The City Of New Orleans
The Seldom Scene Lyrics


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D]Riding on the [A]City of New Or[D]leans,
[Bm]Illinois Central, [G]Monday morning [D]rail, [A]
[D]Fifteen cars and fi[A]fteen restless [D]riders,
Three con[Bm]ductors, and t[A]wenty five sacks of [D]mail.

We're all [Bm]out on the southbound odyssey,
As the [F#m]train pulls out of Kankakee,
And [A]rolls past the houses, farms and [E]fields.
[Bm]Passing towns that have no name,
And [F#m]freight yards full of old black men,
And the [A]graveyards of rusted automo[D]biles.

{c:Chorus:}
[G]Good morning Am[A]erica, how a[D]re you?
Say [Bm]don't you know me, [G]I'm your native [D]son. [A]
I'm the [D]train they call the [A]City of New [Bm]Orleans,
I'll be gon[C]e five [G]hundred miles[A] when the day is [D]done.

Dealing card games with the old men in the club cars,
A penny a point, there ain't no one keeping score.
Won't you pass the paper bag that holds the bottle,
You can feel the wheels rumbling through the floor.
And the sons of Pullman porters, And the sons of engineers,
Ride their fathers' magic carpet made of steel.
Mothers with their babes asleep,
there rocking to the gentle beat,
And the rhythm of the rails is all they dream.

{Chorus.}

Midnight 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.
Then all the towns and people seem To fade into a bad dream,
The old steel rail still ain't heard the news.
The conductor sings his songs again,
The passengers will please refrain,
This train's got the disappearin' railroad blues.

{c:Chorus:}
Singin' Goodnight 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

Overall Meaning

The Seldom Scene's song "City of New Orleans" is an ode to the Illinois Central's train route that ran from Chicago to New Orleans. The singer describes his experience on the train at different times of the day, morning and midnight. He portrays the sighs, sounds, and sights of the journey with vivid descriptions. The song also touches on themes of nostalgia, longing, and the fleeting nature of time, as the train roars towards its destination.


In the first verse, the singer paints a picture of the train and its passengers. He describes the train's fifteen cars, fifteen restless riders, three conductors, and twenty-five sacks of mail. The second verse shifts the focus to the journey itself, with the train rolling past towns and farms, freight yards, and graveyards of rusted automobiles. He then sings the chorus, where he greets America as the "native son" and mentions the distance he would have traveled by the time the day is done.


The third verse portrays the social aspect of the train journey, where he describes playing card games with old men, passing paper bags that hold the bottle, and feeling the wheels rumbling through the floor. He also mentions the sons of Pullman porters and engineers, who ride their father's magic carpet made of steel. The final verse returns to the train's journey, with the singer nearing his destination. He talks about how the towns and people seem to fade into a bad dream, while the rhythm of the rails is all they dream.


Line by Line Meaning

Riding on the City of New Orleans,
Traveling on the Monday morning Illinois Central from New Orleans


Illinois Central, Monday morning rail,
Traveling by train on Monday morning with Illinois Central Rail


Fifteen cars and fifteen restless riders, Three conductors, and twenty five sacks of mail.
There are fifteen train cars filled with riders, three conductors, and twenty-five mail sacks


We're all out on the southbound odyssey, As the train pulls out of Kankakee, And rolls past the houses, farms and fields.
We are all on a journey down south as the train departs from Kankakee, passing through houses, farms, and fields


Passing towns that have no name, And freight yards full of old black men, And the graveyards of rusted automobiles.
Passing through unnamed places with freight yards filled with elderly black men and graveyards of abandoned cars


Good morning America, how are you? Say don't you know me, I'm your native son.
Greetings to America from a native traveling on the City of New Orleans train


I'm the train they call the City of New Orleans, I'll be gone five hundred miles when the day is done.
The singer is on the City of New Orleans train and will have traveled five hundred miles by the end of the day


Dealing card games with the old men in the club cars, A penny a point, there ain't no one keeping score.
Playing card games with elderly gentlemen who are not keeping score, and betting a penny per point


Won't you pass the paper bag that holds the bottle, You can feel the wheels rumbling through the floor.
Asking for a bottle in a paper bag and feeling the vibrations of the train's wheels beneath the feet


And the sons of Pullman porters, And the sons of engineers, Ride their fathers' magic carpet made of steel.
The sons of train porters and engineers ride the tracks their fathers worked on, feeling they are riding a magic steel carpet


Mothers with their babes asleep, there rocking to the gentle beat, And the rhythm of the rails is all they dream.
Mothers with asleep babies are soothingly rocking to the rhythm of the train's rails


Midnight 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.
It is midnight on the City of New Orleans train, changing cars in Memphis and halfway home. The train will make it to their destination through the darkness of Mississippi and reach the sea by morning


Then all the towns and people seem To fade into a bad dream, The old steel rail still ain't heard the news.
The train ride gives a feeling of towns and people fading into a dream, as the old steel tracks continue without being affected by the current news


The conductor sings his songs again, The passengers will please refrain, This train's got the disappearin' railroad blues.
The conductor sings again, and requests the passengers to refrain from their noise-making. The train is experiencing the disappearing railroad blues


Singin' Goodnight 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.
The singer sings a farewell to America and introduces himself as a native son who is boarding the City of New Orleans train, travelling five hundred miles by the end of the day




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Steve Goodman

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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