The duality that Plant paints in this line is what colors the song’s lyrics with an openness that frees up interpretation and thus meaning.ĭuality is a theme throughout the song, the woman seems caught between choices, evidenced in the line ‘Yes, there’s two paths you can go by, but in the long run there’s still time to change the road you’re on.’ Duality, The Other And The Stairway To Heaven Meaning
While the story literally tells the story of a woman buying her way to heaven, the truth of the song will lay behind how you interpret these images, which is ultimately decided by your own perception of the images. This is very much something worth keeping in mind with Plant’s lyrics. Though this can make it challenging to determine the meaning of Stairway to Heaven.
Rather than literally explaining something to an audience, an allegory helps them understand a topic through feeling emotion. It is used by a writer to create a narrative that is both metaphorical and all-inclusive, it is a story that prompts a reflection on other topics beyond what is literally mentioned in the story.įor example, The Jungle Book is not a reflection on animals and the jungle, it is a reflection on identity and how it is formed, but Rudyard Kipling doesn’t explicitly mention this, rather, he uses another story to prompt this reflection. The Use of Allegory Of Robert PlantĪn allegory is a literary device that is used more commonly than most people realize. The lyrics also reflect this kaleidoscopic and ever-changing piece of music. Undoubtedly, this compositional approach will have affected Plant’s lyrics as he writes while he listens. Page said that once he had the main parts of the song worked out in his head and on the guitar, Plant started writing the lyrics while they were playing and suggested 90% of the lyrics he wrote in that session were the ones that were used on the album. The way that Jimmy took the music through, and the way the drums almost climaxed and then continued… It’s a very beautiful piece. He talks of how he originally wanted a song that was constantly changing and evolving, and that started with a medieval, pastoral-esque, acoustic guitar section that would constantly build and change into an almost orchestral crescendo of passion, emotion, and music. While this doesn’t necessarily have any bearing on the lyrics and their meaning it can help understand the origins of the song.įor Led Zeppelin, this song started with Jimmy Page, their lead guitarist. The eternal question that is asked of songwriters is whether they start with the music first, or the lyrics. One thing worth noting about this song, and other songs in general, is where they started. Did Led Zeppelin Copy Another Song For Stairway To Heaven?.Final Thoughts On The Meaning Of Stairway To Heaven.Duality, The Other And The Stairway To Heaven Meaning.Were you slightly disappointed? Did you somehow think it had something to do with mystical quests or commercialism? Well even if this is the actual meaning, you can still interpret it any way you like. It did have that Celtic feel because Plant was a huge fan of The Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R. Plant claimed that it was about “a woman getting everything she wanted without giving anything back.” The song is basically just about shallow materialism and greed. At one point, he even said, “Depending on what day it is, I still interpret the song a different way – and I wrote the lyrics.”īut the meaning isn’t as deep as others think it is. Plant is well aware of the questions surrounding the lyrics. They have phrases that don’t make sense, as if Plant is merely rambling whatever word comes to mind. If you’ve been a longtime fan of Led Zeppelin, you know this isn’t the first time their lyrics became a subject of various speculations. Some say it’s about drugs while others think it’s about ‘hope’ and still, there are those who look at it in a Christian point-of-view. Still, we have to take into account what went on in the creative minds of Robert Plant and Jimmy Page while writing the song. This is the band’s finest musical moment.īut, what is the meaning behind it? If you ask twenty people, chances are, you will get twenty different interpretations and truth be told, there’s no wrong answer here. It’s an epic masterpiece to say the least and while we can think of other tracks that rival its ‘greatness,’ the fact remains that it is among those that solidified their spot in the rock ‘n roll pantheon. It’s one of the greatest rock songs of all time and for good reason too.
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