"The City of New Orleans" is a country folk song written by Steve Goodman, depicting a train journey from Chicago to New Orleans on the Illinois Central Railroad's City of New Orleans route. Released on Goodman's self-titled album in 1971, the song evokes a sense of bittersweet nostalgia and captures the essence of the train ride.
Inspired by his own experience traveling on the Illinois Central line to visit family, Goodman crafted a melodic and heartfelt tribute to the iconic train route. The song quickly gained popularity and has been covered by various artists. Arlo Guthrie's rendition, featured on his 1972 album "Hobo's Lullaby," became a major hit, reaching #4 on the Billboard Easy Listening chart and #18 on the Hot 100 chart. It remains one of Guthrie's most recognizable songs with a resonding chorus speaking from the perspective of the train itself:
"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."
The song has been covered many times by many aritsts, including Willie Nelson, Gerard Cox and Rudi Carrell.
