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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I think people are over complicating the meaning of this song. In a nutshell; heaven is a state of being totally absorbed and carried along with the flow of the music. Sort of like what a person who meditates is trying to attain by being totally "in the moment".
This ultimate appreciation of music, cannot be bought! Just like you cannot buy love. It must be felt and/or sensed.
It's up to each one of us to decide whether or not to peruse this mysterious state of nirvana. The music cannot overtly come right out and tell us how to experience this, but it is able to posts clues to it along the way, which if we are perceptive enough, allow us to get glimpses of what it is like. -
@ mnavon:
The cover art is also esoterically revealed through the the major arcana of tarrot; The Hermit, and is more so reflected in Kashmir.
The Hermit symbolizes withdraw and isolation from society to emerge having a deeper perception of "self." Here is the Wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hermit
My thoughts are incomplete at the moment and it's rather difficult to put into words, but what do you guys think?
I know some are extremely religious and tarot reading would be considered a sacrilege, but it's really no different from finding meaning in a song. -
the narrator potrays a story for every saint has a past and every sinner has a future. the choice is ours. keep holding on my special friend. learn to breathe and walk again slowly.
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it means heaven is nt for every one
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The stairway to heaven is a complictated thing. It actual was a stairway to one of the studios bedroom and guess what a bed. Sorry to disapoint from someone who has the stairway to heaven and peter grants house
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This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
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i think this a song of hope :) ~ RP 1975. this masterpeice was written on the basis of Robert Plants belief ~ 'life is simply physics' and he is absolutely right. for every high theres an equal low, what goes around comes around and so on. its saying to us all, that no matter how dark things may seem, and no matter how hopeless we may feel inside, there is always light somewhere along that tunnel. they are showing such understanding of the demons that are sometimes 'shadowing our souls' in times of depression. just as he was albe to "take control of his own mothership" this song is to remind us not only of hope, but that life is what WE make of it and it has a lot to offer if we too regain the reins to our own motherships!
so in led zep's terms, metaphorically speaking of course ;
cause you know sometimes words have two meanings (things aren't always as they seem);
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..... i hope so!
(me too LZ) ;
a new day will dawn for those who stand long, and the forests will echo with laughter......DOES ANYBODY REMEMBER LAUGHTER!! (keep holding on, keep fighting and you will find your way out);
if you listen very hard, the tune will come to you at last;
and to complete the song and meaning perfectly......
when all is one and one is all, to be a rock and not to roll!!!!!!!! -
ok im a stoner and i think that ^ post is dumb. smoke or dont smoke or high or not high this song simply means.................................nothing at all u dumbasses just appreciate music and suck nutz for christz sake plz fuck id rather eat a bowl of Mr.Crunch before deciding wtf this song means. yall r on yall asses and its where your head should be and youre all taking shits from your moufs (mouths). pay rent. work. eat. fuck. shit. sleep. REPEAT. back to you daily lives ppl!
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It means get high man. if yuh get high ull be alright man. its all gooood maaannn. trust meh. just hit the pipe in school out of school in class out of class just do it maaan. itl b good like johnny b good duude.
smokeee it smokkke its good 4 yuh guy
ull get sexier and grow a thik head if pubezz -
There's a lady who's sure all that glitters is gold
And she's buying a stairway to heaven. (she is tithing)
When she gets there she knows, if the stores are all closed
With a word she can get what she came for. (The bible is the word of God, with the bible, she can get into Heaven.) Revelation 3:8
Ooh, ooh, and she's buying a stairway to heaven. (She is tithing and she she thinks that will get her into Heaven)
There's a sign on the wall but she wants to be sure (points out the significance of the next line, hint hint)
'Cause you know sometimes words have two meanings. (parables, which the bible is full of, and the words in this song have two meanings)
In a tree by the brook, there's a songbird who sings, (reference to John the Baptist and Jesus)
Sometimes all of our thoughts are misgiving.
Ooh, it makes me wonder, (think!)
Ooh, it makes me wonder.
There's a feeling I get when I look to the west, (the anointing of the holy spirit's comforting, Christianity is the religion of western civilization) (it's usually about now that I feel the spirit! -jk)
And my spirit is crying for leaving. (soul crying out to be saved)
In my thoughts I have seen rings of smoke through the trees, (Revelation of Jesus Christ)
And the voices of those who standing looking.
Ooh, it makes me wonder,
Ooh, it really makes me wonder.
And it's whispered (Revealed by Jesus) that soon if we all call the tune
Then the piper (Jesus, the one playing the woodwind instrument, the flute, which has a whispering tone) will lead us to reason. (Jesus' second coming, revelation 7:17)
And a new day will dawn for those who stand long (World after tribulation) Revelation 3:12
And the forests will echo with laughter.
Well I've got some good news! (Gospel is the Greek word for good news)
If there's a bustle in your hedgerow, don't be alarmed now,
It's just a spring clean for the May queen. (God puling the weeds, the tare, reaping...)
Yes, there are two paths you can go by (the Stairway to Heaven or the Highway to Hell), but in the long run,
There's still time to change the road you're on.
Well I hope so! (There is always hope. It is never to late to be saved)
And it makes me wonder.
Your head is humming and it won't go, in case you don't know,
The piper's calling you to join him, (Jesus said I will knock on the door...) Rev 3:20
Dear lady, can you hear the wind blow, (the word of Jesus) and did you know
Your stairway lies on the whispering wind. (if you want to get to heaven you have to follow the piper, Jesus. Christians are saved by grace, not by their works.)
And as we wind on down the road (Later in life, after a few wrong turns. There is a straight and narrow path to heaven, there is a long and winding road to hell. )
Our shadows taller than our soul. (late in the day (near the end of our life) we cast longer shadows, our soul is nothing with out Jesus)
There walks a lady we all know
Who shines white light and wants to show
How everything still turns to gold. (Later in life after more and more sin we can still be saved. The new world after the tribulation will be made of gold.)
And if you listen very hard
The tune will come to you at last. (if you accept Christ the holy spirit will come into your heart and you will be saved.)
When all are one and one is all (in Heaven we are one with God)
To be a rock and not to roll. (Jesus is the Rock, be strong with his foundation)
And she's buying a stairway to heaven................ -
As Mr. Plant says.."This is a song of hope"
Does anybody remember laughter? -
Like the song says, sometimes a word can have two meanings. That being said, I think that Page or Plant convey a message with this song that has to do with the context that the song was written in. I think you can definitely see how it's an expression of what the band may have been experiencing at the time.
What a lot of people forget about Led Zeppelin ,since they've become so influential, is that when they first came onto the music scene a lot of critics HATED them, if you don't believe me just read this brutally sarcastic Rolling Stone review of Led Zeppelin II
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/led-zeppelin-ii-19691213
Of course, if the members of Led Zeppelin had taken this kind of criticism to heart we would be missing out on some really great rock and roll, so what does this have to do with "Stairway to Heaven"?
In my opinion, much of stairway to heaven is about following your own personal vision, whether that be artistic, moral, intellectual, or even religious, and this sentiment is filtered through the ambiguous and poetic qualities of the song, which many people take for being allegories of specific subjects.
While I doubt that this was an intended quality of the song, I think it's very possible that subconsciously the members of Led Zeppelin were reacting to their rather critical environment.
"There's a lady who's sure all that glitters is gold And she's buying a stairway to heaven"
ok, so there's a woman who has a superficial idea of how to gain access to salvation/peace of mind/ happiness. Maybe this alludes to how some people think that with success, and critical acclaim you can achieve happiness.
"When she gets there she knows if the stores are all closed with a word she can get what she came for."
You can't achieve resolution or happiness through external means such as buying it at a store or through someone else's validation, so right away even though this protagonist accepts some popular or superficial beliefs about what will make her happy on the surface, deep down she knows she can obtain it on her own terms.
"There's a sign on the wall, but she wants to be sure, because you know sometimes words have two meanings."
Signs tell us what to do, but ultimately you decide how you will interpret them- if someone criticizes you , you have the freedom to take it to heart or ignore it- and on the flip side, if you are listening to someone express themselves, there could be multiple meanings to what they have to say, so music and art are subjective and should be treated as such.
The song bird is a more overt reference to the medium of music as a way to deliver messages with multiple meanings, since birds sing in their own language, they sing their own unique tune that can only be understood by other birds. So, if you hear a bird singing in a way it has "misgiven" its message to you.
"In my thoughts I have seen rings of smoke through the trees, and the voices of those who stand looking"
Smoke rings are a kind of code, not unlike the bird's song, which use a specific language to communicate a message
"There's a feeling I get when I look to the west,
and my spirit is crying for leaving"
With the imagery of singing birds and smoke rings it seems that there is a need to break free, and that other people innately feel this as well. Heaven, smoke rings, and birds all can exist on a higher plane than the earth and therefore transcend earthly problems
"And it's whispered that soon if we all call the tune, then the piper will lead us to reason"
You can find the answers but you have to generate them yourself before they can take you places, and this is something that everyone has the ability to do. In other words, you proclaim your own fate. Also the continued allusions to music and song clue us into the fact that Led Zeppelin's music is there own "tune" and therefore provides them with the kind of artistic and spiritual satisfaction that they need despite what other critics say about them.
"And a new day will dawn for those who stand strong, and the forests will echo with laughter"
Further promotes the point that who have to remain strong in what you believe in if you want to achieve true happiness.
"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"
Don't be intimidated or frightened by critics, sometimes you can heed their input to your own advantage, like everyone needs to do a little spring cleaning now and then- spring also symbolizes growth and rebirth, but ultimately you make the decisions about how you want to lead your life.
"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?"
In your head, like the "lady who knows" you already know the answers you just have to look inside to find them. The "whispering wind" like the bird's song and the smoke rings come from the sky, symbolizing heaven/ peace of mind or happiness. Unlike a stairway, which is a physical object, wind is abstract and temporal- you feel it, and like a whisper, instinct is something only you can understand just as you would decode a smoke signal or a bird would understand another bird's song.
"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"
As we travel through life, although our self- consciousness often ellipses our true desires and self knowledge, we all truly know what we want and what makes us happy, and furthermore, it is our innate instincts that tell us this.
"And if you listen very hard The tune will come to you at last When all are one and one is all, yeah To be a rock and not to roll"
Stay steadfast like a rock, also a pun and the final clue that the Led Zeppelin is talking about their own artistic medium of expression, rock and roll. You will know what to do if you stick to your guns and be true to yourself.
And she's buying a stairway to heaven
Kind of an ambiguous last line, sung in a kind of sorrowful way, maybe mourning those who have not had this realization yet because obviously you cannot buy your way into heaven.
This analysis is kind of a combination of what I know about Led Zeppelin's critical reception in the late 60's by critics who considered their music to be an insincere bastardization of the American blues, as well as Page's and Plant's interest in mysticism. Contrary to popular belief, mysticism has much less to do with the occult and satanic rituals, and more to do with finding spirituality within yourself and developing a personal relationship with God. I feel that this interest really doesn't have anything to do with religion but is rather more of a philosophy of contentment.
People throughout history, especially women, who have been outspoken about their personal beliefs on God were persecuted because their vision didn't sit well with the establishment- people like Teresa of Avila, and Joan of Arc. Led Zeppelin cleverly draw a connection between the closed mindedness of the middle ages (even if unintentionally) with the close mindedness of critics. The use of classic English folk instrumentation also brings the middle ages to mind, it's hard to see this as coincidental. This may also be why there seem to be so many religious undertones within Stairway: because of its mystical message. This could also be seen as an endorsement of the counterculture in the face of the critical status quo during the 60's and early 70's.
Ultimately, the main theme (I won't even say message because that seems too didactic) is following your own internal compass- which is why I can't say I disagree with any of the other interpretations of this song no matter how off base they seem to me. Happiness and meaning are things you define on your own terms. -
I think everyone is missing the point of this song. This song doesnt have one set meaning. It means whatever you want it too, whatever you can relate too. Jimmy Page said so himself. So the song means whatever you want it too and thats why it will forever go down as the greatest song of rock and roll ever, and this is coming from a 15 year old girl. so you can kiss my ass if you think my generation doesnt know music
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It's a beautiful song about life and death.
"She's buying the stairway to heaven." I think it means that she is dead and in a better place. "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." It means it's never too late to change your ways and get on the right path. This song has poetic lyrics, I don't think it has to do with drugs so much as just life. -
This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
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