Hands of Gold

Album: Not released on an album (2017)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Ed Sheeran made a brief appearance in the first episode of the seventh series of Game of Thrones, which premiered on HBO on July 16, 2017. He plays a soldier, leading a singalong with his fellow troops. Maisie Williams' character Arya Stark turns up on a horse and makes the comment that it's" a pretty song" that she hasn't heard it before. Sheeran then delivers his one line: "It's a new one."

    Williams is a big fan of the singer, and the producers wanted to have Sheeran appear on the show to surprise the actress.
  • This ballad about a secret relationship is the song that Sheeran sings. "Hands of Gold" is taken from A Storm of Swords, George R.R. Martin's third book in his "A Song of Ice and Fire" series. The first half of the novel was adapted for television as the third season of Game of Thrones, while the second half became the basis for the series' fourth season.

    "Hands of Gold" is sung in the novel by a bard named Symon Silver Tongue, and it's meant to be a warning to Tyrion Lannister about his secret relationship with the prostitute Shae. Symon threatens to sing it for all of King's Landing and expose their affair.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Randy Houser

Randy HouserSongwriter Interviews

The "How Country Feels" singer talks Skynyrd and songwriting.

Gilby Clarke

Gilby ClarkeSongwriter Interviews

The Guns N' Roses rhythm guitarist in the early '90s, Gilby talks about the band's implosion and the side projects it spawned.

Subversive Songs Used To Sell

Subversive Songs Used To SellSong Writing

Songs about drugs, revolution and greed that have been used in commercials for sneakers, jeans, fast food, cruises and cars.

Tom Bailey of Thompson Twins

Tom Bailey of Thompson TwinsSongwriter Interviews

Tom stopped performing Thompson Twins songs in 1987, in part because of their personal nature: "Hold Me Now" came after an argument with his bandmate/girlfriend Alannah Currie.

Krishna Das

Krishna DasSongwriter Interviews

The top chant artist in the Western world, Krishna Das talks about how these Hindu mantras compare to Christian worship songs.

What Musicians Are Related to Other Musicians?

What Musicians Are Related to Other Musicians?Song Writing

A big list of musical marriages and family relations ranging from the simple to the truly dysfunctional.