Rising Sun Blues - History of the Folk Song House of the Rising Sun

July 22, 2023

Rising Sun Blues - History of the Folk Song House of the Rising Sun

When one's doing research into the song House of the Rising Sun, it's hard to get everyone you talk to to leave off the Animals version. One obsession that particular set of lyrics begets is an assumption that the song is necessarily about New Orleans and any actual location called The Rising Sun.

The Rising Sun was not an unusual name for colonial taverns, with ones having existed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in Milton, Massachusetts, and in Fredericksburg, Virginia; there were also several in England throughout the years, with a famous one in Cloth Fair, London. It was also applied as a name for ships and as a nickname for redheads or people with especially ruddy complexions. The choice of the name likely has as much to do with the rhyme scheme as anything, and it's the kind of thing that gets easily changed (see Child's collected folks songs about a ship called "The Sweet Trinity" or "The Golden Willow Tree" or "The Golden Vanity" or "The Turkish Rebelee" etc.)

There is no evidence that any public house by that name ever existed in New Orleans, and some versions of the song apparently have the location as "Baxter Springs" or "Lowestoft."

There's a verse in many historical versions of the song, with a gist of "...fill the glass up to the brim and pass it all around" and "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 seems to resemble a verse in a recorded song called Logan County Jail or variations near to that.

"Sitting in the railroad, waiting for the train,

I am going away to leave you to wear the ball and chain.

I'm going away to leave you, darling don't you cry,

Take a glass of whiskey and let it all pass by."

"Market Square" or "Madison Square" are the normal opening line locations in this tune. An old song called Root, Hog or Die (not the one you're thinking of) has some more common lines with this tune, its location being simply "on the square." But moreover this connects it to a family of folk songs called "The Rambling Boy" where you get other interesting places like "Newry City" and "Newry Town" (probably referring to Newry in Ireland.) Indeed, under the title "The Wild and Wicked Youth" we get a story of a man from Newry Town who also gives similar funeral instructions to those in St James Infirmary. One of the earliest versions omits Newry but talks often of Grovesnor [sic] Square, which is very possibly where our "square" reference comes from.

But it's hard to say if House of the Rising Sun is just an evolution of Logan County Jail/Wild and Wicked Youth or if it picked up a couple lines from that separate but similar song. The phenomenon of separate but similar songs picking up verses from each other is seen a few times in Francis James Child's collection, for instance in some of the songs about lovers named William and Margaret, even when the adventure is quite different an occasional verse from, say, the version where William is dead and returning as a ghost will slip into the one where he's a cheater and Margaret is testing him.

Here's a collection of the early 20th century versions I have been able to find. I'm being like Francis James Child here and just trying to collect them all in one place for comparison. (Child would have loved having recordings of his songs, I'm sure.)

1925 version from Adventure Magazine (according to Ted Anthony):

There is a house in New Orleans, it's called the Rising Sun,

It's been the ruin of a many poor girl, Great God and I for one.

If I had of listened to what my mother said, I'd be at home today.

But I was young and foolish poor girl, let a rounder lead me astray.

Oh mother, mother, tell me why you treat that rounder cold,

I'd rather be that rounder's wife than wear your crown of gold.

Now tell my sister in Baltimore not to do as I have done,

To shun that house in New Orleans, it's called the Rising Sun.

1933 version, "Clarence Tom Ashley":

There are a house in New Orleans they call the Rising Sun,

Where many poor boy to destruction has gone, and me, oh God, for one.

Just fill a glass up to the brim, let the drinks go merr'ly around.

We'll drink to the life of a rounder poor boy, who goes from town to town.

All in this world does a rounder want is a suitcase and a trunk.

The only time he's satisfied is when he's on a drunk.

Now boys, don't b'lieve what a young girl tells you, let her eyes be blue or brown,

Unless she's on some scaffold high, saying "Boys, I can (?) come down."

I'm going back to New Orleans, for my race is almost run,

To spend rest of my wicked life beneath the rising sun.

1937 version, "Dawson Henson":

There is a house in the new or lean they call the Rising Sun.

It's ruined the life of a many poor girl, and it's me, oh Lord, for one.

Go and tell my baby sister not to do as I have done,

To shun that house in the new or lean, that they call it the Rising Sun.

I got one foot on the platform, and the other'n on the train.

I'm a-going back to the new or lean for to why (?) that ball and chain.

Ain't but two things a bachelor needs: a suitcase and his trunk.

The only time I'm satisfying, it's when I'm on a drunk.

1937 version, "Georgia Turner":

[...] house in New Orleans they call the Rising Sun.

It's been the ruin of many poor girl, and me, oh God, for one.

So tell my baby sister never do as I have done,

And shun that house in New Orleans they call the Rising Sun.

My mother, she's a tailor, she sewed those new blue jeans.

My sweetheart is a drunkard, oh Lord, drinks down in New Orleans.

The only thing that a drunkard needs is a suitcase or a trunk.

The only time he's satisfied is when he's on a drunk.

One foot is on the platform, and the other one on a train.

I'm going back to New Orleans to wear that ball and chain.

1937 version, "Bert Martin":

There's a house in New Orleans they call that Rising Sun.

Been a ruin of many poor boy. Me, oh Lord, for one.

Ought t'ave listened what mamma said, I'd have been at home today.

Being so young and foolish, poor boy, led a rambling me astray.

All that a rounder wants is a suitcase on a trunk.

The only time he's satisfied is on a hobo trip and a bunk.

Fills his glasses to the brim, passes them all around.

Only place he gets out at last (?) to bolt from town to town.

I'm going back to New Orleans, my race is almost run.

I'm going to spend the rest of my life beneath that rising sun.

Go and tell my younger brother never do as I have done.

Shun that house in New Orleans they call the Rising Sun.

What we see is up to 7 regular verses, the first is usually about "House of the Rising son that's ruined boys/girls" followed, in no particular order, by "tell my brother/sister to stay away from that house", "I ought to have listened to my mom but I didn't", "Fill glasses and something about going town to town", "I'm going back to New Orleans to live under the rising sun", "a rounder only needs a suitcase and trunk, satisfied drunk", "foot on the train, will wear ball and chain". Rare verses are "my mom's a tailor and someone's a drunk in New Orleans", "Mom, I love my sweetheart", and "Don't believe wo/men unless they're being hanged."

It would be nice to find an old intermediate version, but I suppose we're lucky to just have as much as we do.

But also see the "Unprintable Versions" of House of the Rising Sun...

It seems at first mysterious that the folk song collectors classed this little British tune as a version of House of the Rising Sun:

If you go to Lowestoft and ask for the Rising Sun,

In there you'll find two old whores and my old woman's one.