The Barbarians formed in 1964 in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. While their debut single, "Hey Little Bird" (on Joy Records) bombed, two of their next three singles (on Laurie) charted on Billboard, (with "Are You a Boy or Are You a Girl?" peaking at #55) and also made the Cash Box charts.
They received their biggest break when featured on The T.A.M.I. Show (performing "Hey Little Bird") alongside other artists such as The Rolling Stones, The Supremes, Lesley Gore, Chuck Berry, James Brown, and Marvin Gaye.
As their name implies, their image relied heavily on looking barbaric. They wore leather sandals and grew their hair longer than most of their contemporaries. One-armed drummer Victor "Moulty" Moulton had a prosthetic claw on his left arm. He had lost part of his left arm in an explosion at the age of 14. Moulty was able to play drums using the prosthesis to hold a drum stick. Their minor hit "Moulty" was a humorous and melodramatic autobiographical song chronicling the drummer's life and the loss of his hand. The Barbarians disbanded in 1966.
The Ramones' song Do You Remember Rock 'n' Roll Radio? includes Moulty in its list of rock 'n' roll figures and institutions.
2) Streetpunk band from Barberà del Vallés, Catalonia
House Of The Rising Sun
The Barbarians Lyrics
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they call the rising sun
and it's been the ruin of many a poor boy
and god i know i'm one
My mother was a tailor
she sewed my new bluejeans
my father was a gamblin' man
down in new orleans
is a suitcase and a trunk
and the only time he's satisfied
is when he's on a drunk
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
The lyrics of "House of the Rising Sun" by The Barbarians describes a house in New Orleans that is known as the "rising sun" and the ruin of many poor boys including the singer. The first stanza gives the location of the house and how it negatively affected those who previously lived there. The second stanza talks about the singer's family, specifically the occupation of each parent. The father is a gambling man and the mother is a tailor. The third stanza discusses what a gambler needs (suitcase and trunk), their constant state of dissatisfaction, and the singer's warning to children.
The song is a powerful warning about the cycle of sin and misery that can follow addiction, specifically gambling. The house of the rising sun is depicted as a place of ruin and despair, where the singer and many others have lost everything to their addiction. The lyrics are poignant and cautionary, warning listeners of the dangers of destructive choices.
Line by Line Meaning
There is a house in new orleans
There is a place in New Orleans
they call the rising sun
It is known as the Rising Sun
and it's been the ruin of many a poor boy
It has destroyed the lives of many poor boys
and god i know i'm one
And I know that I am one of them
My mother was a tailor
My mother was a seamstress
she sewed my new bluejeans
She made my new jeans
my father was a gamblin' man
My father was a gambler
down in new orleans
In New Orleans
Now the only thing a gambler needs
The only thing a gambler requires
is a suitcase and a trunk
Is a suitcase and a trunk
and the only time he's satisfied
And the only time he is content
is when he's on a drunk
Is when he is drunk
Oh mother tell your children
Mother, warn your children
not to do what i have done
Not to follow in my footsteps
spend your lives in sin and misery
To avoid a life of sin and misery
in the house of the rising sun
In the place known as the Rising Sun
Writer(s): Alan Price
Contributed by David Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.