There is quite a history to this song. No one is certain who wrote it and it is a folk song that is thought to have originated in England in the 1920's or 30's. It was sung and sung again by one performer and another. Then then it was recored by the Animals, Rolling Stone and Bob Dylan with varying arrangements. Is it about a house of prostitution or a prision or down and out bar....no one knows for sure. Some think because early in the life of the song it was sung often by women that it was about prostitutes who had incurred syphilis working the streets of New Orleans. This version by the Animals is one of my favorites and captures the sheer soulful sorrow and headache, though I love Bob Dlylan's rework of the lyrics. It might be fun to compare different artists styles and interpretations of this work of art. The First video is of the Animals rendition and the second Bob Dylan's. Choose your favorite.
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