House of the Rising Sun was made famous by The Animals in 1964, topping the charts in the UK, US and France. But the song itself is of unknown origin and various versions of its lyrics had been covered by a series of artists (including Bob Dylan). Originally, the song is said to have been telling a story from the point-of-view of a woman, led into a life of degradation and sex work. But the Animals’ version is about a man with a father who drinks and gambles.
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 blue jeans
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
To think about – or discuss with a friend
- Why do you suppose the lyrics were changed to tell the story of a man ruined by gambling rather than that of a woman drawn into sex work? How might the stories be similar? Different?
- The song suggests children might be influenced by a parent's behaviour. Why did the singer become a gambler and not a tailor?
- Is gambling (or sex work) always a path to ruin? If not, what other factors influence the outcome?