The House of The Rising Sun is a traditional folk song. The most popular versions were recorded by Bob Dylan and The Animals. While the meaning behind the lyrics are not known exactly, it is clear from context that the narrator keeps returning to a place to feed their addiction. The lyrics also acknowledge that how a person is cared for and the experiences they have growing up play a huge role in the struggles they will have as an adult. In this case, the father is absent and possibly abusive while the mother is simply trying to keep her child clothed.
Part of the reason I love this song is that anyone struggling with an addiction can imprint themselves in the lyrics to some capacity. No, I don’t mean everyone had an absent father. In fact, mine was very present and my parents provided a good home to grow up in. Which is another serious part of addiction, anyone in the right situation can become an addict. However, there are very few addict’s stories that start off with “My childhood and adolescents were a safe wholesome time where I was fed well, taken care of, and coached positively by the adults in my life.” And, all addicts have a place/person they go to for their fix. Maybe it’s their dealer, the internet, the liquor store, a friend's house, or the grocery store. They learn to despise that place wishing it didn’t exist or that they could simply stay away. One of the many reasons that addict’s share their stories either publicly or in safe places like Celebrate Recovery or AA is that they want others to avoid their mistakes. The fourth verse is that cry. “Oh mothers tell your children not to do what I have done.”
The first step out of addiction and into recovery is admitting you have a problem during what is known as “a moment of clarity”. I like to think of this whole song as the narrator having that moment while waiting for a train back to New Orleans. Not to go back to their addiction but to go back and fight their demons. They are looking back over their life and what led them to this point and admitting in a prayer they are one of those poor ruined boys, “...God I know I’m one.”