# Where does "The streets are paved in gold" come from? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 28, 2010, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-the-streets-are-paved-in-gold-come-from/526737 "2010-01-28T05:47:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2010, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-the-streets-are-paved-in-gold-come-from/526737/21 "2010-01-28T20:33:45Z")
It seems to me that the gold-covered-streets “meme”, if you will, comes from Revelation. The specific quote “streets paved with gold” may have been popularized by Bunyan or ealier. ---
**Author:** ![Indistinguishable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/90ced4/32.png) [@Indistinguishable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indistinguishable)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2010, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-the-streets-are-paved-in-gold-come-from/526737/22 "2010-01-28T20:36:43Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > Your argument ſucked me in: it doeſ indeed depend which font you uſe. Excellent… ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2010, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-the-streets-are-paved-in-gold-come-from/526737/23 "2010-01-28T22:22:05Z")
To turn the subject a little now, I vaguely remember --a song, a catch phrase?-- about the how the Streets of New York sparkle like diamonds. Many of them do, in fact; they have been partially made with particles of quartzite. Anyone know a tune with that phenomenon in it? ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2010, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-the-streets-are-paved-in-gold-come-from/526737/24 "2010-01-28T23:43:59Z")
In the immigration museum on Ellis Island (or so I read): > [@](#): > > I came to America because I heard the streets were paved with gold. When I got here, found out three things: First, the streets weren’t paved with gold; second, they weren’t paved at all: and third, I was expected to pave them. I love that quote! ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2010, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-the-streets-are-paved-in-gold-come-from/526737/25 "2010-01-29T00:22:52Z")
> [@Indistinguishable](#): > > Although, “does” should still end in terminal \ rather than medial \<ſ\>. But I’ll stop the pedantic nitpicking now No, don’t stop. Seriously. Fighting ignorance and all that, it’s much appreciated, and I have learned something. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2010, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-the-streets-are-paved-in-gold-come-from/526737/26 "2010-01-29T02:08:24Z")
> [@Askance](#): > > I love that quote! My father used to joke about the courtship between his father (who came to America from Hungary in 1907) and mother (who arrived 5 years later.) “Come to America [my grandfather would write to my grandmother]! The streets are paved with gold! So she came, and found out none of the gold belonged to him.” The meme wasn’t just Yiddish, and wasn’t only about New York City. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-the-streets-are-paved-in-gold-come-from/526737.md?page=1)