Not 40 minutes into season seven of Game Of Thrones, our ears were treated to the sweet sounds of Ed Sheeran’s angelic voice. In last night's season seven premiere, Arya Stark comes upon some Lannister soldiers while riding through a forest and is greeted by Sheeran’s unnamed character singing a beautiful yet eerily dark tune. His song, however, is much more than just a welcome break from the sound of sword slashes. It's called "Hands Of Gold," and the lyrics have a deeper meaning.
The song goes, "He rode through the streets of the city, down from his hill on high, O’er the wynds and the steps and the cobbles, he rode to a woman’s sigh. For she was his secret treasure, she was his shame and his bliss. And a chain and a keep are nothing, compared to a woman's kiss. For hands of gold are always cold, but a woman’s hands are warm . . ."
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In A Storm Of Swords, the third book of George R.R. Martin's A Song Of Ice And Fire series, this song is used to taunt Tyrion over his secret affair with Shae. In the book, Tyrion also thinks of the lyrics as he is choking Shae to death. This particularly upsetting murder took place way back in season 4, so "Hands Of Gold" almost certainly has a different meaning in the television series.
Many fans are guessing that the song is about another member of the Lannister family. Let's see, who has a gold hand? Joanna Robinson over at Vanity Fair explained, "It also seems unlikely this song is even about Tyrion at this point. But if you think about it, it could apply to another Lannister with a cold gold hand and a secret lover." Obviously, she's hinting at Jaime and Cersei.
But, if the song is about Jaime and Cersei, what exactly is it trying to tell us about these two? As always, plenty of people have taken to social media to share theories. For instance, a Twitter user named @Velveyy thinks the song is foreshadowing that Jaime will eventually kill Cersei. Take a look at the reasoning.
GUYs you know Symon Silver Tongue's 'Hands of Gold'? the one Ed sheeran sings, what if it's foreshadowing Jamie strangles Cersei??
— Quackson Velvy ? (@Velvyy) July 17, 2017
because we know Symon used the song to blackmail Tyrion but looking at the lyrics it could very well be referring to Jamie (which I hope)
— Quackson Velvy ? (@Velvyy) July 17, 2017
Like look at the lyrics, I mean ik the song was about Tyrion but it completely fits. Jamie Queenslayer title soon?? pic.twitter.com/T3trOFOml2
— Quackson Velvy ? (@Velvyy) July 17, 2017
While many are talking about the significance of the song, plenty of others were too distracted by Ed Sheeran's lovely voice to even care about the lyrics' meaning. Some people are actually sending a plea out into the universe for the pop star to record a full version of "Hands Of Gold."
I hope @edsheeran, who gladly is a Lannister (soldier) ?? - will make a whole version of "Hands of Gold". #GameOfThrones
— Francis Lannister (@F_Lannister) July 17, 2017
We get it, his cameo may have been a little awkward, but there's no denying Sheeran has some nice pipes.