Midnight dancing
This is the house with windows closed deep down in New Orleans. The matron here, named Marianne, lets all us souls bed for free. “Join in ruin and misery; you’ll be paid a handsome fee!”
You may not know, but Mother sews. While Father gambles and, drunk, he still drinks. “I’m lucky, boy… don’t you worry. It’s all gone… but it’ll be back. Your father’s a winner, boy, it’ll be back.”
Now I dance for Marianne, and so I dance with you. I’ll dance until our luck comes back— keep still. You’ll see the Rising Sun with such lovely view.
- Category: Myths, Legends & Fables
10 comments add one below
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firefly almost 3 years ago
Inspired by the folk song “The House of the Rising Sun”, especially alt-j’s version. I love their phrase “And in debt he leaves for another town //
Where he gambles and, drunk, he still drinks.” -
Christopher almost 3 years ago
I got hold of this one pretty early, as that song's a favorite of mine, the version by The Animals, anyway. Really cool, Firefly.
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Neville Hunt almost 3 years ago
Really super firefly. You didn’t have to tell us its provenance though. The juxtapositioning of ‘house’ and ‘New Orleans’ in the first sentence did that. I knew as I read that first line that Christopher would be tuned in. Great song and great drabble too. Rock-on firefly! (Don’t know alt-j, but he sounds like a bit of an animal.)
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Frenchie almost 3 years ago
Love this …. ♥️♥️♥️ I knew the English version but never listen to the words as we had our own French cover version. As a matter of fact, in the French version, Mother sold her wedding dress for her bad boy son who was sent to jail 😊 it is a very sad song in French.
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Frenchie almost 3 years ago
“Never listened “ correcting a typo in my comment …
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firefly almost 3 years ago
Yes I figured you guys would catch on to the song, but thought alt-j merited an honorable mention!
Frenchie, I am the exact opposite. I grew up in France but listened to the English version at home. I just now looked up the words to Johnny Halliday’s cover and I never realized they were so different! It is a song that has inspired many regardless of language… I find its history particularly fascinating- one theory being that it is based on a brothel owned by Marianne LeSoleil Levant, which inspired my version. You can even find her pamphlets online today ;) -
Frenchie almost 3 years ago
Oh, thank you for this info, Firefly . I didn’t know that. Will check out her pamphlet 😊
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Neville Hunt almost 3 years ago
Have now checked out alt-j. Interesting stuff, firefly. I prefer the Relaxer version of HotRS than the Reduxer version, featuring Tuka, but the words are part original, and make good listening (difficult to hear though in the Tuka version). Interested to see the band comes from Leeds, where my elder son went to university, and whence come The Mekons, one of my favourite bands. They were UoL boys like my son. Check out the intro on ‘Where were you?’... the drumbeat is hypnotising, even for a past punk rocker like me.
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Neville Hunt almost 3 years ago
(and now I know how to type delta on a Mac. I seem to keep learning🎓)
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Jamie Clapperton almost 3 years ago
I get a slight sense of hope here , even though , the narrator seems to receive false promises , Have just checked out the alt-J version but still prefer the Animals' cover.
