English Tutor Nick P Music Lyrics Explained (28) House of the Rising Sun

Hi this is Tutor Nick P and this is Music Lyrics  Explained 28. The song that we're going to cover today is "House of the Rising Sun. " Okay. Let  somebody do a screenshot, do it right now. All right. Let's look at the introduction here. So  "The House of the Rising Sun" was not written by the group the Animals. However the Animals  version sung by Eric Burdon was the most famous and the most successful. Yeah. This song you hear  it in a lot of movies too and Eric Burdon had such a .... even tho

ugh he was kind of a short  guy he had this really deep mysterious voice and he was really able to make this song very very  popular. Well let's continue. It was a traditional ballad written by George Turner and Bert martin  from Kentucky or at least they're given credit for writing it. The song might actually even  be older than them, but they're the ones that kind of put it on paper. We don't know if  it had changed over time, but the song might actually be older. This ballad it was kind of a 

love song that was even before that There have been many other artists who have done covers.  Remember when we do a cover, it means another person sings somebody else's song ... of this song  including such famous singers as Woody Guthrie, Peter Paul and Mary, Dolly Parton, Tracy Chapman,  Bob Dylan etc. have all sung this song. But again, The Animal's version was the most popular.  Okay. Now the song was written in the 1920's and at that time Rising Sun referred to brothels. Okay  The traditio

nal version of the song was about a girl not about a boy. So first I'm going to cover  Eric ... The Animal's version. Eric Burdon's version of this song and then I'll cover the  original version that was actually written by George Turner and Bert Martin because that  I think actually explains what the lyrics are morel. We can understand what the lyrics are  more. Well let's look at Eric Burdon's version too. So it kind of goes like this. There is a  house in New Orleans, they call the rising sun

. It's been the ruin of many a poor boy and God  I know I'm one. Now Eric Burdon, of course, he had to change the it to a version for  a guy instead of a girl. So and of course "the rising sun" we don't really know in Eric  Burdon's version what the rising sun refers to. Later on we find out that it's it's probably a  house of prostitution. Okay. Well. let's continue. He sings, my mother was a tailor . She sewed  my new blue jeans and my father was a gamblin' man down in New Orleans. All right.

We got to  try to figure out why he thinks that you know, why he... his life was ruined. It's a little  unclear, but we do know according to this that his father was a gambling man. So did  he take after his father ? Did he become a gambler too ? All right. Let's continue. Now  the only thing a gambler needs is a suitcase in the trunk and the only thing he's  satisfied or the only time he's satisfied is when he's on a drunk. All right. So we  know now his father was a gambler and a drunk. I don'

t know did he become a gambler and a drunk  too ? I'm not really sure. "On a drunk" actually means like a drinking spree. So both versions  refer to "on a drunk. " So if you're on a drunk. You're, you're drinking, you're drinking spree and  you're probably drunk for like several days. And okay that's what that means. All right. Let's  continue. So he goes. Oh mother tell your children not to do what I have done. Don't spend your life  in sin and misery in the house of the rising sun. All right.

So here. Now he's, he's, he's warning  like don't be like me. Even though I'm still not 100 sure what he did. Yeah. What I've done. Don't  spend your life in sin and misery. Misery of course here means the state of being extremely  unhappy. In the house of the rising son. So is he also referring to the rising sun as like a  brothel ? Does he go to brothels all the time ? Is did he pick up his father's drinking habit  and also just be like a john kind of like that again ? It's a little unclear. B

ut still the song  is very mysterious and it's very attractive when he sings it. Let's continue. So here he goes.  I got one foot , I got one foot on the platform and another on the train and I'm going back  to New Orleans to wear that ball and chain. All right. Now here of course we know that I don't  really sounds like a little bit of indecision he's got one foot here one foot there maybe he's not  sure what he should be doing ? But yet he does. He's deciding he's going back to New Orleans  to

wear the ball and chain. Well obviously, ball and chain that was the the heavy iron  ball attached to prisoners by chain. So it's, it's it basically refers to like either being in  prison or being trapped or in slavery or something like that. So he feels like he's he's trapped.  He still has to return to this. Is is this his addiction ? Is this like it being you know,  you know , his life where he's prostitutes and drinking ? Again it's a little unclear exactly  what he means by this. Let's go

on. And and really The Animal's version is almost finished  here. Because ....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 was one. Okay. So that's The Animal's version. Now if you  go to the original one which is actually a female version and actually I think it's actually kind  of deeper, it makes more sense. It goes like this, There is a house in New Orleans they call the  Rising Sun. It's been the ruin of many a poor gir

l and and me oh God for one. So okay now again. If  this really refers to the Rising Sun as like a brothel, this is making more sense because  maybe she ended up becoming a prostitute. So all right. Let's continue. If I had listened  to what my mama said I'd be at home today. Being so young and foolish poor boy let a rambler lead  me astray. All right. So let's look at this. All right now a rambler was like a rover a wanderer.  So she obviously she met some guy. She probably fell in love with th

is guy. She probably went  away with him but he turned out also to be like a gambler and a drunk too. So in this version  it's the boyfriend that's a gambler and a drunk and i guess one way or another maybe she ended  up in a life of prostitution. I don't know was she trying to get him out of debt or uh what  happened here ? All right. So let's continue. And the rambler and the rambler lead her astray.  Well away from the right path. He changed the direction of her life. Bringing her in the wron

g  direction. All right. Let's, let's continue here. So the again the original one goes like this. Go  tell my baby sister never do like I have done. To shun that house in New Orleans, they  call the Rising Sun. All right. So now she's giving a warning. Maybe  she does have a younger sister. Make sure the younger sister doesn't become like  her . She doesn't I guess turn into a prostitute. Never like I have done. To shun. If we say to  shun, it means to deliberately avoid a place or activity. So

stay away from that. Don't  end up like me. Don't end up in my shoes. They call the rising sun. Well, again the  brothel. Okay. All right. Let's continue. My mother she's a tailor. She sewed my new  blue jeans. My sweetheart, he's a drunkard. Lord, Lord drink down in New Orleans. So again  the guy that she fell in love with ended up being a drunk and probably not very ambitious. No money.  All right. So the only thing a drunkard needs is a suitcase and a trunk. The only time he's  satisfied is

when he's on a drunk. So again basically probably on a drinking spree. so I don't  know maybe she , she I guess she finally realizes that he loves drinking and gambling more than he  loves her. And that's what really keeps him happy. But you know, she got led astray by him. According  to this. All right. Let's go on. All right. Fills his glass to a brim passes them around. Only  pleasure he gets from life is hobo'in' from town to town. So this was her sweetheart. This is  what happened. So obvio

usly he cares more about gambling and drinking and not her. So he fills  the glass to the brim. To the brim of course means to the top of the edge of a cup. You  know, so he's a , he's a drunkard basically. Yes. And the only pleasure he gets from  life is hobo'in and well hobo'in is like being like a hobo. And we've talked about  a hobo. A person who travels from place to place because they do not have a home. We often  associate it with like street people like a bum or something too. So basical

ly that's what  he was. All right. Let's continue. One foot is on the platform and the other on the train.  I'm going back to New Orleans to wear that ball and chain. It sounds like she's you know, figuring  that she's she's trapped in this life. And she's going back and I guess she's going to continue  to just be a prostitute. Even though it's not, it's it's not what makes her happy. And that's  basically what she's doing. To wear that ball and chain. Well again , I don't think she's actually 

going to prison. Because it sounds like it could be prison too. I mean it is a possibility.  Did she get caught ? Did she get arrested ? But no she's going back. She's going on  the train. So that doesn't sound right. It sounds like she's making the choice to go  back. But maybe she doesn't feel like she can get out of this life. She's trapped in this sort  of life. That's unhappy of being a prostitute. So this is why she was warning and  warning her sister not to do this too. I , I don't know I

guess sometimes people feel  like they just can't get out of this sort of life. I've sometimes heard from people like in the human  trafficking where they finally did escape one day. But sometimes they try to they try to make them  stay by telling them that you know, they will hurt their family or something if they try to leave.  I don't know if it was anything like that. But anyway this is how the old ballad goes. All right.  So and this is pretty much the end of it. Going back to New Orleans.

My race is almost run. Going  back to spend the rest of my days beneath the Rising Sun. So I guess she's you know, considering  that. Well she's probably just going to be a prostitute for the rest of her life or something  like that. Anyway you know, it , it depends when different people hear this song they may associate  a different way. They all know that it was a life gone astray. So some people might associate it  maybe with gambling, with drinking. Probably another addiction today. Probabl

y it could be some  people with drugs, a life of crime anything like that. So different people. It's sometimes it's  open to interpretation when people are listening to this song. But the like I said the original  version sounds a little clearer. Anyway I hope you got it . I hope it was informative . I hope it  was interesting. Thank you for your time. Bye-bye.