House of Gold Lyrics
Will you buy me a house of gold?
And when your father turns to stone,
Will you take care of me?"
Queen of everything you see
I'll put you on the map
I'll cure you of disease
And turned our future upside-down
We'll make pretend that you and me
Lived ever after, happily
Will you buy me a house of gold?
And when your father turns to stone,
Will you take care of me?"
Queen of everything you see
I'll put you on the map
I'll cure you of disease
And life turns plans up on their head
I will plan to be a bum
So I just might become someone
Will you buy me a house of gold?
And when your father turns to stone,
Will you take care of me?"
Queen of everything you see
I'll put you on the map
I'll cure you of disease
This song is from the perspective of a man whose mother is thinking about what will happen to her when her husband dies. It is possible that she contemplates this as her husband is dying. (If there is any doubt that she is saying "when your father turns to stone", take into consideration that "stone" could be referring to his tombstone.) When the man promises all of these things to his mother, it is more of a romantic idea of promising someone anything they desire simply to please them, regardless of whether or not they can really fulfill their promises. It's more of a desperate promise to show the direness of the situation. (This point is further illustrated when he says "pretend" {"Let's say we up and left this town/ And turned our future upside down/ We'll make pretend that you and me/ Live ever after happily"}.) The next part can be confusing, but is probably best explained through the music video to this song. In the music video, the singer and the drummer (who make up the entirety of Twenty One Pilots) are simply the top half of bodies, the lower half torn off (supposedly by some machinery accident {implied by a bloody machine in a field next to the main singer}). As the singer sings this song, it is implied that he is the son. And seeing that he is torn in half, he is unable to keep his promise (further illustrating the idea of a desperate, unfulfillable promise). TAKING ALL OF THIS INTO CONSIDERATION, the next lines ("And since we know that dreams are dead/ And life turns plans up on their head/ I will plan to be a bum/ So I just might become someone") make a bit more sense. The singer is acknowledging that his dream of helping his mother once his father passes is unrealized, as he is dead too. (I am not certain I understand the "bum" reference, but I assume he means that it is just more hopeless acceptance of his and her dire situation; he is basically accepting failure.)
In my estimation, your interpretation nails it. I especially appreciate your perspective on the video, as I had still been pondering it, but what you propose makes a lot of sense.
In my estimation, your interpretation nails it. I especially appreciate your perspective on the video, as I had still been pondering it, but what you propose makes a lot of sense.
The only thing I would add is in response to your note about the "bum" reference. I think the key here is the preceding lyric: "And life turns plans up on their head." I suspect he's saying that when we expect things to work out great, life throws us a curveball and we wind up disappointed more often than not. So he's going to do the opposite - set...
The only thing I would add is in response to your note about the "bum" reference. I think the key here is the preceding lyric: "And life turns plans up on their head." I suspect he's saying that when we expect things to work out great, life throws us a curveball and we wind up disappointed more often than not. So he's going to do the opposite - set his expectations low ("to be a bum") and hope that when he gets his curveball from life, the outcome is instead greatness.
Thanks again for the insightful write-up on this great song!
There is no doubt that Tyler is singing about his mom wanting to be taken care of when his father dies but there's so much more to it. Disclaimer this is what I take out of the song; the beauty of lyrics and any form of literature is that everyone takes something different out of it and that's just sick as frick.
His mother is asking him to do something he physically cannot do and yet he promises to do it anyways. He promises to give his mother everything because he loves her and that's what he wants for her. But we're flawed. "We're broken people." We can't do everything. We might as well become bums because no matter how hard we try we can't give the people we love everything want to give them. Referencing the video, we are only half of a person, unable to be and give everything we want to be and give. But we still make these promises even though we know we can't fulfill them. Why? Because we were made by someone who can fulfill those outlandish promises. Someone who isn't tarnished by the disease of sin Tyler promises to cure his mother of even though he himself is affected. There is someone who can cure us of it. There is someone who can make us queens and kings of everything. There is someone who can put us on the map. All you have to do is ask and accept Him.
I feel like this song is pretty straightforward. It's the story of a mother confiding in her son to stay with her and take care of her when no one else can. If you watch the music video for this song, you'll see that Tyler and Josh are only halves crawling to their "mother."
I read somewhere that it's more specifically about the son pursuing his career and then remembering the promise he made to his mom. He's torn between family and his own life.
I think this song is about his mother being worried about who will take care of her when her husband dies or "Turns into stone (like his thombstone)" and then tyler answers by saying that he will buy his mom a house of gold and that he will take care of her and cure her of decise and make her queen of everything and put her on the map! XD
@Froggyfroo MIND=BLOWN XD
@Froggyfroo MIND=BLOWN XD
Well, they don't call it schizoid pop for nothing, do they?
Schizoids, being on the schizophrenic spectrum (though, I must stress, NOT schizophrenic) are often 'split' as the terminology suggests. Our home life was not happy. Our childhoods, deeply flawed. The relationship to the primary caregiver often very complicated, rather dysfunctional, and yet, possessing a potent attachment. (As we don't tend to attach to much else.)
The video is very explanatory. It also has a kind of 'Home' -- that episode of The X-Files -- feeling to it. There's definitely a sense of melancholy; as if the son was unnecessarily burdened -- inappropriately so, and it's 'split' him. Again, calling back to the schizoid theme, that's very common in such pathology. We grow up very quickly, taking on more responsibility in the home than should be expected of us, and our role becomes very confused.
In short, there's a sense of over-promising what you could never hope to give, because your role has over-stepped its bounds.
These guys really, really get it.
i believe we are inside her sons head and she is telling him that his father is ill and will pass on and she will not be able to take care of herself alone. so this song is of him making all these promises to his mother. he wants to be her rock and take her away from the pain or the death that is nearing. he wants her to feel special and loved and he wants her to know that he is ready to take responsibility, he would always put her first ad be there for her. in the video you can see he is cut i half near death himself but all he wants o do is keep an eye on his mother and sing this song for her and his devotion towards her would go on even in death. that's just what i think.
My interpretation of this song starts most obviously with the mother asking for the son to take care of her when her husband dies. And, naturally, as a son, Tyler feels obliged to do this, and promises the best for her. However, in the end, he is torn between his family and his dream, hence why in the music video he and his partner (in the band) are torn in half. We assume the partner in the band is there cause they're in this together, but, you know that's probably not entirely the case in reality. If you want to get super in detail and inference, then there's, what, a plow (?) that inferrably is what cuts them in half? What is a plow used for? Crops. GROWING. LIFE. So, I suppose we can also infer that another thing that tore him in half in his decision is the possibility of a future family, a life outside fame. And the part where he says I suppose if I sit like a bum, then finally I might be someone? This refers to the family life, one where he obviously doesn't do much, (he's probably a bit bored and depressed thinking about what he could be doing) but at least he will be something more to someone, making him a someone.... You may interpret that he is torn between himself and his dream for multiple reasons. First, his top half is FLOATING, which means he ultimately has to make the decision. But, it quite obviously isn't that easy, its like chasing your dreams without any legs, and you know, in Tyler's case, other parts, which resembles love... (?) So, he was to decide between light (his dream), his partner, his, well, dream, verus his family, or A family. And while he has love for both, how is one to decide which is more important? And then, finally, the sun sets. The sun goes away. And the sun we may infer is his dream leaving. Hence why he collapses at the end. Him collapsing and his mother shutting the blinds tightly hints that he chose his dream, but a part of him will always stay behind.. The message seems pretty clear; either way you're gonna screw up in one way , so decide HOW you want to... or something along those lines lol. MY interpretation personally.
@nyssakim10 You are very smart I have been trying to understand the meaning of this song since I heard it and I think I finally found it thank you so much!!!
@nyssakim10 You are very smart I have been trying to understand the meaning of this song since I heard it and I think I finally found it thank you so much!!!
Although most people take "and when your father turns to stone" as the father dying, I take it as something different. I think the father is abusive to the mother. I think the father "turning to stone" is him being abusive. Stones and rocks are used as symbols of toughness and lack of emotion."Will you buy me a house of gold" could be her wishing for her son to give her a better life. "And when your father turns to stone, will you take care of me" could be translated to And when your father (beats/hurts me) will you take care of me. The mothers House of Gold is a place where her and her son could be away from their abusive husband/father. Just a theory of mine
@Phanoutboy oh and "I'll cure you of disease" could mean I'll cure you of his abuse
@Phanoutboy oh and "I'll cure you of disease" could mean I'll cure you of his abuse
This song is very explanatory. It is about a mother who's afraid of being left by her son because the son wished that he could turn back time, to the good ol' days, when his momma sang his to sleep but now we're stressed out.
I've felt that this song could be taken as the Virgin Mary singing to Jesus in the verse, and the chorus being Jesus singing to Mary. "I will make you queen on everything you see." could be a reference to Mary becoming the queen of Heaven. She's been put on the map considering that many worshipers revere Mary.
The first stanza of the first verse talks about leaving town, having their futures turned upside down, and pretending they had a happy ending. Jesus, Mary and Joseph had to flee Nazareth, Mary's life was obviously turned upside down when she gave birth to the Son of God, and Jesus took on the form of man, but his life would not be a normal one because he had to be sacrificed for mankind. They "make pretend" that they had a happy ending because to people that don't believe; Jesus was some guy that was crucified, and Mary was his mom, so they just died and that's it, it's sad.But to people of their faith, they believe that what they did has guaranteed them a spot in Heaven. Which is a happy ending.
I'm not sure how "father turns to stone" line fits, and I may be completely wrong, maybe someone has an idea that stems off this?
@Tmnt530 I'm glad I'm not the only one that made this connection (even though another poster calls this idea "of[sic] the wall", probably "off the wall".) I agree with this interpretation, adding that "father turns to stone" would mean that Mary is asking Jesus to care for her after Joseph dies, which is what he did, evident at the cross when he invited the apostle John to care for her in his absence. In my mind, all of the lyrics make sense: "house of gold" - heaven and the assumption of Mary, "Queen of everything" - coronation of Mary, "Put you on the map" -...
@Tmnt530 I'm glad I'm not the only one that made this connection (even though another poster calls this idea "of[sic] the wall", probably "off the wall".)
I agree with this interpretation, adding that "father turns to stone" would mean that Mary is asking Jesus to care for her after Joseph dies, which is what he did, evident at the cross when he invited the apostle John to care for her in his absence.
In my mind, all of the lyrics make sense:
"house of gold" - heaven and the assumption of Mary,
"Queen of everything" - coronation of Mary,
"Put you on the map" - Mary is highly regarded throughout modern history,
"Cure you of disease" - Mary was conceived without sin, because of her son's future work of salvation,
"I plan to be a bum..." - Mary and Jesus both lived in poverty (ex. born in a stable) and through their poverty they are able to lead all people to God.
There's no doubt that this is the actual intended meaning of this song - "House of Gold" is literally another name given to Mary by many people. http://www.salvemariaregina.info/SalveMariaRegina/SMR-166/House%20of%20Gold.htm