House of the Rising Sun

Traditional American ballad · public domain

The whole song is the relative-minor world with one secondary dominant — the 3⁷ — locking the door every four bars.

KeyCDbDEbEFF#GAbABbB6/8 · slow arpeggio

Picking pattern (one bar per chord)

e|--------0--------0--|
B|-----1--------1-----|
G|--2--------2--------|
D|--------------------|
A|-0------------------|
E|--------------------|  (shown on 6-; keep the shape, move the bass)

Verse 1

There Amis a Chouse in DNew OrFleans

they Amcall the CRising E7Sun

and it's Ambeen the Cruin of Dmany a poor Fboy

and AmGod, I E7know I'm Amone

Verse 2

My Ammother Cwas a DtailFor,

she Amsewed my Cnew blue E7jeans,

my Amfather Cwas a Dgamblin' Fman

Amdown in E7New OrAmleans

Verse 3

Now the Amonly thing a Cgambler Dneeds

is a Amsuitcase Cand a E7trunk,

and the Amonly Ctime he's DsatisFfied

is Amwhen he's E7all a-Amdrunk

Verse 4

Oh Ammothers, Ctell your DchildFren

Amnot to do Cwhat I have E7done —

Amspend your Clives in Dsin and miseFry

in the AmHouse of the E7Rising AmSun

Play this on the neck in Key Change Lab →

House of the Rising Sun

More Songbook