Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway To Heaven” Lyrics Meaning
First off, it should be noted that Led Zeppelin’s lead singer Robert Plant, who actually wrote the lyrics to this song, has himself stated that – with the exception of to some extent the first verse – it is open to different interpretations. So here, we will try to derive the meaning “Stairway to Heaven” in the most basic ways possibly.
Verse 1
The first verse is based on the tale of, according to Plant, a materialistic and selfish woman. It is clear that this individual equates “heaven” with shopping. And apparently even if stores are closed, she can still get access to “what she came for” “with a word”, insinuating that she is so powerful and wealthy that with just a phone call, the shops will be opened for her.
“There’s a lady who’s sure all that glitters is gold
And she’s buying the 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 the stairway to heaven”
Verse 2
The second verse is based on Plant envisioning “the west” apparently being destroyed by “rings of smoke” that are visible “through the trees”. Again this is something that is occurring only in his thoughts, but still his “spirit is crying for leaving”. What geographical region Plant considers “the west” is unspecified, with some even putting forth theories that it refers to the Wild West. But considering that the song was written in England, the implication would be somewhere west of the United Kingdom. This verse is climaxed by a group of people “who stand” and witness of this fire.
Verse 3
And apparently these same people are referred to in the third verse as “those who stand long”. The story being told in this section is that if these individuals have a mutual desire “the piper will lead (them) to reason”. And instead of the trees burning now, “the forests echo with laughter”. It is never specified who “the piper” actually is, though all things considered, it definitely plays out like a religious reference.
Verse 4
The beginning of the fourth verse brings up the character of the “May queen” and accordingly is about fertility and the advent of Spring. Later the concept of heaven is again brought up though implicitly, as in people having a choice to choose between “two paths” upon which to tread. And once again, “the piper” is present, this time as someone who is “calling you to join him”, as in follow the same path that he is on.
In all honesty, “Stairway to Heaven” plays out more or less like a gospel track, admonishing the listener to repent as in choose the road which leads to “a lady we all know who shines white light”. However don’t expect Led Zeppelin to acknowledge this. Instead when pressed on the song’s explanation they often gives answers which are difficult to derive any definitive meaning from.
Quick Facts about “Stairway to Heaven”
- Writer(s): Robert Plant and Jimmy Page were the sole writers of this song.
- Producer(s): Jimmy Page produced the song.
- Release Date: November 8, 1971 was the official release date of “Stairway to Heaven”.
- Album/EP: The song appears on Led Zeppelin’s fourth studio album titled Led Zeppelin IV.
- Interesting Stuff: Led Zeppelin have been accused of “stealing” parts of the song “Taurus” by the band Spirit and using it in “Stairway to Heaven”. And indeed when you listen to the beginning of “Stairway to Heaven”, it sounds remarkably similar to a certain part of Spirit’s “Taurus”. The case eventually went to court.
Does the song contain any samples?
No. However, it has been sampled in over dozens of songs.
Interpretation of “Stairway to Heaven”: By Another Hand
“Stairway to Heaven” brings to our attention the hard truth that true happiness in life derives not from accumulating material possessions. The song tells a story of a woman who made so much money only to realize, in the end, that her life was meaningless even with all her wealth, and she won’t make it to heaven. In some respects, the song can be seen as a call to give back to the poor, needy, society, etc. when one has been blessed with many. Of course, the mystics among us might find it the perfect nudge to consider the afterlife because it matters.
“There’s a feeling I get when I look to the west / And my spirit is crying for leaving.”
“What geographical region Plant considers ‘the west’ is unspecified, with some even putting forth theories that it refers to the Wild West. But considering that the song was written in England, the implication would be somewhere west of the United Kingdom.”
Lol. Dude, mid-career Zeppelin -> Tolkien. In LotR, after the War of the Ring, the elves get on radiant magical ships to leave Middle Earth and sail to Aman, a Heaven-like “blessed land” to the West.
Thank you for that. It makes sense.
LOL the level of screwy in this post is crazy. There is no interpretation, its a simple case of hes not going to admit what the song is about. Those who know, KNOW. Those who dont, wont. But I will spell it out for you.
“There’s a lady who’s sure, All that glitters is gold, And she’s buying a stairway to heaven”
The lady knows, they say that while it glitters, and seems to be good, its really not. Its really a bad idea, but it doesn’t feel that way, it feels like a stairway to heaven. This will make more sense in a minute.
“When she gets there she knows If the stores are all closed
With a word she can get what she came for Oh oh oh oh and she’s buying a stairway to heaven”
She isnt rich, as the post says, thats quite literally the stupidest thing I have ever heard. She knows she can get it, because what she is looking for ISNT SOLD AT THE STORE. Its sold on the street, She is Looking for a Stairway to Heaven.
“There’s a sign on the wall, But she wants to be sure, ‘Cause you know sometimes words have two meanings”
This is a flat out blatant statement to the meaning of the song, how anyone misses this is beyond me. She is looking for a sign for an Opiate Den, the signs are not labeled “Opiate Den” they are labeled in slang, something that would seem innocent to a non user, or police, but on the street are used as markers to being something else. Ice / Glass = Meth, Horse / Tar / Black = Heroin, ect.
“There’s a feeling I get, When I look to the west, And my spirit is crying for leaving”
He is getting a feeling, when he looks to the west of the Den, where the door is located, that his spirit is crying this is bad, leave now, stop the addiction, stop the sickness, stop the pain. Again, Blatant and obvious to anyone who has ever suffered from a drug addiction.
“In my thoughts I have seen, Rings of smoke through the trees, And the voices of those who standing looking”
Again, he is visualizing being in the opiate den, even when he isnt there. This is symbolic to the throws of addiction, in his everyday life, his cravings, place him in the Den in his mind. The people that stand looking, are the Dens caregivers, old English opiate dens had employees that looked after those who were high, to prevent ODs and the complications and ensure that everyone survived the night.
There is no sense going through the rest, to non addicts it might not make sense. However again to anyone who has ever been addicted to drugs, the reality is blatant and clear.
did some spirit entity use plant in what is called automatic writing to write the lyrics for the song? look up what plant says he remembers about coming up with the lyrics for the song
They said they made the song around a campfire closer to nature and were all having a good time and the music just flowed through them… That sounds like a good place for a certain piper to show up.
The way they described it is as if someone was channeling them. Maybe, you should look for the piper and ask him. I’m sure he’s a nice person (dead or alive).
I think the the lady who shines
The white and wants to show
Is that she never made it into heaven
So her punishment for being greedy in life
Is to lead others to heaven
Lighting the stairway.
Showing them the way.
Which she has to do for ever.
I like that explanation.
Has anyone ever wondered if the lady who shines white light came back from Heaven and is trying to prove that the light exists? I imagine that the piper is someone who is very misinterpreted and sometimes not always known by everyone in society. That’s why no one can figure out who the piper is. It’s like finding the holy grail physically instead of within yourself. That’s that place that people teach you to ignore.
The Piper is God, under the ocultism’s perspective. It reminds of the god Pan, as well.
I’m assuming that this song is about a lady who is addicted to drugs and is buying a stairway to heaven (buying drugs that will lead her to death) . The piper aka the drug dealer is calling you to join him. When she has no money to buy drugs she is offering favors in return when saying if the stores are all closed with one word she can get what she came for…
You are so wrong (IMO) the song is not about drugs buying a stairway to heaven, Materialism…. “The Piper will lead us to reason” …. To Reason, Not Destruction ….. The song tells you, If you’re not happy with the path you are on, you have time to change that path … In the end we’re all ONE…. The ROCK and NOT the roll …. in other words Strong Steady not falling apart like a drug addict….
You are so right on. Not only is the song about drugs it is about suicide and death and hell. The piper is satan
Yes satan drugs high death.
… Are you really this lame or is it a special occasion you’ve chosen to celebrate your stupidity?
Your idiocy is amazing.
“When I look to the West” … The Sun sets in the West, plus for us English, the West is always seen as the road to adventure, in a famous painting; The boyhood of Raleigh, the old sailor is pointing to the West…. Without knowing it, this could influenced them… So many English (and Welsh) influences in this song …. “There’s still time to change the road you’re on”…. The Piper is Jesus or your Inner self telling you to follow your dreams …..
Thanks, Robert, for your insightful contribution.
I think the song has an environmental meaning. “When I look to the West I see rings of smoke through the trees and my spirit is crying for leaving.” The West is highly industrialized and there is pollution in the forests. The lady trying to buy her way into heaven is society trying to find fulfillment in material consumption. There is more in the song that has spiritual and environmental messages but in the end we have a choice to find happiness within our spirits and not be fooled by material emptiness if we just stand tall like a rock instead of just rolling down a hill (going along with a crowd like lemmings). So that is my take but like Led Zeppelin said: “It’s all open to interpretation.”
very smart on their part. Music is for all to interpret in their own way, thus they do not limit their audience.
Being a huge LOTS fan, I assumed the second verse is about the wood elves. But i took the first verse to be about either buying drugs, or finding something of value event though the stores are all closed, I assume the lady is not shallow, but in tune with the universe and able to find whatever will bring her closer to heaven. And the rest of the poem is about being in tune with nature — or the elves and animals.
Could it be about America, could the lady be the statue of liberty that is a symbol of America, a lady we all know. The spirit cries for freedom ,a feeling I get when I look to the west and my spirit is crying for leaving. . How America is tearing up the land, the voices of those who stand looking may be those watching the destruction of the nature But a new day will dawn for those who stand long, those who are advocates for nature, who petition the govt. and stand firm on their commitment to save nature then the forests will echo with laughter, not being exploited any longer by greedy buiness. America is so wealthy, she can buy anything. She thinks she can buy her way to heaven through things and materialism, etc.! The lady we all know, who shines white light , the statue of liberty’s torch and wants to show, how everything still turns to gold. Where all are one and one is all, the United states,Dear Lady the statue representing America. To be a rock, a standard to which the world looks, and not a roll, not going with the flow and rolling over for the greedy capitalists who would rape the land for profit.
I lilke your interpretation, it does make sense
you could interpret it any way you choose. it’s not necessarily about one thing. that’s how poetry works.
Does the song contain any samples “no”? Well it should be noted that the lawsuits saying Led Zepplin stole from a band named spirit (song named taurus) was a very long legal battle and not everyone agrees with the final decision.
They did say the words have more than one meaning. I heard somewhere, and I can’t remember if it was Plant or Page, but one of them, probably Plant, was a huge Tolkein fan, and the spirit looking to the west could be, at least partially in meaning, the elves of Middle-Earth taking their voyage to the west. The rings of smoke may allude to Gandalf’s or Bilbo’s pipe. I’m guessing the words for the most part aren’t meant to be taken too literally and are meant more to set a mood or train of thought. Who knows maybe Page or Plant themselves don’t even remember why they picked the words that they picked.
I enjoy all the interpretations and all of these are more about the interpreter than what the meaning really is. The Music in the end tells us what we feel is what we want to believe. The god that really visited the writers didn’t need words but it did need an audience.
Song was written by a young man from Texas who sold it to Led Zeppelin. The song refers to Radio Church of God in late 60s – early 70s. Lady is the church. Piper was Mr. Armstrong. Church’s hq was in Pasadena, Ca., located to west of most of America. Armstrong’s message went over radio. There was a belief that scripture can sometimes have 2 meanings, physical and deeper spiritual.
The song details the pitfalls of the church’s spiritual journey (and all Christianity in larger sense). The song has numerous references that the church had. Finally I knew the song writers ex-wife and asked her if he had really written the song. Her reply was that Jason lied a lot. So truly, all that glittered was not gold to her. The mystery continues.
Yeah, that’s so far from the truth. LMFAO.
Men can not know if there is a God. It’s just their explanation of world existing.
Wow, so much ignorance in this thread, the song is really about occult themes, buying a way to heaven undermines the legitimacy of God, the Piper refers to Pan, aka Satan, in the East was the origin of Christ & so to the West was away from Christ,…
I think so. Played backward it does have messages at the heggrove part. hence words have 2 meanings.
the Piper is the Devil.
zep has always has preferred pagan imagery to anything christian. so i doubt that was even close to what was intended. the meaning is quite clear – spirituality vs materialism. the 2 roads we can take
I am not making judgements here, but the song was written under the influence of drugs. Most likely Cocaine and Heroin. It is a ’60’s Cultural thing. The song is a story of the consequences of doing drugs and the effects of them. It is both a warning and a description of its final outcome. It is also a medium to connect the mind to the supernatural, but there is a cost to do so, i.e.; Cost of drugs, determent to one’s health, ultimately Death and loss of Soul to Lucifer/Satin. The choice is yours. You decide. Life drug free, or Drugs, Death, and the Lake of Fire for Eternity. It is a testament of the counter culture of the 1960’s
The song is NOT about drugs or drug use. You’ve allowed this 3-D world to brainwash you.
The key lines are: The tune will come to you at last. When all are one and one is all. This is a reference to non-duality, a high form of spiritual advancement and understanding. Once you understand this, it is a song of spirituality and you can fill in the blanks relative to the other imagery. The West is a reference to dying, i.e. sunset. “Spirit is crying for leaving” refers to the wish to die and go to heaven. “Voices of those who stand looking” refers to those who do not understand and are not going to get to heaven. The last stanza talks about getting older, our shadows/darkness being greater than our souls/light. The lady continues to remind us that that everything can still turn to gold/goodness and we can all still get to heaven. If we become still, meditate and listen, the tune/answer will come to us … nonduality … when all is one and one is all – the highest of all spiritual perspectives.
I believe that the Piper mentioned on 2 separate occasions represents God calling and the Evil calling. Both are Pipers that can influence our 2 paths of free willed choice. I see the White light lady as a representative of those who are lost and stuck in purgatory. The referenced lyric to nature is that –nature is unseen by many when consumed by fixed goals- it was here before us and is always among us. This joint to the “righteous” and “untouched by external things “road as connecting to nature signify genuine aloneness with oneself and seeing and feelings related to the purity of how things are and were always meant to be created.
Love the comments. Some of the best r&r songs have very vague lyrics. Reminds me of Hotel CA, but Led Zep did the long song first. I had forgotten that Stairway was released in 1971; now my long shadow is feeling old indeed…