House Of The Rising Sun | Chords + Lyrics
Intro
| 6/8 Am | C | D | F |
| Am | E | Am | E |
Verse 1
| Am | C | D | F |
There is a house in New Orleans.
| Am | C | E | E |
They call the Rising Sun.
| Am | C | D | F |
And it’s been the ruin of many a poor boy.
| Am | E |
And God, I know I’m one.
Instrumental 1
| Am | C | D | F | Am | E | Am | E |
Verse 2
My Mother was a tailor.
Sewed my blue jeans.
My father was a gamblin’ man.
Down in New Orleans.
Instrumental 2
| Am | C | D | F | Am | E | Am | E |
Verse 3
Now the only thing a gambler needs.
Is a suitcase and a trunk.
And the only time that he’ll be satisfied.
Is when he’s on a trump.
Instrumental 3
| Am | C | D | F | Am | E | Am | E |
Solo
| Am | C | D | F |
| Am | C | E | E |
| Am | C | D | F |
| Am | E |
| Am | C | D | F |
| Am | E | Am | E |
Verse 4
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.
Instrumental 4
| Am | C | D | F |
| Am | E | Am | E |
Verse 5
Well, I got one foot on the platform
The other foot on the train.
I’m going back to New Orleans
To wear that ball and chain.
Instrumental 5
| Am | C | D | F | Am | E | Am | E |
Verse 6
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.
Outro
| Am | C | D | F |
||: Am | E | Am | E :||
| Am | E | Am | Am |
House of the Rising Sun Chords: Unlock the Progressions and Picking Secrets
Often seen as a beginner guitar song, House of the Rising Sun by The Animals can be quite tricky due to its fast picking technique.
I would classify it as an intermediate song, as I still find it challenging when played at full tempo!
The chords are all open-position chords, so you could practice slowly and gradually improve your picking technique. In that sense, the chords in House of the Rising Sun are an excellent exercise.
Speaking of the chords, using Roman numerals, the progression goes as follows: VI – I – IIx – IV. Then, when repeated, swap the last two chords for IIIx. The final two bars are simply VI – IIIx.
In the key of Am, this becomes:
||: Am (VI) | C (I) | D (IIx) | F (IV) |
| Am | C | E (IIIx) | E |
| Am | C | D | F |
| Am | E :||
The IIIx (E) is a very common variation and more common than Em in the key of Am. The real tension in the progression lies in chord IIx (D), which, if diatonic, would be Dm.
We feel this tension because the D chord contains an F# as its 3rd. Followed by the F chord, this creates a chromatic movement.
As exciting as this is, my favourite part of House of the Rising Sun isn’t just the chords—it’s how the pattern itself contains an obvious secret to improving in general: the open G string at the end of every chord.
To fully grasp this, I’ve included a link to the TAB lesson: House of the Rising Sun – Guitar Lesson with TAB. This will show you how the open G string is used to move between chords.
In the TAB lesson, we also cover how to strum the chords. This technique appears toward the end of the original recording, though it’s often overlooked in beginner lessons.
Once you’ve mastered the TAB, a simple chord chart is all you need to remember how to play the chords in House of the Rising Sun. Here’s one I’ve made for you.
House Of The Rising Sun Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro
Should you want to download this chart, here’s a PDF: House Of The Rising Sun chord chart PDF.
This chord chart was created using iReal Pro, here’s a link to that file: House Of The Rising Sun chord chart iReal Pro. Using this and the iRealPro app, you can change the key.
House Of The Rising Sun is a traditional!
House of the Rising Sun is a traditional folk song, and its origins remain uncertain. It’s believed that it may even be a combination of several folk songs.
One theory suggests that House of the Rising Sun is an old English folk song about a pub called The Rising Sun, located in Lowestoft, Suffolk—the most eastern town in England. Some of the original lyrics reportedly went: “If you go to Lowestoft, and ask for The Rising Sun, There you’ll find two old whores and my old woman is one.”
The lyrics later evolved to reference New Orleans and were famously recorded by The Animals in 1964. This version is often considered one of the first folk-rock recordings.
Regardless of its origins, House of the Rising Sun remains an important part of music history and continues to have a lasting influence.
House Of The Rising Sun Chords: Continue Learning
Want to master this song? Check out the full TAB lesson here: House Of The Rising Sun (The Animals) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Alternatively, here are five similar tunes you might enjoy: