The House of the Rising Sun

A much covered song, and one of my favourites, here's some different versions some good, some great, some odd and one beyond the pale.


The Animals (live)



The Animals (film version - 1964)


The Animals version that I like best can be viewed here, love the walking around the studio idea...



Frijid Pink (1971)



Bob Dylan (1961)



Joan Baez (1960)


Woody Guthrie (1941?)



Lead Belly (1948 - the earliest recording, so far as I can tell)


And now for some odd versions:

Duran Duran (live 2006)



Gregory Isaacs (early 1990s)



Sinead O'Connor



The Beatles (jamming)



Gary Glitter



Dolly Parton


Tracy Chapman



ewmarsto (?)



Margaret Beckett!




The lyrics for this song change a lot, but recent versions seem to be male or female:
Male version - eg: The Animals:

"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 "

Female version - eg: Dolly Parton:

"There is a house down in New Orleans
Down in the Vieux Carr'e
A house they call the rising sun
Where love and money are made

My father he was a gambler
Mother died when I was young
And I've worked since then
To please the men
At the house of the rising sun

There is a house
Down in New Orleans
They call the rising sun
It's been the ruin of many a good girl
And oh God, you know I'm one

So mothers you go telling all your daughters
Not to do what I've done
To live a life of sin, shame and strife
In the house of the rising sun

There is a house in New Orleans
They call the rising sun
It's been the ruin of many a good girl
And oh God, you know I'm one
Oh God, you know I'm one. "

For even more on the song you could look at Wikipedia or YouTube