The House Of The Rising Sun
Joan Baez Lyrics

There is a house in New Orleans
In the city of New Orleans, there exists a particular house

They call the Rising Sun
This house's name, or perhaps nickname, is the Rising Sun

And it's been the ruin of many a poor girl
This house has ruined the lives of multiple poor girls who have entered it

And me, oh God, I'm a-one
The singer confesses to being one of these poor girls whose life was ruined by the Rising Sun house

If I had listened to what my mother said
Had the singer heeded her mother's advice, she would not have ended up in the Rising Sun house

I'd have been at home today
The singer would be at home if she had followed her mother's words of caution

But I was young and foolish, oh, God
However, due to her youth and lack of wisdom, the singer ignored her mother's warning

Let a rambler lead me astray
The singer followed the wrong crowd and made poor choices as a result

Go tell my baby sister
The singer urges someone to inform her younger sibling

Don't do what I have done
To not make the same mistake she did by going to the Rising Sun house

But shun the house in New Orleans
To avoid the house in New Orleans known as the Rising Sun entirely

I'm going back to New Orleans
Despite the singer's initial troubles at the Rising Sun house, she is returning to New Orleans

My race is almost run
The singer is nearing the end of her life or facing some other major challenge

I'm going back to spend my life
She intends to spend the rest of her days somewhere specific

Beneath that Rising Sun
This location is under the same roof as the notorious Rising Sun house