In the second verse, it says that "there's a sign on the wall". In the first verse, the lady represents the naive soul of a person, believing that everything will work out, believing that she can simply ask for something and receive it, and in the end she will reach heaven for being good. If you accept it as its intended meaning, you may wish you hadn't heard it. My InterpretationDisclaimer: This is my fairly dark interpretation of the song. To me this is a plea to look beyond the Lady (Church) to one's own sense of reason and morality to get to some higher place - "the tune will come to you at last" and you'll be the "rock" of your own faith, of your own reason,(as Jesus' claim to Peter) and not depend upon any other earthly entity to inform you of right and wrong. The second part of the stanza as a direct address to the Lady (the Church) as a warning that Her time is about to end, it's about to be blown away with the winds of time.Īnd she's buying a stairway to heaven. Your stairway lies on the whispering wind. The coming of the Enlightenment - the mass exodus from the Church (as well as other established institutions) and its teachings and rites?Ī musing in particular about the election of the pope and the signal of such by means of smoke - and its effect on the masses.Īnd it's whispered that soon if we all call the tuneĪnd a new day will dawn for those who stand longĪgain about enlightenment, about the replacement of Church teachings and superstition with Man's own ability to reason.
I'm thinking that the "sign on the wall" could also be the writing on the wall, perhaps biblical in nature, that can be interpreted in many ways. The Catholic Church of the middle ages was given to selling indulgences, commonly perceived to allow the faithful to buy out (through monetary donations to the Church) of purgatory time for themselves or loved ones and into Heaven. Trying to make sense in my head of something that probably defies one single explanation. I think I'm just pulling from my own thoughts and imagination and stuff. My InterpretationThis may be similar to others' interpretations (with like 10 pages of them, I can't be sure I've read them all). This was the first Led Zeppelin song I ever heard and I've been a fan ever since. (Hence, "there's a feeling I get when I look to the west, and my spirit is crying for leaving"- they fear they've left their spiritual path to travel down a road of materialism.) At first they believe they can simply change their fate and walk down the right path when they need to, but as their shadows grow long, they realize they may have been too late. That's why her stairway is unstable/false and lies on a foundation of "whispering wind." Throughout the song, the lady's experience is paralleled to the band's reflection on what they've done in life and wondering if they'll one day end up on a similar stairway. When she's on her way to heaven, she doesn't believe the signs that say she can't get in once she reaches the gates because her life lacks a spiritual base.
General CommentWe interpreted this song in my senior English class, and what I took from it is "the lady who's sure" has based her life on the material things. Your head is humming and it won't go, in case you don't know,ĭear lady, can you hear the wind blow, and did you know There's still time to change the road you're on. Yes, there are two paths you can go by, but in the long run It's just a spring clean for the May queen. If there's a bustle in your hedgerow, don't be alarmed now, In my thoughts I have seen rings of smoke through the trees,Īnd the voices of those who stand looking.Īnd it's whispered that soon, if we all call the tune,Īnd a new day will dawn for those who stand long, There's a feeling I get when I look to the west, Sometimes all of our thoughts are misgiven. In a tree by the brook, there's a songbird who sings, 'Cause you know sometimes words have two meanings. There's a sign on the wall but she wants to be sure Ooh, ooh, and she's buying a stairway to heaven. With a word she can get what she came for. When she gets there she knows, if the stores are all closed There's a lady who's sure all that glitters is gold Lyric CorrectionPublisher block? I think not. Your stairway lies on the whispering wind? There's still time to change the road you're on It's just a spring clean for the May queen Sometimes all of our thoughts are misgivenĪnd the voices of those who stand lookingĪnd it's whispered that soon, if we all call the tune 'Cause you know sometimes words have two meanings Ooh ooh and she's buying a stairway to Heaven With a word she can get what she came for
0 kommentar(er)
