Major view
C major
Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)
Characteristic notes
- 7 = B (leading tone, pulls home)
- 4 = F (the note that leans on the 3rd)
The Animals - The House of the Rising Sun - Chord
Key C major – A minor Chords Am, C, E, D, F, E7 Difficulty already in its easiest key
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Key: C | Am
Capo: 0
Am C D F Am E Am E
Am C D F
There is a house in New Orleans,
Am C E7
They call the "Rising Sun",
Am C D F
It's been the ruin of many a poor boy,
Am E Am C D F Am E Am E
And God, I know, I'm one.
Am C D F
My mother was a tailor,
Am C E7
She sewed my new blue jeans,
Am C D F
My father was a gambling man,
Am E Am C D F Am E Am E
Down in New Orleans.
Am C D F
Now the only thing a gambler needs,
Am C E7
Is a suitcase and a trunk,
Am C D F
And the only time, he's satisfied, is when
Am E Am C D F Am E Am E
He's on a drunk
Am C D F
Oh, mother, tell your children
Am C E7
Not to do what I have done -
Am C D F
Spend your lives in sin and misery
Am E Am C D F Am E Am E
In the House of Rising Sun
Am C D F
Well, I've got one foot on the platform,
Am C E7
The other's on the train,
Am C D F
I'm going back to New Orleans,
Am E Am C D F Am E Am E
to wear that ball and chain.
Am C D F
Well, there is a house in new Orleans
Am C E7
They call the "Rising Sun",
Am C D F
And it's been the ruin of many a poor boy,
Am E Am C D F Am E Am E
And God I know i'm one
End of song Play again?
The Animals - The House of the Rising Sun Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
The Animals – The House of the Rising Sun: key and chord analysis
The song opens on Am and ends on E. Its chords belong to both C major and Am, so every chord below is read both ways.
Minor view
A minor
Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)
Characteristic notes
- b6 = F (the minor's melancholy)
- b7 = G (natural-minor colour)
- #7 = G# (harmonic-minor leading tone from the V chord)
Which side does the ear lean to?
Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the A minor side because it opens on Am, Am is heard 45 times against 25 for C and the major V chord points straight at Am. That is an interpretation, not a rule — the same chords are just as valid seen from C major, and switching between the two views is exactly where the practice value lies.
Chord degrees: major and relative minor
Show the degrees above the chords — relative to C or to Am; comparing both readings is a practice of its own.
Every chord of the key, listed 1 to 7 separately for each key. Chords played in the song show how often they appear; chords from outside the scale sit next to their own degree.
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | C | Tonic — home | C · E · G | 25× |
| ii | Dm | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | D · F · A | — |
| II | D | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | D · F# · A | 19× |
| iii | Em | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | E · G · B | — |
| V/vi | E | Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Amsecondary dominant | E · G# · B | 20× |
| V7/vi | E7 | Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Amsecondary dominant | E · G# · B · D | 6× |
| IV | F | Subdominant — moves away from home | F · A · C | 19× |
| V | G | Dominant — strongest pull home | G · B · D | — |
| vi | Am | Relative minor — the melancholy side | A · C · E | 45× |
| vii° | Bdim | Leading-tone chord — tension | B · D · F | — |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | Am | Tonic — home | A · C · E | 45× |
| ii° | Bdim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | B · D · F | — |
| III | C | Relative major — the bright side | C · E · G | 25× |
| iv | Dm | Subdominant — moves away from home | D · F · A | — |
| IV | D | Major IV — Dorian / melodic-minor colourmodal colour | D · F# · A | 19× |
| v | Em | Minor dominant — soft pull | E · G · B | — |
| V | E | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | E · G# · B | 20× |
| V7 | E7 | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | E · G# · B · D | 6× |
| VI | F | Submediant — warm colour | F · A · C | 19× |
| VII | G | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | G · B · D | — |
Analysis
The key pair is C major and its relative A minor (no sharps or flats). 6 different chords appear 134 times in total; 3 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. The major V of Am brings the harmonic-minor leading tone, giving the minor side a sharper, more dramatic pull; seen from C, the same E / E7 is V/vi, a secondary dominant heading for Am. D step outside the scale as colour chords.
Chord movement
- E Am CV/vi → vi AmV → iharmonic-minor cadence ×19
- F Am CIV → vi AmVI → iVI → i ×19
- E7 Am CV7/vi → visecondary resolution AmV7 → iharmonic-minor cadence ×6
The move to watch is E → Am, heard 19 times. From the Am side it is V → i (harmonic-minor cadence: the major V resolves dramatically); from the C side it reads V/vi → vi. Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.
Improvisation tips
- C major pentatonic and A minor pentatonic are the same five notes (C – D – E – G – A): start from C for a brighter phrase, from A for a bluesier one.
- Over Am, land on A, C, E — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over C, land on C, E, G — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over E, land on E, G#, B — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- When E comes, swap the scale's G for G#: that single note is the harmonic-minor sound of the chord.
The song on the circle of fifths
- Played in the song — chord of the key
- Played — the minor's harmonic V or a secondary dominant
- Played — borrowed or outside chord
- Home region: IV–I–V and ii–vi–iii
Empty slices are chords the song doesn't use.
Capo and easier keys
With C major shapes
- No capo — open C shapes
- Capo 3 + A shapes
- Capo 5 + G shapes
With A minor shapes
- No capo — open Am shapes
- Capo 5 + Em shapes
- Capo 7 + Dm shapes
Easiest keys on guitar
The song is already written in its easiest key for guitar.
The song's harmonic story
The first chord is Am; the ear learns where home is within a second. Am, C, E, D carry the song: vi–I–V/vi–II relative to C, i–III–V–IV relative to Am. E is the interesting twist: in C it is a chromatic chord (V/vi), while in Am it becomes the dominant (V) that makes the minor side sound so determined. Keep an ear on E → Am (V/vi → vi in C, V → i in Am): harmonic-minor cadence — the major V resolves dramatically. It closes on E, letting the C side have the last word.
This analysis is generated from the song's chords by akorculuk's harmony engine using consistent rules. When you change key, the degrees stay the same; only the chord names change.
The Animals - The House of the Rising Sun Chords on Guitar, Ukulele and Piano
Hover over or tap a chord in the lyrics for its shapes, its degree in both keys and a listen button. Here you have every chord of the song side by side.
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