Lyrics and chords

The House of the Rising Sun chords in the key of Am
Verse 1:
There (Am)is a (C)house in (D)New Orleans(F)
They (Am)call the Ris(C)ing (E)Sun(Am)
And (Am)it's been the (C)ruin of (D)many a poor (F)boy
And (Am)God, I (E)know I'm one

Verse 2:
My mother was a tailor
She sewed my new blue jeans
My father was a gambling man
Down in New Orleans

Verse 3:
Now the only thing a gambler needs
Is a suitcase and a trunk
And the only time he is satisfied
Is when he's on a drunk

Verse 4:
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

Verse 5:
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

Verse 6:
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.

Download this song in pdf with chord charts, included in 60 Traditional songs e-book.

The House of the Rising Sun (version with alternative lyrics)
Verse 1:
There is a house down in New Orleans
They call The Risin' Sun
And it's been the ruin of many a poor boy
And me, oh god, I’m a-one

Verse 2:
My mother was a tailor
She sewed these new blue jeans
My sweetheart was a gambler, Lord
Down in New Orleans

Verse 3:
Now the only thing a gambler needs
Is a suitcase and a trunk
And the only time he's satisfied
Is when he's on a drunk

Verse 4:
He fills his glasses up to the brim
And he’ll pass the cards around
And the only pleasure he gets out of life
Is ramblin' from town to town

Verse 5:
Oh tell my baby sister
Not to do what I have done
But shun that house in New Orleans
They call The Risin' Sun

Verse 6:
Well, it's one foot on the platform
And the other foot on the train
I'm goin' back to New Orleans
To wear that ball and chain

Verse 7:
I'm a-goin back to New Orleans
My race is almost run
I'm goin back to end my life
Down in the Risin Sun

Verse 8:
There is a house in New Orleans
They call The Risin Sun
It's been the ruin of many poor girl
And me, oh God, I’m a-one.

This is two of the versions of the song, but other versions considering numbers of verses as well as the lyrics and chords exist. The versions done by Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan and Eric Burdon (Animals), for example, all deviates to certain degrees. Depending of the lyrics, the content of the song differs as well. One version song is about a young woman that tells her sad story about living in a house, perhaps a bowdyhouse, in New Orleans with the name Rising Sun. The lines "Oh, mother, tell your children / Not to do what I have done / Spend your lives in sin and misery" is of obvious sorrowful regret. In other versions, the protagonist in the song is evidently male and the problems instead centers around drinking and gambling.

The chords are the same for all verses throughout the song. The key is in A Minor, but shifting between natural minor and harmonic minor due to the E major chord.

There are possibilities to change the key by using a capo:

• Capo 1: A# / Bb minor
• Capo 2: B minor
• Capo 3: C minor