Reviews for Stairway to heaven Lyrics

This song is gorgeous... The lyrics are amazing and very deep, but I think some of you are analyzing the song a bit too much. I read an article on how he wrote the song, and in that article he wrote that most of the lyrics came to him spontaneously in around ten minutes while thinking of something to do with a girl who 'took from the world but gave nothing back'. He later worked on the lyrics a bit more with the band, but the rough idea was mainly spontaneous. Furthermore, please take note that lyrics are supposed to be very folky. This is shown in the Battle of Evermore aswell. It's really interesting to see everybody's point of view on this song but I think you're analyzing it a bit too much.

I completely agree with Michaela. IF the reversed version of the song was intended at all, it was meant to be a sort of "Sympathy for the Devil". Now, of course that is going to be taken the wrong way. I honestly do not care for your opinion, as it belongs to you. If you completely believe that EVERYONE who finds a particular individual interesting is automatically their prodigy, then you are: a blundering fool, or blinded by your own zealous attempts to see the truth. To the 14-year-old Anon, I agree in part with what you are saying. However, I do not believe this song is entirely about Capitalism in the Western Culture. To expand on your idea, Anon, look into the Great Schisms of the Catholic church. They sold indulgences, pieces of paper that would grant you the ability to bypass purgatory and enter the gates of heaven as if you were a V.I.P. Maybe that's what she's doing? Maybe this is sort of mocking the old ideas of the church. Maybe because of the fact that so many people at the time, and even now, believed they were satanists, the members of Led Zeppelin decided to write a song that would criticize those who criticized them. Eh, just my thoughts on that. Now for the song as a whole.

So, first stanza simply sets up the scenario. This lady* bought an indulgence, and thus believed she could sin all she wanted and not have to deal with any of the negative consequences. All she had to do was say the word, or show the paper, and she could enter the gates.

*Remember Eve? The first person to give into temptation? Well this woman is a reference to Eve, so to speak. The woman who gave into her temptation. She ate of the fruit and was banished from the garden.

Stanza two takes this woman to an abandoned town (as I've always imagined it) in which she sees a billboard that is most likely pointing to heaven. She is wary, because she knows words can mean different things, right? Let's say the sign says "heaven" with an arrow. It's blunt, but it works. Heaven can mean either the home of God, or just God. Okay, so we've established that. This sign could mean "the home of God is above you" or "God is above you". The home of God implies she will be safe in heaven; God implies she will face judgement. Fun, eh?

So bam! The narrator LOOKS west, and cries to leave for it. Direct reference to the splitting of the Catholic church. These indulgences were not the right thing; the Catholic church is screwed up; the people want out.

So the pied piper leads rats, correct? This next stanza simply implies that all humans are merely God's test subjects. Just praise him, stand strong in your beliefs, and in the end, he will summon you to heaven. This is the only way.

I'm going to tie the next two portions together, as I believe they are more effective this way. Plus they are the best part of the song, in my opinion. If something is rustling outside, and you can't quite make it out, don't be afraid, for God will keep you safe. Although I've given you this advice, you can do whichever seems best. But when the time comes, you can still repent, and God will salvage your soul. Finally, when you get that funny feeling in your head, listen to it. God has called your name, and your time for love is near.

I love the next two lines: "Dear lady, can't you hear the wind blow, and did you know, your stairway lies on the whispering wind?" This implies that SHE is the devil, doomed to wander the land forever, with no chance at redemption.

The ending is telling you to never forget who you are. Think of this: your shadow symbolizes all the negatives that have come from your life, all the darkness that makes up who you have become. He's saying that no matter what happens, no matter how many mistakes you have made, you will never be as bad as Satan. He will forgive you, no matter your history. But even so, even if you choose the correct path, the devil will still be there to tempt you; it's up to you to avoid him/her at all costs. And remember, she tried to buy the stairway to heaven; look where she ended up.

@Bennie Ann Dajets
SHUT THE FUCK UP ABOUT ALEISTER CROWLEY! I've heard too much about people who "worshiped" him in the last week to put up with anyone else doing so. There is a difference between worship and interest. I find Adolf Hitler to be an interesting man. He was brilliant, a genius, if I may. Does that mean I want to persecute an entire group of people, surrender them to mass slaughter, then attempt to take over the world? No. It may be enough to have me write about him, or maybe even buy an article of clothing or weapon he wore. That does NOT mean I worship him. So again. SHUT THE FUCK UP.

I don’t see it as a satanic song, but just the oppisite, a Christian song. I try to explain why.
The woman is the symbol of materialism who thinks she can buy her a Stairway to heaven with all the glitter and gold. The song tells us that’s not possible. If we all call for love (the tune) than the piper will lead us to reason. Follow the lead and you will find out. Love is the only Stairway to heaven and also the woman (materialism) as to admit that.
riex

As for all you criticizing people for calling this song satanic are more than likely right. What you're wrong about is the satanic influence on Led Zeppelin (especially Page) that caused them to write songs like "The Battle of Evermore". May I remind you all that Jimmy Page, (though he doesn't admit it) is a devoted follower of the black magician and satanist Alister Crowley. Jimmy Page was in fact so obsessed with Crowley that he bought his old house where Alsiter used to practice sex rituals and even human sacrifice. Just that fact alone would make one shudder. And then to have songs like Evermore (about the holy apocalypse favoring the "angel of light"), also featured on the same album (Zoso); it really makes me wonder if Stairway to Heaven is a song of the occult.

best song of zeppelin.best song in the world i guess.awesome song to listen to when ur high.i believe in everything you do in your life ur getting close to your stairways. so live your life till you rich ur first step towards the stairs

I'm just amazed to see how much stupid can a human be?! This song isn't satanic, this song isn't even about the "damaged" western society... It's about everything you'd like it to be. If someone will look close enough for satanic meaning in any song, or anything else he will eventually find it, no matter the subject. I see this song as a story of a young and very rich woman who thought she could buy everything even her passway to heaven itself. She thinks it because of the common opinion of the western society about money : money=happiness. When she understands that she was wrong and that money can't buy you neither friends nor love, she decides to struggle and fight the capitalism, she wants to understand how the common man feels about the government and capitalism. She speeds the word the "tune" among the citys people and starts the fight. But once she realizes that her "shadow" of fear and worries are bigger than her hope, she does a rearrangement un her head in order to find the true meaning behind what she really did. She understands that no matter what she will, everything in touch will turn to gold and capitalism will stay, but she also gets that it isn't good that this big crowd followed her, because in a world that is good, everyone is a rock that stands still for his principals and not a roll that does everything that "everyone" else does so keeps her rich and ugly way of life, forgets everything that she went through in this awesome journey and go back to square one. And she can still buy her stairway to heaven... In summry, I'm only 14, and i think that this is the best rock song ever for 2 main reasons : 1. This song with come and pretty classic rock music and over the time it becomes heavier and more serious. 2. This song talk about exactly what a good rock song should talk about, about protesting the idea that if you have money you can buy and do every even if this thought is completely stupid and childish... And someone says that he thinks there is a satanic massage in this song then he really wants to believe there is one there, even if this us just a great song about non religious and more social stuff.

All of you people who try to find bad things in backwards lyrics, just stop.
1. This is not the way the song is intended. You really can't tell what you say backwards.
2. This is not satanic. It's not like anyone would purposely write such a great song, to mean something completely different, backwards.
So all of you who say; "Oh, this is what it says backwards: ..." just shut the fuck up, and use your heads.

I hope that they were not satanists, but I will always love this song even if they were... P.S by looking at the lyrics I couldn't find that message, did you

It's a great song! Why over analyze it like this? Who would listen to this song backwards? Why look for a secret meaning in such a great song? I'm 13, and I still love this music! So stop giving it bad images whoever listens to it backwards, wasting their life.... FAVORITE SONG EVER!!!!!!

I believe this is a good song...... but if played back wards has some satanic words n i believe this truly is the devils music ... wasnt luccifer incharge of making melodys for god he is the maker of music!!!! I believe its good and bad but mostly satanic

@Bazza, Ok, I can accept that played backwards that fragment sounds (arguably) like:"Oh here's to my sweet Satan. The one whose little path would make me sad, whose power is Satan. He'll give you give you 666, there was a little tool shed where he made us suffer, sad Satan".

But even in this case it doesn't seem satanist to me. It's not like they worship Satan, it's rather, as you noticed, compassion for the condemned fallen angel.
It's nothing to be scared of: many writers since Kit Marlowe's time have regarded Satan as the former Lucifer, the angel of light, the one who used to be the most powerful and the most beautiful of God's angels, but who turned against his Creator and was forever banished from heaven. All light was taken away from him and all his beauty turned hideous. There is no salvation for this spiritual being, he will never receive God's forgiveness, he has no hope and there will never be happiness for him... That's why those lines that you discovered may talk about the "sad Satan", the one who suffers and whose path would bring anyone only pain and sadness.
In a way this meaning seems quite Christian to me... Unlike Satan, humans can still choose between right or wrong, they have two paths ahead, as it is said in the normal version of the song, and it is in their power to choose the stairway to heaven, not the... "highway to hell". However, in the best Christian tradition, even if you are a sinner, God will still give you the chance to repent and take the right path: "There's still time to change the road you're on". "Sad Satan" doesn't have this chance, all he has is suffering...
I don't know if the backwards message was intentional or not. If it wasn't, I take its existence as rather a miracle which makes the meaning of the song more complex.
Since I first listened to this song I've thought this is a highly inspirational piece of work and one of the greatest hymns of hope that have ever existed. I'd rather think that Robert Plant was touched by the divine grace the moment he wrote this poem, than that he was influenced by the devil. The devil can never inspire a song about hope and salvation because he has none to give. To turn this into a satanic message... just seems twisted to me.
By the way, did you know that Robert Plant's sigil from the fourth album, the feather, is an ancient symbol for "truth", "justice" and "peace" and the full circle means "life"? The feather is also the symbol of the writer, and Plant was the one who wrote the lyrics of the Zeppelin songs. Does any of these meanings refer to Satan?
I just hope you understood my message as English is not my native tongue...
God bless you and don't be afraid to find the truth no matter if this may shake some of our cultural conventions.

i'm under the impression that Mr.plant wrote this song to be about his sister, i think i heard it in an interview. personally, i think its about how people can make good things happen, and that death is not as scary, that we should welcome

i c d beautiful dawn walk across d magnificient sky every day. i c d dark night turn an awe inspiring gold. i hear mother nature wake me up as the heavenly light ascends d sky. i hear d calling inside me. i choose my path.i get my gold. the other gold. i ascend. to my heavenly peace. my quest. my nirvana.

I hear alot of different stuff about this song and the 2 ones i saw make the most sense are the ones that say its about a selfish woman who realises she cant buy happiness, think of the "richie rich" movies, hes a billionaire with the world but just wants friends, he knows u cant buy everything, abf also the british guy, the west being america and the lady being statue of liberty, and zeppelin is a brit band so it makes tons of sense, but long before i was born page said it means what you want, and when u take timebto think, all page wanted to do was write songs u could tie in eitg your personal experience, lots of artists writr song storys about their experiences, wich is great, but zeppelin, just wamted to make music for you, so it could mean spmething to you, a good song is always a song with a hot beat and some nice gee tar playin, but what makes you listen is when you can relate to it, he wanted the song to tell a tale for everyone, i am 15, i only know a few zeppelin songs, i dont beleive in religion, but this song can be about whatever, drugs, god, heaven rich people, its all about how it comes across your mind, there is no " mis interpretations" cuz it means whatever you like, to help you get thru ur day, peacr and love from canada world<3

This song is, as Page said, whatever you want it to be. Great music is like that, it can be super deep to whoever listens. Not like pop where it means something to everyone like "love" but something very deep and personal to you. I think even the lyrics reflect that. Kind of a mystical journey of a woman trying to find meaning. Which is what music is supposed to be to the listener.