Song Lyric Sunday: Place – ‘House Of The Rising Sun’

This week’s Song Lyric Sunday challenge is to feature a song that refers to a state, a country or just a place. That’s certainly a huge area full of potential choices.

This version of ‘House Of The Rising Sun’ is certainly, from a UK perspective, the seminal one. Released in 1964 it caused something of a sensation, not only for its subject matter – much clutching of pearls at the BBC – but also, I clearly recall, because of the unprecedented length of the single version (which I owned): 4 minutes and 29 seconds – half as long again as the average pop single at that time.

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 a trunk
And the only time he’s satisfied
Is when he’s all drunk

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