City Of New Orleans — Beginner Piano Tutorial

Learn "City Of New Orleans" on piano — perfect for absolute beginners. Large color-coded notes show you exactly which keys to press. No music reading required. Key of G, 100 BPM.

Tip: Start at 50% speed to get comfortable with the fingering, then work your way up to full tempo.

Lyrics

Rid in’ on the (D)Cit y of New Or leans, (Em)Il li nois Cen tral (C)Mon day morn in’ rail. Fif teen cars and fif teen rest less rid ers, three con (Em)duc tors and (D)twen ty five sacks of mail; All a (Em)long the south bound Od y ssey, the (Bm)train pulls out of Kan ka kee and (D)rolls a long the hous es, farms and (A)fields. (Em)Pass in’ towns that have no name and (Bm)freight yards full of old black men, and the (D)grave yards of the (D7)rust ed au to mo biles. (C)Good morn A ing A (D7)mer i ca, how are you? Say (Em)don’t you know me, (C)I’m your na tive (G)son. (D7)I’m (D9)the (G)train they call the (D)Cit y of New (Em)Or leans. I’ll be (Bb)gone five (C)hun dred (D)miles when the (D9)day is done. Deal in’ Rid in’ on the (D)Cit y of New Or leans, (Em)Il li nois Cen tral (C)Mon day morn in’ rail. Fif teen cars and fif teen rest less rid ers, three con (Em)duc tors and (D)twen ty five sacks of mail; All a (Em)long the south bound Od y ssey, the (Bm)train pulls out of Kan ka kee and (D)rolls a long the hous es, farms and (A)fields. (Em)Pass in’ towns that have no name and (Bm)freight yards full of old black men, and the (D)grave yards of the (D7)rust ed au to mo biles. (C)Good morn A ing A (D7)mer i ca, how are you? Said (Em)don’t you know me, (C)I’m your na tive (G)son. (D7)I’m (D9)the (G)train they call the (D)Cit y of New (Em)Or leans. I’ll be (Bb)gone five (C)hun dred (D)miles when the (D9)day is done. Deal in’ (G)done. I’ll be (Bb)gone five (C)hun dred (D)miles when the (D9)day is (G)done.

Try other practice modes:

Falling NotesLead SheetBar SheetSimple Sheet

Song Details

Category
Folk
Key
G
Tempo
100 BPM
Difficulty
easy

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How to Play "City Of New Orleans" on Piano

  1. 1
    Pick a practice mode — Choose from Fall Down, Beginner, Lead Sheet, Bar Sheet, or Simple Sheet — each mode visualizes the music differently to match your learning style.
  2. 2
    Practice each hand separately — Use the Left, Right, and Both buttons to isolate the bass or treble part and build muscle memory one hand at a time.
  3. 3
    Adjust speed and turn on metronome — Slow down to 50% while learning, then gradually speed up. Enable the metronome to keep steady timing.
  4. 4
    Loop a section — Select a tricky part and loop it until you nail it. Perfect for mastering difficult passages.
  5. 5
    Download sheet music — Export a PDF of the sheet music to print out and practice on your real piano anytime, anywhere.