railroad blues
The train is facing the possibility of discontinuing this rail line
Good night, America, how are you?
Saying goodnight to the U.S. citizens
Don't you know me I'm your native son
I am part of the American population just like you
I'm the train they call The City of New Orleans
I am on the train called The City of New Orleans
I'll be gone five hundred miles when the day is done
I would have traveled 500 miles by the end of the day
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: STEVE GOODMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@macafeez
ARLO GUTHRIE - (The Train They Call) THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS lyrics
Riding on the City of New Orleans
Illinois Central, Monday morning rail
15 cars and 15 restless riders
3 conductors, 25 sacks of mail
All along the southbound odyssey, the train pulls out of Kankakee
And rolls along past houses farms and fields
Passing trains that have no name, and freight yards full of old black men
And the graveyards of the rusted automobiles
Good morning America, how are you
Said 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 500 miles when the day is done
Dealing card games, with the old men in the club car
Penny a point ain't no one keeping 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 fathers' magic carpets, made of steel
And 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
Said 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 500 miles when the day is done
Nighttime on the City of New Orleans
Changing cars in Memphis, Tennessee
Halfway home, we'll be there by morning
Through the Mississippi darkness, rolling 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 his songs again, the passengers will please refrain
This train got the disappearing railroad blues
Good night America, how are you
Said 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 500 miles when the day is done
@markrlondon
You've killed the bass of the song. Bad.