<Tr> <Th> Chart (1964) </Th> <Th> Peak position </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia) </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> France (singles sales) </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <P> Various places in New Orleans have been proposed as the inspiration for the song, with varying plausibility . The phrase "House of the Rising Sun" is often understood as a euphemism for a brothel, but it is not known whether the house described in the lyrics was an actual or a fictitious place . One theory is that the song is about a woman who killed her father, an alcoholic gambler who had beaten his wife . Therefore, the House of the Rising Sun may be a jailhouse, from which one would be the first person to see the sunrise (an idea supported by the lyric mentioning "a ball and chain," though that phrase has been slang for marital relationships for at least as long as the song has been in print). Because women often sang the song, another theory is that the House of the Rising Sun was where prostitutes were detained while being treated for syphilis . Since cures with mercury were ineffective, going back was very unlikely . </P>

Who sings in the house of the rising sun