Led Zeppelin: Stairway To Heaven Meaning
Stairway To Heaven Lyrics
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...
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Well, I do agree with some of the interpretations on this song. It could well be about drugs, but I just had a random thought. Maybe the song is talking about someone trying to buy "love" so to speak, or being so sure that she is able to get what she wants. Look at the first stanza.
There's a lady who's sure all that glitters is gold
(maybe it's saying that everything that looks hopeful in life is good, very sure of herself.)
and she's buying the 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.
(this seems to be saying that she's buying "the stairway to heaven", so buying happiness. She seems to be sure of herself because she thinks "that with a word she can get what she came for.)
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.
I think when it says "our shadows taller than our soul" it's saying that we let all the bad things in life linger over who we really are. Then there's this lady and she wants to show how there's still happiness, she found it, she's "buying a stairway to heaven.
Ooh, ooh, and she's buying the stairway to heaven. When it says "to be a rock and not to roll, I think it's saying that if you're sure of yourself, to "be a rock" the "tune will come to you at last", meaning you will find happiness. -
You guys are all insane. I can't believe one stupid song could inspire so much contrivercy..Don't get me wrong, I love zep..But gee..Its just a song.
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Wow. From 2005 to 2006 people are still talking about it. Amazing, just like the song.
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Ok.... Everyone shut the hell up and listen to the song. One of the earlier interpretations was perfect. Its poetry. Its words put together, sounding good, giving good intentions, and that's it. Even robert plant said that it doesn't have any particular meaning. And, to that backmasking thing.... Bullshit! Just read this. Http://en.Wikipedia.Org/wiki/hidden_message it will explain it all. Just listen to the song. Thats what the band would want us to do. It'd want us to just listen to the damn song and be happy
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I have always thought this song sounds like the "end times" through a satanic view point.
"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."
this woman is trying to earn her way to heaven.
All the stores used to close on sunday for church, she goes to church and asks for forgiveness.
"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 misgiven.
Ooh, it makes me wonder,
ooh, it makes me wonder."
the woman's faith is filled with doubt, and is unsure of the bible's meaning.
"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."
unsurity of life after death.
"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 false prophet will offer answer's she wants to hear, but will not follow him.
Those that follow the false prophet will rise up.
"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."
this part makes more sense when listened to backwards.
The person speaking is telling you it is never too late to join the false prophet.
"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."
she will be filled with uncertanty and will pressured to join the false prophet.
At any time she could slip and lose her salvation.
"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."
he is saying no one was taken in the rapture.
The lady still has her faith.
She pushes her faith on unbeleivers ,and they push their faith in the false prophet on her.
It is okay to sin because you have a sin nature.
"and she's buying a stairway to heaven."
she is still trying to get to heaven.
The song's goal seems to be to cast doubt about the woman's faith and show that the right way is through satan.
-r4nd0m -
Ok first of all I'm sick of people saying that this song refers to satan. Ive read many interviews on this topic and page always denies being a satanist...And think about this if he truly was a satanist y would he deny it....Would you ever deny your religion to god. Thats my point. Plus robert plant is a poet pretty much all the words in there are great. The song can have soooo many meanings to it. That would probably be y its refered to the greatest rock song of all time. So think about this. Nobody in zeppelin is a satanist, plus the day robert plant herd people were believeing that there was a satanic backwards message in stairway to heaven he was very angry because he takes great pride in his lyrics. So please everyone quit jumping to pointless conclusions when you have nothing to back it up with
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Hi.
I suspect this song does have a spiritual meaning, but not one as simple and exact as a lot of people seem to think, particularly one focusing on a single situation/religion, like Christianity. It's very ambiguous, which stops it from being didactic, and thus why it is one of the world's favourite songs. It's left open for many interpretations, even the unfortunately-simple ones such as it being all about drugs or Satan. I wouldn't doubt the allusions to LOTR are slightly intentional, and I wouldn't be all that surprised if the backwards stuff was put in intentionally (and it almost seems encouraged by the whole "'Cause you know sometimes words have two meanings.") but overall I think we're supposed to take this at face value. If the backwards message was intentional though, then kudos are in order, because Zeppelin managed to hide yet another meaning in here to anyone who looks hard enough for it.
The way I see it, Stairway to Heaven is a look at spirituality and how it's shared between people.
//"There's a lady who's sure all that glitters is gold
And she's buying a stairway to heaven."//
-We are shown a Lady who believes in her ideals of heaven. But as she is working towards those ideals, like they are some price tags of devotion, she is buying her way into heaven. In a religious context, you could allude to following the Bible dogmatically as an example of this.
//"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. "//
-She feels her beliefs are right, and better than everyone else's. (think of a movie star having stores opened just for them at the snap of their fingers.)
//"There's a sign on the wall but she wants to be sure
'Cause you know sometimes words have two meanings. "//
-The guidelines are clear (e.g. The Ten Commandments) but the words sometimes have different interpretations.
//"
In a tree by the brook, there's a songbird who sings,
Sometimes all of our thoughts are misgiven.
Ooh, it makes me wonder,
Ooh, it makes me wonder. "//
-This part seems to me to be the beginning of where the story strays from the Lady to the speaker. The "songbird who sings" part seems to almost be a play at the line before it of words having two meanings, because you could interpret this line MANY different ways. The second line "Sometimes all of our thoughts are misgiven" seems to show the speaker's uncertainty/unconformity with what the Lady preaches.
//"There's a feeling I get when I look to the west,
And my spirit is crying for leaving."//
-A feeling when the speaker thinks about the unknown/death. (eference to LOTR in my part here, possibly also in Zeppelin's)
//"In my thoughts I have seen rings of smoke through the trees,
And the voices of those who stand looking. "//
-A feeling like he's not alone, and spirits beyond what can be seen are watching. ("Through the trees" being just out of sight from reality. Just my interpretation of this part. But I think this general idea is given to most people)
//"And it's whispered that soon if we all call the tune
Then the piper will lead us to reason. "//
-It's rumored that if everybody follows one belief, then a revolution will come. However, it's hinted that this revolution may nto be a good thing, what with the "piper" being a reference to the Pied Piper of Hamelin, which has two meanings:
1. A person who offers others strong yet delusive enticements.
2. One, such as a leader, who makes irresponsible promises.
(Wikipedia)
//"And a new day will dawn for those who stand long
And the forests will echo with laughter. "//
-the revolution spoken of - though the "laughter" could either be these spirits laughing at the living because of the bad results of this revolution, or the living becoming these spirits (led to heaven perhaps) and thus it is happy laughter.
//"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 haven't led your life by these beliefs of the Lady, don't worry, because she will easilly turn you around onto the 'true path'. "Bustle in your hedgerow" meaning an impurity, and "May Queen" meaning purifier (as per Wikipedia).
//"Your head is humming and it won't go, in case you don't know,
The piper's calling you to join him, "//
-so many choices of how to live life, with the Piper and the Lady encouraging you to follow their beliefs.
//"Dear lady, can you hear the wind blow, and did you know
Your stairway lies on the whispering wind. "//
-The speaker's first big stray from the crowd, saying that the Lady's beliefs are just that, and are no more true than anything else. They aren't tangible/provable, just like the wind. The speaker says how one can only follow on faith, not on fact.
//"And as we wind on down the road
Our shadows taller than our soul."//
-road of life, shadows=bad things/sins
//"There walks a lady we all know
Who shines white light and wants to show
How everything still turns to gold."//
-The Lady still thinks she can put you on the right path, and make everything beautiful and golden again.
//"And if you listen very hard
The tune will come to you at last. "//
-And if you follow her carefully, then you'll understand and share this belief.
//"When all are one and one is all"//
-At the end of all things. I.e. death.
//"To be a rock and not to roll."//
-To be like a rock and follow these rules. It reminds me of "And the meek shall inherit the Earth"
//"And she's buying a stairway to heaven."//
-Outlines the still dominant feeling that even if everything the Lady is doing is right, she's still just following the instruction booklet, earning her way into heaven, instead of genuinely deserving it.
The whole song, to me at least, is a delightfully ambiguous look at spirituality which leaves interpretations from most religious sects/ideals (even satanism if you listen to it backwards lol). It seems to basically outline man's struggle with faith, outlining that it can't be tangible ("Your stairway lies on the whispering wind"), thus you can never know for sure if it's right or not, you just have to follow those who believe it (The Piper, the Lady). And no matter what, in the end the choice to follow them is just as disatisfyingly simple as following the intruction booklet/earning your way into heaven, essentially just buying your way there through devotion.
I think the beauty in this song is how it doesn't choose any side in this whole arguement, but just outlines everything and leaves it up to the listener to derive their own interpretation of the lyrics. It doesn't denounce nor promote faith, it simply shows all there is to show.
I'll bet this is one of those songs that everyone can relate to if they look at it one way or another. -
Now I'm a suspicious kinda gal, so I did a little test.
I tried it on my mum, who didn't know anything about this whole 'backwards message' thing.
She couldn't hear anything at first. or second.
Then she could make out a very few words.
Then I told her what the words were alleged to be...
I hope it doesn't surprise anybody that *having been told what the words were* they were suddenly a lot clearer.
Check out some of the 'misheard lyrics' websites, sometime and see how people manage to mangle what they hear.
FWIW, the idea that 'If there's a bustle in your hedgerow - don't be alarmed now. It's just a springclean for the May Queen' doesn't make much sense - and the alleged message *does* is just... Stupid. Sorry. But it is.
As for meaning... well, I have a theory that it's about Mornington Crescent, and as soon as I've worked it out, I'll post it. -
I think the meaning to Stairway to Heaven is the complicated structure and the divine presence that heals everybody. It changed the world. In a certain magnetic and silly way.
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This song is just about a girl ODing on drugs and buying herself a stairway to heaven, which means that she is probably scuicidal. It states many things but ends up being just about this girl who Jimmy Page or Robert plant new... But I could be wrong on that part. I think the 'piper' who is going to lead us to reason is leading 'us' on the right parth and if you don't the piper will ask you to join him on the stairway to heaven. At the end of the song if you read the lyrics it states "And if you listen very hard
The tune will come to you at last." think about it -
This song is not about drugs, or satan. As with A LOT of Led Zepplin's songs it is about The Lord of the Rings. "The land of Mordor," and other Tolkien refrences are all over the place, if you cane to look at the lyrics. Page was into Tolkien, and therefore he made plenty of refrence to his masterpiece.
The fact is, whatever you want this song to be about is what it is about for you. However, as well as many others, this song is refering to The Lord of the Rings.
**Hint: Take a look at the pictures, and drawing that are in the box set. I see a lot of Gandolf...** -
The song is basically about drugs and that's about it however the song contains some hidden lines when the song is played in reverse. These lines are as follows:
Oh heres to my sweet satan, whos little path would make me sad whos powere is satan. and those who are with him give them 666. In there little toolshed where he made us suffer sad satan... or something like that. but that's it it's about drugs. -
I'd like to start out by saying that it seems a little silly to go on and on about what this song means, as a general rule I don't think bands try and give every song a specific deep meaning, as for speculating on whether led zepplin was secretly very religious and trying to influence people in a christian manner, that's sort of ridiculous, there are plenty of christian bands, if you want to tell people about christianity you don't generally go on about may queens and pipers and rings of smoke through the trees etc. I don't think.
in response to this satanic idea there just isn't logically any evidence, why would you secretly put a message backwards into a song on the off chance that it would become a fad by religious people to play rock music backwards and try to find "evil" references just so they could label rock music an evil bad influence etc. etc. besides that, the so called "message" doesn't make any sense if you want to "worship satan" why not throw in some hail satans or I eat childrens what the heck: heres to satan whose power is satan??? hell give you 666? there was a little toolshed where he made us suffer (and that's why we *obviously* like him so much) its a random coincidence guys, get over it, it only sounds vaguely like the word satan a few times and gibberish between unless you have the words in front of you. further, I think most of you are confused as to what satanism really is, you're probably thinking that the goth kid you were afraid of at the store the other day is satanic and is likely to sacrifice a couple of your children if they get too close, the truth is that its more likely to be your " free-thinking" neighbor, satanism only refers to satan in passing and they really don't do anything "evil" so who cares; go read up on some world religions before you start spouting off on whos this or that or what that denotes.
the idea of the "streams of conscious" writing seems to make sense, I've done similar writings in english classes and it usually ends up like an odd story that doesn't make much sense unless you explain what you were referring to, so in my opinion he may have written it like that but I doubt he was trying to get out a message about building his deck he probably just wanted it as a stand alone story.
so listen to the song because its beautiful, leave interpretation to how you're feeling at the moment and stop over-analyzing everything and trying to throw everything into categories of satanism vs. me and my awesome godliness
ssorry for the long-windedness and the grammatical inclarity
-True -
Side note on backmasking: get audio editing software and play the part backwards... you WILL hear the alleged message.. as to whether or not the message is on purpose: take just the part that says "satan" and re-reverse it(play it forwards).. you will find that it could not be on purpose.. because the word satan is not even a word when played forwards, it is a note on a guitar.
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This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
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