City of New Orleans is a folk song written by Steve Goodman, describing a train ride from Chicago to New Orleans via the Illinois Central Railroad in bittersweet and nostalgic terms. Goodman got the idea while traveling on the eponymous train for a visit to his wife's family. He performed the song for Arlo Guthrie in the Quiet Knight, a bar in Chicago, and Guthrie agreed to add it to his repertoire. The song was a hit for Guthrie on his 1972 album Hobo's Lullaby, and is now more closely associated with him, although Goodman performed it until his death in 1984. The song has also been covered by Willie Nelson, John Denver, Johnny Cash, Judy Collins, Jerry Reed, Chet Atkins, Hank Snow, and others. Willie Nelson version Steve Goodman won a posthumous Grammy Award for Best Country Song in 1984 for Willie Nelson's version, which was included on his 1984 album of the same name. It reached #1 on both the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart in the United States[and the RPM Country Tracks chart in Canada. The City of New Orleans - Lyrics 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 south-bound odyssey The train pulls out at Kankakee And rolls along past houses, farms and fields Passin' trains that have no names And freight yards full of old black men And the grave-yards of the rusted automobiles Good morning America, how are you? Say don't you know me, I ...
