Born in Cleveland, Ohio,U.S., Tracy Chapman began playing guitar and writing songs as a child. She received a scholarship through A Better Chance that allowed her to attend Wooster School in Connecticut, and was eventually accepted to Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts.
Tracy Chapman helped restore songwriters to the spotlight in the '80s. The multi-platinum success of Chapman's eponymous 1988 debut was unexpected, and it had lasting impact. Although Chapman was working from the same confessional songwriter foundation that had been popularized in the '70s, her songs were fresh and powerful, driven by simple melodies and affecting lyrics. At the time of her first album, there were only a handful of artists performing such a style successfully, and her success ushered in a new era of songwriters that lasted well into the '90s. Along with 10,000 Maniacs and R.E.M., Chapman's liberal politics proved enormously influential on American college campuses in the late '80s.
Official Website: http://www.tracychapman.com
Fansite: http://www.tracychapmanonline.com
House Of The Rising Sun (Live
Tracy Chapman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
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
Now the only thing a gambler needs
Is a suitcase and 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
Well, i got one foot on the platform
The other foot on the train
I'm goin' back to new orleans
To wear that ball and chain
Well, 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'm one
Tracy Chapman's rendition of “House of the Rising Sun” speaks to the sorrow and pain of a young man who is being haunted by his past mistakes. The opening lines “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'm one” highlights the reality of the singer's situation which the house is a place of temptation and debauchery that many men have fallen victim to. Chapman delivers this line with a sense of sorrow and defeat, suggesting that the singer is now on a path of self-destruction and regret.
The second verse provides a glimpse into the singer's family history with lines, “My mother was a tailor, she sewed my new bluejeans, my father was a gamblin' man down in New Orleans,” showing that his family was not without its own vices. The third verse speaks to the nature of a gambler's lifestyle, “Now the only thing a gambler needs is a suitcase and trunk, and the only time he's satisfied is when he's on a drunk.” This line speaks to the vicious cycle of addiction that the singer is in and how he is unable to break free from the only life he knows.
The final verse speaks to the inevitability of the singer's fate with lines like, “Well, I got one foot on the platform, the other foot on the train, I'm goin' back to New Orleans to wear that ball and chain.” This line suggests that the singer is resigned to his fate, knowing that the song’s titular house will always be a part of him and that he will never be able to escape its grip. Overall, Tracy Chapman's “House of the Rising Sun” is a powerful depiction of a man who is in the grip of addiction and consistently making bad choices.
Line by Line Meaning
There is a house in new orleans
In New Orleans, there's a notorious place commonly referred to as the house of the rising sun
They call the rising sun
They've named this place after the sun's rise because many unfortunate souls have lost their way in its chambers
And it's been the ruin of many a poor boy
The house of the rising sun has ruined the lives of countless young boys
And god i know i'm one
God, I too have fallen victim to the house of the rising sun
My mother was a tailor
My mother used to sew clothes for a living
She sewed my new bluejeans
She made my new blue jeans for me
My father was a gamblin' man
My father was a known gambler in New Orleans
Down in new orleans
He always used to hang out in New Orleans
Now the only thing a gambler needs
All that a gambler wants to have is
Is a suitcase and trunk
A suitcase and trunk where he can keep all his belongings
And the only time he's satisfied
The only time that he ever feels satisfied
Is when he's on a drunk
Is when he's completely drunk and under the influence
Oh mother tell your children
Oh, mothers please pass on this wisdom to your children
Not to do what i have done
Advising them against doing what I have done
Spend your lives in sin and misery
Otherwise, they will end up living a life full of sin and misery
In the house of the rising sun
In the notorious house of the rising sun
Well, i got one foot on the platform
I'm set and ready to leave the house of the rising sun
The other foot on the train
already on board the train
I'm goin' back to new orleans
I'm going back to New Orleans
To wear that ball and chain
I'm the prisoner of my own guilt that I must bear forever
Well, there is a house in new orleans
There's is a notorious place in New Orleans known as the house of the rising sun
They call the rising sun
It's been named after the sun's rise due to the hopelessness it brings to people's lives
And it's been the ruin of many a poor boy
The house of the rising sun has ruined the lives of countless young men
And god i know i'm one
And God knows that I too, have fallen victim to the house of the rising sun
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: CHRIS ECKMAN, DP
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@SuperJujar
UM ALERTA AOS JOVENS SOBRE OS PERIGOS DAS DROGAS
TANTAS CELEBRIDADES IMOLADAS EM IDADE MUITO PRECOSE...
UM LAMENTO... O ARREPENDIMENTO TARDIO... A PENA E A RESSUREIÇÃO...
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
"Oh mãe, diga a seus filhos
Para não fazerem o que eu fiz.
Desperdiçar suas vidas em pecados e miséria
Na casa do sol nascente.
Well I've got one foot on the platform
And the other on the train
I am going Back to new orleans
to wear that ball and chain
Bem, eu estou com um pé na plataforma.
E o outro no trem.
Estou voltando para Nova Orleans
Para usar aquela bola e corrente.
There is a house in New Orleans
They call The Rising Sun
And it's been the ruin of many other poor boys
And god, I know, I'm one
Bem, há uma casa em Nova Orleans.
Eles a chamam de Casa do Sol Nascente
E tem sido a ruína de muitos pobres garotos.
E, Deus, eu sei que eu sou um."
The House of the Rising Sun, traducido al castellano "La Casa del Sol Naciente", sencillo grabado en disco de vinilo por el grupo inglés The Animals en 1964, N° 1 en Inglaterra y Estados Unidos. Esta canción tiene infinidad de versiones en todo el mundo y en todo los idiomas, quizás la versión de Animals sea la mejor... y saben porqué?... porque a mi me gusta (que tal argumento).
Nombre de los integrantes originales:
Eric Burdon -- śpiew
Alan Price -- organy
Hilton Valentine -- gitara
Chas Chandler -- gitara basowa
John Steel -- perkusja
@NoPawn
Videos from the audience are hit or miss, but DAMN is this a hit! The echo of the guitar and her singing gave it the perfect haunting accent to this.
@geekster69
The most beautifully haunting version of this song.
It gives you goose bumps. Amazing.
@TheMUDDAY
Tracy Chapman is one of the best folk artists I have ever heard. Can't get enough.
@DSDreamer
I loved this version. Tracy makes you feel every word. She sings from her soul and heart.
@Shiyounin
this is the only version of this song I've heard that sounds as heartbreaking as the lyrics. Amazing.
@glory255
Her rendition gives me goose bumps.
@musickluvrr
Tracy is so gorgeous & her incredible voice makes every song her own, as it should be. Much love to this woman who has helped to make me who I am through music.
@djroxanne4429
+musickluvrr Tracy and Anne Wilson the best soulful voices of 2 generations id love to see them do a duet..
@djroxanne4429
she has the best voice, i immediately loved her and then i couldn't find her for the longest time..
@Darkdemonoflite
God has just blessed me to the fullest! I am so thank for running into this vid.