----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- since this song is roaming through my head for so long, I had to find a photo that matches the song... "There is a house in New Orleans They call the Rising Sun It's been the ruin of many a poor girl And me, Oh Lord! was one[...]" According to the folklorist, Alan Lomax in his book "Our Singing Country"(1941), the melody of "The House of the Rising Run" is a traditional English ballad and the lyrics were written by Georgia Turner and Bert Martin (both from Kentucky). "In the United States, The Rising Sun, a song with roots in 17th century British folk melody -- the rising sun has been a longtime symbol for brothels in British and American ballads -- circulated widely among Southern musicians, black and white. Black bluesman Texas Alexander first recorded it in 1928." [Alan Lomax, The Folk Songs of North America, Garden City, NY, 1960. p. 280.] Later the song was covered by Leadbelly, Charlie Byrd, Roy Acuff, Woody Guthrie, the Weavers, Henry Mancini, Dolly Parton, David Allan Coe, John Fahey, Waylon Jennings, Tim Hardin, Buster Poindexter, Marianne Faithful, Tracy Chapman, Nina Simone, Bob Dylan etc., but as you already know the Animals made the song popular in the 60s. The traditional version of "The House of the Rising Sun" speaks, not of a boy's experience, but of a girl corrupted into a life of ruin. Did the House of the Rising Sun ever really exist? A guidebook called "Offbeat New Orleans" asserts that the real House of the Rising Sun was at 826-830 St. Louis St. between 1862 and 1874 and was intentionally named for its madam, Marianne LeSoleil Levant, whose surname translates to "The Rising Sun." But no one knows for certain. I hope this post will not be considered offensive in any way - this is not my intention whatsoever. thank you for visiting my gallery! have a great week ahead! respectfully yours, mihai. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------