Gallows pole Lyrics

Performed by Led Zeppelin

Hangman, hangman, hold it a little while,
I Think I see my friends coming, Riding a many mile.
Friends, you get some silver?
Did you get a little gold?
What did you bring me, my dear friends? Keep me from the Gallows Pole.
What did you bring me to keep me from the Gallows Pole?

I couldn't get no silver, I couldn't get no gold,
You know that we're too damn poor to keep you from the Gallows Pole.
Hangman, hangman, hold it a little while,
I think I see my brother coming, riding many a mile.
Brother, you get me some silver?
Did you get a little gold?
What did you bring me, my brother, to keep me from the Gallows Pole?

Brother, I brought you some silver, yeah.
I brought a little gold, I brought a little of everything
To keep you from the Gallows Pole.
Yes, I brought you to keep you from the Gallows Pole.

Hangman, hangman, turn your head awhile,
I think I see my sister coming, riding many mile, mile, mile.
Sister, I implore you, take him by the hand,
Take him to some shady bower, save me from the wrath of this man,
Please take him, save me from the wrath of this mad, man.

Hangman, hangman, upon your face a smile,
Tell me that I'm free to ride,
Ride for many mile, mile, mile.

Oh yes, you got a fine sister, She warmed my blood from cold,
She warmed my blood to boiling hot to keep you from the Gallows Pole,
Your brother brought me silver, Your sister warmed my soul,
But now I laugh and pull so hard, see you swinging from the Gallows Pole

But now I laugh and pull so hard, see you swinging from the Gallows Pole
Swingin' on the gallows pole!

Ah-ha-ha
Swingin'
Swingin' on the gallows pole!
See-saw marjory daw
See-saw knock at my door

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Song origins | Reviewer: Oberon | 12/31/11

The song has its basis in an old tale. I read this as a child in an encyclopaedic collection of ancient tales and mythology owned by my father.

In the story, the protagonist is about to be hanged, and keeps asking the hangman to await the arrival of one after another of several potential saviors who may have brought the needed bribe/wereguild to purchase the life of the protagonist.

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reviewwwww | Reviewer: tim | 7/29/11

This song is about a guy who's going to be hanged and his brother brings a bribe in the shappe of money and his sister comes and has sex with the hangman, but after all that the narrator still gets hanged. Idk if there is any deeeper meaning into that, but I know that what ive said is corret

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Gallows Pole | Reviewer: LedZep fan | 3/11/11

This song is interesting. There are many different versions of it. Maybe of them seem to feature a woman that is going to get hanged. Some the bribes work and in others they don't. I always thought that it was more sinister then what it really seems to be. I thought that the hangman hung the sister and spared the brother.

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gallows pole | Reviewer: dizzy | 1/8/11

Amen, everybody. This band was and still is sooo far ahead of anything else at the time or at this time. Lyrics with some thought, some true emotion, some IQ!!! behind them; what a treat. I remember buying every Zep album the second it came out, starting with the first, and knowing that it would be great, start to finish, no need to skip around and fast forward. Nothing like that today, not for me anyway. Miss the 70's music, although I'm not stuck there like some people. But I'm grateful to have had my teenage years during that decade. Rock On. (and Ramble On, while you're at it.)
Dizzy

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The Best of Led Zeppelin | Reviewer: nilo nicolas jr. | 9/2/10

This was one of the best songs of Zeppelin that really was way ahead of anything they've done. Just right because this song has roots of a hundred years before there time, they just polished it off as their own. It was Zeppelin ripping off the best folk songs in existense.

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gallows rock | Reviewer: annie h | 2/3/10

I love this song, not being an out an out Zep Freak, I really found songs like this and Battle of Evermore (with Sandy Denny's beautiful vocals) were a "way in" to the more harder rock that Zepplin played. Using traditional folk/blues songs and making them their own was always what this group did best in my opinion.

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Gallows Pole | Reviewer: Sam | 6/30/09

I love this track. It would definitely be one of my favourites from vol.III. It's really appealing that its an adaptation from a traditional song. The lyrics have a real archaic charm in how they're constructed. And it's a very soothing tune!

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This song is one of the best of Led Zeppelin | Reviewer: Jeffro Jenkins | 5/8/08

I think this song is great.
It tells a story of a man about to get hanged, so to try to be let free, he gives the hangman money and even his sister. But in the end, he still gets hanged.
Is one of my favorite Led Zeppelin songs.

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gallows pole | Reviewer: i1000 | 1/25/08

i love this song not only for the lyrics but we must remember that it is a traditional song and the original writers must have put much into it. please consider the following. ive been a horse rider and the traditional writers would have considered the beat of riding when they wrote the song, after all everybody seems to be riding many a mile. now consider the beat of a horse as it changes gate or speed as we do from walking to running as a horse make the same, so listen to the friend at the same beat of a horse walking, very slow. then the change, the brother came more urgently at a horses next gate which is a trott, the sister came even more urgently and she came even more quickly at a canter an evev faster speed . to get this feeling play the song and just sit on your lounge and just rock your hips at the beat changes in the music and you will understand what riding means and hopefully the traditional song will have greater meaning than just the lyrics. i also ask some of you just perhaphs you have been to one of their concert and now have a hearing loss problem, yeh

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Great, but mistake! | Reviewer: steve | 1/2/08

Awesome song, led zep III is my favorite...but the last section says "I laugh and pull so hard and see you swingin from the gallows pole" not the sister :)

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Hold it a little while | Reviewer: NCS | 11/9/07

This is the best Zep song in the entire catalogue. Some come close: Traveling Riverside Blues, Bring it on Home, The Rover, Going to California, but this song is my fave!

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