What Is “City of New Orleans” About?

Steve GoodmanOne of the great American songs of the late twentieth century is “City of New Orleans.” The song was originally written and recorded by Steve Goodman but made famous by Arlo Guthrie.

“City of New Orleans” was a top 20 hit for Guthrie in 1972, and numerous artists have performed and recorded “City of New Orleans.” While the song recounts the story of the Illinois Central Railroad’s City of New Orleans train, one might read a little more into the story by knowing more about the songwriter.

Steve Goodman and “City of New Orleans”

Goodman was born on July 25, 1948, and when he was in college, he was diagnosed with leukemia. While the disease was often in remission, Goodman always recognized he was living on borrowed time.

Goodman died at the young age of 34 on September 20, 1984. Knowing about his diagnosis, one may see more in the sadness of the song about the end of the life of a train.

The Real Train

The City of New Orleans itself was a train that the Illinois Central Railroad began operating in April 1947, a little more than a year from Goodman’s birth. The overnight train had the longest daytime regularly scheduled route in the country for a time.  The train went between New Orleans, Louisiana and Goodman’s birthplace and hometown, Chicago, Illinois.

In May 1971, though, Amtrak took over the City of New Orleans train.  The company converted it to a nighttime route, renaming it the Panama Limited.

Goodman reportedly came up with the idea for a song about the train while riding on a trip. But it is hard not to see some heartfelt connections between Goodman’s life and the train in his most famous song.

“Half way home, we’ll be there by morning,
Through the Mississippi darkness. . . .
This train’s got the disappearing railroad blues.”

Below is Goodman performing the song live in 1972.

Arlo Guthrie’s Version: Changed Lyrics

While Arlo Guthrie’s famous verion of the song follows Steve Goodman’s lyrics, there is one exception. Note in the video above, Goodman sings about “passing towns that have no name.” In Guthrie’s famous version, he sings about “passing trains that have no names.”

One commentator has explained that the difference between the two versions comes from Goodman’s knowledge of train travel.  Goodman would know that traveling on the train, one would go through many towns without seeing any signs. But perhaps Guthrie did not understand or he thought city listeners would not understand a train traveling through nameless towns.  Or maybe Guthrie just wanted to contrast regular nameless trains with the train named “City of New Orleans.”

In this video, a young Guthrie performs “City of New Orleans.”

“City of New Orleans” Today

Sometimes we all forget that we have a limited time on earth to make a difference, but Goodman’s leukemia diagnosis at a young age made him want to do as much with his life as he could. And his song about a train did make a difference.

After the song “City of New Orleans” became popular in the 1970s, Amtrak, hoping to capitalize on the song’s popularity, brought back the “City of New Orleans” train name in 1981. Thanks to Steve Goodman, you may still take a ride on the City of New Orleans today. And thanks to him, you may also sing along to one of the great American songs.

And that’s the story behind the song.

Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    My Heart’s in the Ice House: John Prine’s Bruised Orange

    john prine bruised orange chain of sorrow One time on the streets of New Orleans I saw a street performer who had a dog who would retrieve donations from audience members. A person would hold out a bill while the performer played guitar and sang, and the dog took the cash in his mouth and dropped it in the guitar case.

    Initially, we were attracted to the dog’s skills. But after awhile, I noticed that the talented street performer was only playing John Prine songs. I was impressed with his taste in music and willingness to play songs that most tourists may not recognize. I guess having a talented dog gives one a little artistic freedom.

    “Bruised Orange (Chain of Sorrow)”

    One of my favorite John Prine songs is “Bruised Orange (Chain of Sorrow).” It is a beautiful song about anger, frustration, and accepting what we cannot change. The song, which first appeared on Prine’s Bruised Orange (1978) album, provides a valuable lesson in its chorus.

    For a heart stained in anger grows weak and grows bitter;
    You become your own prisoner as you watch yourself sit there,
    Wrapped up in a trap of your very own chain of sorrow.

    The True Story Behind “Bruised Orange”

    A tragic true story inspired the opening tale in “Bruised Orange (Chain of Sorrow).”

    Like a long ago Sunday when I walked through the alley,
    On a cold winter’s morning to a church house,
    Just to shovel some snow.

    I heard sirens on the train track howl naked gettin’ nuder,
    An altar boy’s been hit by a local commuter,
    Just from walking with his back turned
    To the train that was coming so slow.

    The John Prine Shrine website quotes Prine explaining the inspiration for the opening lines of the song.  One day he was driving to do his job shoveling snow at a church:

    Turns out one of the altar boys on his way to the Catholic church was walking down the train tracks. God only knows where his mind was, but a local commuter train come from behind and they had to put him in bushel baskets – what was left. I saw a group of mothers standing near the accident, not knowing whose boys it was. When they finally identified the boy, the mother broke down, and the other mothers consoled her with a great sense of relief. This story is coupled with a shattered romance, juxtaposed with a loss of innocence: “My heart’s in the ice house/Come hill or come valley.” In the following video, he tells the story of the alter boy, followed by a video of him singing the song.

    Why an “Orange”?

    But why the “orange” in the title? The Prine Shrine website quotes from Clay Eals’ biography of Steve Goodman Facing the Music for an explanation. (p.511)

    Prine explained that he used the word “orange” for the reason that “he liked the colors of autumn and Halloween, and he ate oranges ‘by the dozen’ as a child.”  He added, “‘It just came up as somethin’ that’s really sweet and delicate and gettin’ bruised just by bein’ mishandled,’ he says. In short, the orange symbolized the human heart.”

    And that is the Story Behind the Song.

    Leave your two cents in the comments.

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