In the Animal's Song "House of the Rising Sun", what are they talking about?

Question

And who was the orginal artist? Was there ever "House of the Rising Sun" in New Orleans? People/Urban legands say it was a brothel?

Answer 1

Top Stories - Los Angeles Times
New Orleans Legend May Prove to Be Reputable
Traditional vs. Modern Lyrics. The origins of the folk song "House of the Rising Sun" are unknown. The first known recording was in 1937 and has been recorded dozens of times since, most famously in 1964 by the British band the Animals.
http://www.able2know.com/forums/about47825.html
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...the rising sun has been a longtime symbol for brothels in British and American ballads - circulated widely among Southern musicians, black and white. Texas Alexander first recorded it in 1928. [Roy] Acuff may have learned this number from such neighboring Smoky Mountain artists as versatile entertainer Clarence Tom Ashley or the Callahan Brothers, an influential duet team of the '30s and '40s. (John R. Rumble, Liner Notes, Country & Western Classics: Roy Acuff, Time-Life Records, 1983, p 19)
http://www.bobdylanroots.com/house.html

From Rolling Stone: On his 1962 debut album, Bob Dylan (recorded Nov 20, 1961) had sung this grim tale of a Southern girl trapped in a New Orleans whorehouse. The Animals, from the tough English coal town of Newcastle, changed the gender...
http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/6595967/house_of_the_rising_sun

From Song Facts: This is about a brothel in New Orleans. "The House Of The Rising Sun" was named after Madame Marianne LeSoleil Levant (which means "Rising Sun" in French) and was open for business from 1862 (occupation by Union troops) until 1874, when it was closed due to complaints by neighbors. It was located at 826-830 St. Louis St.

Leadbelly, Woody Guthrie, Josh White and later Nina Simone all recorded versions of this song.
http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=439

Answer 2

The song tells of a young man visiting a brothel in New Orleans. The composition that the Animals had used back in the 1970s is every guitarist's dream to play, for the original melody is not as dramatic.

Written in the key of Dm, the composition moves thusly:
Dm, F, G, Bb, Dm, A7, Dm.

Answer 3

A brothel in New Orleans. It is an old traditional song that no one knows who wrote anymore, and I dont think it was ever a real place, but who knows? I dont think anyone can say for sure.

Answer 4

With songs you can never be sure, take for example the question that always comes up about the hotel california song, but I have always thought that it meant a brothel, but I have also heard it was a song about a chain gang.

Answer 5

There is some info here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_Of_The_Rising_Sun