“House of Gold” is a gospel song written by Hank Williams, the towering figure of mid-century country music. He recorded it only as a demo in the late 1940s, while he was performing on the Louisiana Hayride in Shreveport, and it was released by MGM only after his death, appearing as a single in 1954.
Like a number of Williams’s sacred songs, “House of Gold” is a plain moral warning. Its lyric rebukes those who would steal, cheat, and lie to build up earthly wealth — a “house of gold” — while neglecting the salvation that money cannot buy. The directness of the message and the strength of the melody made it one of his most enduring hymns.
The song passed readily into bluegrass gospel singing.
Assisted by AI.
Spot something off? Help us fix it.
