"Stairway to Heaven" by Led Zeppelin
There's a lady who's sure
All that glitters is gold
And she's buying a stairway to heaven
When she gets there she knows
If the stores are all closed
With a word she can get what she came for
Ooh, ooh, And she's buying a stairway to heaven
There's a sign on the wall but she wants to be sure
'Cause you know sometimes words have two meanings
In a tree by the brook there's a songbird who sings
Sometimes all of our thoughts are misgiving
Ooh, it makes me wonder
Ooh, it makes me wonder
There's a feeling I get When I look to the west
And my spirit is crying for leaving
In my thoughts I have seen rings of smoke through the trees
And the voices of those who stand looking.
Ooh, it makes me wonder
Ooh, it really makes me wonder
and it's whispered that soon if we all call the tune
then the piper will lead us to reason
And she's buying a stairway to heaven
When she gets there she knows
If the stores are all closed
With a word she can get what she came for
Ooh, ooh, And she's buying a stairway to heaven
There's a sign on the wall but she wants to be sure
'Cause you know sometimes words have two meanings
In a tree by the brook there's a songbird who sings
Sometimes all of our thoughts are misgiving
Ooh, it makes me wonder
Ooh, it makes me wonder
There's a feeling I get When I look to the west
And my spirit is crying for leaving
In my thoughts I have seen rings of smoke through the trees
And the voices of those who stand looking.
Ooh, it makes me wonder
Ooh, it really makes me wonder
and it's whispered that soon if we all call the tune
then the piper will lead us to reason
And a new day will dawn for those who stand long
And the forests will echo with laughter
Oh, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, ooh, whoa, oh
if there's a bustle in your hedgerow don’t be alarmed now
Oh, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, ooh, whoa, oh
if there's a bustle in your hedgerow don’t be alarmed now
It's just a spring clean For the May queen
Yes, there are two paths you can go by but in the long run
There's still time to change the road you're on
And it makes me wonder Aw, uh, oh
Your head is humming and it won't go In case you don't know
Yes, there are two paths you can go by but in the long run
There's still time to change the road you're on
And it makes me wonder Aw, uh, oh
Your head is humming and it won't go In case you don't know
the piper's calling you to join him
Dear lady, can you hear the wind blow?
And did you know your stairway lies on the whispering wind?
(Solo)
And as we wind on down the road
Our shadows taller than our soul
There walks a lady we all know
Who shines white light and wants to show
How everything still turns to gold
And if you listen very hard the tune will come to you at last
When all are one and one is all To be a rock and not to roll
And she's buying a stairway To heaven...
And did you know your stairway lies on the whispering wind?
(Solo)
And as we wind on down the road
Our shadows taller than our soul
There walks a lady we all know
Who shines white light and wants to show
How everything still turns to gold
And if you listen very hard the tune will come to you at last
When all are one and one is all To be a rock and not to roll
And she's buying a stairway To heaven...
Led Zeppelin was a heavy metal rock band with a bluesy-rock sound that would often include mythology and mysticism undertones in most of their songs. The band members were Jimmy Page on guitar, John Paul Jones on bass guitar and keyboard, John Bonham on drums and Robert Plant on lead vocals. The band was started by Jimmy Page on September 1968, and ended with the drug overdose of John Bonham, on September of 1980. Led Zeppelin rarely gave interviews. So, the only connection with the fans was through the albums and concerts.
In addition, there was speculations from critics and fans that the band was into the occult and Satanism. According to Rolling Stone Magazine “Plant believed in psychic phenomena, and Page, whose interest in the occult was well known, once resided in Boleskine House, the former home of infamous Satanist Aleister Crowley.”
Because the group had an obsession with mythology and the occult, I decided to analyze one of their biggest hits. The song was voted #3 on the VH1 list of “100 greatest rock songs of all time”. The song or I would call it more like a poem; “Stairway to Heaven” was released in 1971 from the band’s fourth album. Also, the song was rumored to have a hidden message; which made it more interesting to use because it had a better fit for our Supernatural theme english course. The alleged message can be heard if the song is played backward in a technique called backward masking. (I have included a link from Wikipedia)
In the Stanza:
If there's a bustle in your hedgerow, don't be alarmed now,
It's just a spring clean for the May queen.
Yes, there are two paths you can go by, but in the long run
there’s still time to change the road you're on.
If you play this bit backwards it says: "Stairway to Heaven" (section) (reversed)
Oh here's to my sweet Satan. It's just a spring clean for the May queen.
Yes, there are two paths you can go by, but in the long run
there’s still time to change the road you're on.
If you play this bit backwards it says: "Stairway to Heaven" (section) (reversed)
The one whose little path would make me sad.
Whose power is Satan?
He'll give you the 666.
There was a little tool shed where he made us suffer,
Sad Satan.
The denotative meaning of words:
Glitter-sparking light
Sure-impossible to doubt/worthy
Lady-a well-mannered female with high standards
Buying-to acquire in exchange for money
Stores-a place where commodities are kept
Closed-blocked or barred to passage or entry
Word-a sound or a combination of sounds/promise/the bible
Sign-a posted notice bearing a direction or command
Tree-large woody perennial plant
Spirit-the soul as it is departing from the body of a person at death
Misgiving-doubtful/regret
Wonder-a feeling of puzzlement/arouses awe/far superior to anything formerly foreseen
West-the direction in which the sun sets
Crying-demanding attention/the process of shedding tears
Smoke-the cloud like gases of soot given off by something which is burning
Bustle-to move or cause to move energetically
Hedgerow-a row of bushes, shrubs or trees forming a hedge or a circle
May queen-a girl chosen especially for her beauty
Spring cleaning-refers to yearly act of cleaning/or organizing
Humming-persistent and invasive noise
The connotative meaning of the symbolism of the song:
Gold-fertility/highest stage in spiritual development/illuminating/sacred
Buying-to acquire by sacrifice/exchange or trade
Stairway-connection between heaven and earth/progress/ambition
Lady-spiritual guide/the Virgin Mary
Songbird-power to speak reflectively/human desire to escape gravity/linked to spring and dawn
Forest-magical places inhabited by gods/portals to supernatural worlds
Tree-ethereal; part of the earth and heaven
Brook-magic/fertility/baptism/give strength
West-dusk/death/ending
Smoke-covers the light or good/represents darkness or evil
Rings-supernatural strength with superhuman power over his fellows/eternity and life
Piper-pay the piper and call the tune to bear the cost of an undertaking/karma
Dawn-illumination and hope/a chance for happiness/awakening
Dawn-illumination and hope/a chance for happiness/awakening
Rock-eternal/divine/symbolize the immortal
There's a lady who's sure
All that glitters is gold
And she's buying a stairway to heaven
When she gets there she knows
If the stores are all closed
With a word she can get what she came for
All that glitters is gold
And she's buying a stairway to heaven
When she gets there she knows
If the stores are all closed
With a word she can get what she came for
The lady depicts Virgin Mary as a spiritual guide, she is holding a illuminating sparking light for those who want salvation. The stairway is the connection between heaven and earth (hell). She is buying or acquiring lost souls that have inner demons locked away. Even though the sign says doomed forever, she will not give up because she knows how to open the doors with the word (bible).
Ooh, ooh, And she's buying a stairway to heaven
There's a sign on the wall But she wants to be sure
'Cause you know sometimes words have Two meanings
In a tree by the brook There's a songbird who sings
Sometimes all of our thoughts are Misgiving
Ooh, ooh, And she's buying a stairway to heaven
There's a sign on the wall But she wants to be sure
'Cause you know sometimes words have Two meanings
In a tree by the brook There's a songbird who sings
Sometimes all of our thoughts are Misgiving
The sign on the wall is a direction one can take, sometimes words have two meanings (two different paths). The tree (is you) by the brook, which has branches in heaven and its root in hell. However, the river can give strength by washing the sins. The bird is singing the phases of God, because sometimes we may stray and have doubts (misgiving)
Ooh, it makes me wonder (confusion between Satan and God)
Ooh, it makes me wonder
There's a feeling I get When I look to the west
And my spirit is crying For leaving
In my thoughts I have seen Rings of smoke through the trees
And the voices of those Who stand looking.
When one looks to the west, he sees death and the ending of life. His soul is demanding direction, because he knows he has sinned. The ring of smoke is Satan beckoning for him to come in the direction of hell. The voices are doomed souls saying take a stand or be in hell until eternity, just like them, because they did not take the path of God.
Ooh, it makes me wonder
Ooh; it really makes me wonder (confusion on which path to take).
And it's whispered that soon if we all call the tune
then the piper will lead us to reason
And a new day will dawn for those who stand long
And the forests will Echo with laughter
The piper is Satan he wants us to pay (with our soul) the piper is playing the tune of evil reasoning, he is whispering my way is better....... But, if we defy Satan , then we will be rewarded with a new day of light; There will be happiness and laughter because the portal to hell (forest) will close.
Oh, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, ooh, whoa, oh
if there's a bustle in your hedgerow don’t be alarmed now
Oh, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, ooh, whoa, oh
if there's a bustle in your hedgerow don’t be alarmed now
It's just a spring clean For the May queen
Yes, there are two paths you can go by but in the long run
there’s still time to change the road you're on
Yes, there are two paths you can go by but in the long run
there’s still time to change the road you're on
The May Queen is of inner beauty and a spiritual force that is acting on your life (hedgerow), So do not be afraid. The force will clean up your life and make you a “new person”; even if you have strayed many times, there is still time to make it better. It is never too late to follow the right path of life.
And it makes me wonder Aw, uh, oh
Your head is humming and it won't go In case you don't know
the piper's calling you to join him
Dear lady, can you hear the wind blow?
And did you know your stairway lies on the whispering wind?
And did you know your stairway lies on the whispering wind?
Your mind has a persistent voice that is Satan’s (piper); he will not give up so easily, he wants you to join him in the fires of hell. Satan has engulfed the beginning of Virgin Mary’s stairway with his whispering wind, he is unrelenting on his pursuit to have you.
And as we wind on down the road
Our shadows taller than our soul
There walks a lady we all know
Who shines white light and wants to show
How everything still turns to gold
And if you listen very hard the tune will come to you at last
When all are one and one is all To be a rock and not to roll
And as we wind on down the road
Our shadows taller than our soul
There walks a lady we all know
Who shines white light and wants to show
How everything still turns to gold
And if you listen very hard the tune will come to you at last
When all are one and one is all To be a rock and not to roll
And as we go on with our lives, we will sin again, sometimes our sins will be larger that our soul. But, in the end the lady (Virgin Mary or God) will seek you again, because she is forgiving. She will shine her light that will lead you to the stairway to heaven. Satan’s tune will finally end because you are the voice and the voice is you. And most important you are the rock, which has stopped rolling (death) and will rest in peace at last.
And she's buying a stairway to heaven...
I believe the song was inspired from the songwriter (Jimmy Page) Satanic beliefs, after all if one believes in Satan then they also in God and heaven. The overall theme of the song is positive and uplifting. Also, the song interprets the struggles one (Page) may face as they fight the inner demons. Finally, in the end don’t we all want to go to heaven or a place where we can Rest In Peace, even if we sinned...
Work cited
"Led Zeppelin." Biography. LoveToKnow, n.d. Web. 24 September 2010. <http://www.yourdictionary.com/biography/led-zeppelin>.
“Led Zeppelin” Biography.VH1.Web 24 September 2010 <http://www.vh1.com/artists/az/led_zeppelin/bio.jhtml
“Stairway to heaven” Wikipedia, Web, 25 September 2010 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stairway_to_Heaven
“Led zeppelin” Artist, Rollingstone, Web, 28 September 2010 <http://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/ledzeppelin/news/artists/8865/53294/53318
“Dictionary of symbolism” UMICH, Web, 28 September 2010 <http://www.umich.edu/~umfandsf/symbolismproject/symbolism.html/