The House of the Rising Sun

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"The House of the Rising Sun"

Artist

Folk song

Released

1964

Heard/referenced in

"House of the Rising Sun"

Songfacts entry

"The House of the Rising Sun" is a folk song from the United States referenced by the title of the episode "House of the Rising Sun".

Lyrics

“

There is a house in New Orleans
They call the Rising Sun
And it's been the ruin of many a poor boy
And God I know I'm one

My mother was a tailor
She sewed my new bluejeans
My father was a gamblin' man
Down in New Orleans

Now the only thing a gambler needs
Is a suitcase and trunk
And the only time he's satisfied
Is when he's on a drunk

[ organ solo ]

Oh mother tell your children
Not to do what I have done
Spend your lives in sin and misery
In the House of the Rising Sun

Well, I got one foot on the platform
The other foot on the train
I'm goin' back to New Orleans
To wear that ball and chain

Well, there is a house in New Orleans
They call the Rising Sun
And it's been the ruin of many a poor boy
And God I know I'm one

”

Trivia

This song are sometimes also called "House of the Rising Sun" or occasionally "Rising Sun Blues" and it tells of a life gone wrong in New Orleans. Depending on the version, the song may be sung from the perspective of a woman or a man. Two of the best-known renditions of the song are by the English group The Animals in 1964, which was a number one hit in both the United States and United Kingdom, and by Joan Baez in 1959-60.