Lyrics
(American folk song)
1. Cloudy in the East, looks like rain,
I spent all my money on the subway train,
In New York City, In New York City,
In New York City, you really gotta know your way.
2. Went down to the South, heard some jazz,
Fished a lazy river, caught some big crawdads-
In New Orleans, in New Orleans,
In New Orleans, you really gotta know your way.
3. Headed to the coast, Golden Gate,
I had a great time ’til it began to shake-
In San Francisco; in San Francisco;
In San Francisco, you really gotta know your way.
4. Climbed a snowy mountain; skied back down,
I saw the elkhorn arches in the center of town-
In Jackson Hole, in Jackson Hole,
In Jackson Hole, you really gotta know your way.
5. Went to Detroit, it was fine,
I watched the cars move off the assembly line-
In Detroit City, in Detroit City,
In Detroit City, you really gotta know your way.
6. I looped the loop, I rocked and reeled,
I thought the Cubs played ball in Marshall Field,
In the Windy City, in the Windy City,
In the Windy City, you really gotta know your way.
7. Went a little south, St. Louis (Loo-ee)
A piece of Missouri on the Mississippi
In old St. Louis, in old St. Louis,
In old St. Louis, you really gotta know your way.
See also
- Country: Northeastern States (U.S.)
- Subjects: blues / trains
- Harmony: I IV V chords
- Meter: 4
- Rhythm:Â
- Scale: blues
YouTube
- PDF of song with chords
- MIDI file
- Listen to the melody
4 thoughts on “The City Blues”
Beth! I’ve searched for this song for years! Thank you for posting it!
Linda Pell
That’s great! You are welcome! 🙂
Anyone know where to get a recording of this? Can’t find one on YouTube or Amazon music…
for some reason I remember a verse, “got my first taste of its pecan pralines…” I’m guessing the city is New Orleans. It was around 40 years ago in grade school music class but pops in my head if I hear the word pralines.