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About

Genius Annotation

“House of Gold” is a conversation between lead singer Tyler Joseph and his mother. She wonders if he will still care for her (both emotionally and physically) as she ages and is no longer able to care for him, which is portrayed in a rather grandiose fashion: she asks him to get her a house of gold.

The song goes on to describe Tyler pursuing his own dreams, but he realizes that they are not everything he thought they would be. Furthermore, because of life’s twists and turns, his plans for his dreams may not even come to fruition or give him what he was looking for in the first place. It’s quite likely that this information was instilled in him by his mother, which could be why this track is dedicated to her.

The happy melody found in “House of Gold” contrasts vastly with the meanings of the song and music video, which Tyler spoke about in a 2013 interview with 105.7 the Point:

We all have those people in our lives where we would say I would die for them, you know? And it’s actually pretty easy to, to say that you would die for somebody. The tough thing is living for them every day, you know? And not to go on a preachy thing here, but like when I when I think of being a brother to three younger siblings and a son to parents—it’s hard to live for those people everyday. It’s easy to be like, yeah, I’d take a bullet for my sister. So then playing with the just living in-between, that limbo of living and dying for somebody, in this video you kind of see us severed in half and barely staying alive and singing a song, particularly to my mom.

Q&A

Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning

Translations
Genius Answer
What did ​twenty one pilots say about "House of Gold"?
Genius Answer

Regarding “House of Gold,” Tyler Joseph has said:

It was the first song I ever played on the ukulele, it was the first song I ever wrote on the ukulele. I just bought that instrument and started strumming the first thing that sounded cool to me. At the time, I was obviously thinking about my mother. It’s really nice to say I wrote a song for my mom. If you listen to the lyrics, it’s not the happiest song, it’s not the most joyful of messages. But I like that song because it’s unlike anything else I’ve ever done or ever will do. I’m not going to write another song like that, ever. And I hope people are okay with that.


House Of Gold is about my mother and it means a lot to me and for me to reveal exactly what the song is about would be a little too vulnerable but I love my mom very much and I want to always be there for her like she was for me and this song is about that.

–Tyler Joseph via Rock Sound

What certifications did this track receive?
Genius Answer

“House of Gold” was certified platinum by the RIAA on July 7, 2017.

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Is there a behind-the-scenes video for the music video?
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