A Phoenix Fiction Writer Rising From The Ashes of Nonfiction

Essays

The Stairway to Heaven

My interptetation of the lyrics to Led Zeppelin's Stairway to Heavan.
The English rock band Led Zeppelin released the song Stairway to Heaven in November of 1971. The lyrics consist of almost unintelligible cliche's beginning with:
There's a lady who's sure, all that glitters is gold
Shakespeare first noted the cliche' "all that glitters is not gold" in The Merchant of Venice, although similar ideas had appeared in older works such as Aesop's fables. The cliche' is a reference to the lack of value in many things that appear valuable. Perhaps the most notorious of which is "Fool's Gold," the common mineral iron-pyrite, that appears as flecks of shiny gold while real gold in nature appears tarnished. As a consequence, the phrase "all that glitters is not gold" typically refers to a vulnerable ignorance. The Led Zeppelin song continues:
And she's buying a stairway to heaven
The clear implication being that what she was doing would lead to her death. However:
When she gets there she knows If the stores are all closed With a word she can get what she came for
The woman obviously feels entitled, privileged, to the extent that even if the stores are all closed to everybody else, she can obtain whatever she desires on demand. But the song says this behavior too is leading her towards death.
There's a sign on the wall but she wants to be sure 'Cause you know sometimes words have two meanings.
The woman should be able to understand that her actions are doomed, it is as obvious as a sign on the wall telling her that, but she discounts the obvious by questioning whether the sign actually means what it says.
In a tree by the brook, there's a songbird who sings, Sometimes all of our thoughts are misgiven.
"In a tree by the brook there's a songbird who sings" provides a reference to nature that indicates the natural situation in life is that very often we can be mistaken.
Ooh, it makes me wonder,
So, we have to consider (wonder) that maybe the woman is actually correct, and maybe our being too quick to discount things, or to believe in traditional wisdom, is stifling our existence. This would seemingly be a crucial question for an artist or musician in deciding whether to take the risk of leaving their comfortable life for the uncertain life of an artist.
There's a feeling I get when I look to the west, And my spirit is crying for leaving.
The sun rises in the east and sets in the west, creating a metaphor for our life. There's an inner feeling that being conservative could result in missing out on adventure, and when I look toward the sun setting in my life, my spirit is crying out to seek adventure by leaving the shelter where I feel stifled.
In my thoughts I have seen rings of smoke through the trees, And the voices of those who stand looking.
Meaning: In my fantasy I have seen the smoke from the fires of excitement just beyond my current environment with the conservative people around me that just stand looking as life passes them by.
Ooh, it really makes me wonder.
And so I wonder to what extent dismissing everything that looks exciting and adventurous as being fool's gold ignores that buying a staircase to heaven is not only a path leading to death, but also a path to achieving great happiness, as if sometimes those words had two meanings.
And it's whispered that soon, if we all call the tune, Then the piper will lead us to reason. And a new day will dawn for those who stand long, And the forests will echo with laughter.
The cliche', of course, is that "he who pays the piper calls the tune," a reference to the common situation that everybody wants to hear or dance to the tune that they prefer, but only the person who pays the piper to play gets to decide what tune is played. Here, the lyrics say that it is implicitly understood (whispered) if we all call the tune, while no one pays the piper, then the piper will lead us to reason: in other words, if no one pays the piper then the piper will explain that there will be no song. Thus, for all those who continue to listen for the tune without providing the payment, eventually it will dawn on them that they are fools "and the forests will echo with laughter."
If there's a bustle in your hedgerow, don't be alarmed now, It's just a spring clean for the May queen.
In the countryside there are artificial boundaries marked by hedgerows that define our lives, but our life can be intruded on by any number of threats. However, just because there is some minor disturbance in a hedgerow should not cause one to panic. Any time one attempts to make changes, there will be unexpected complications that need to be swept out of the way before we achieve success in reaching our goals, just as at the end of winter we prepare for the First of May Spring festival.
Yes, there are two paths you can go by, but in the long run There's still time to change the road you're on.
We can live our lives conservatively to minimize risks, or we can become more adventurous even though it's more dangerous because of unknowns, but we can always choose to go back to being conservative if the road to adventure proves daunting.
And it makes me wonder.
So I have to wonder whether it is wise to stay with those who watch life pass them by. We can be adventurous to see if gold lies beyond that whispered knowledge making us one of the fools if no one pays the piper; maybe we should risk paying the expenses incurred to let us sing the tune that we prefer in life.
Your head is humming and it won't go, in case you don't know, The piper's calling you to join him,
This challenge to engage in adventure will be buzzing in your head until you become willing to accept the risks and incur the costs in life to be able to pay the piper to play the tune you like.
Dear lady, can you hear the wind blow, and did you know Your stairway lies on the whispering wind?
Maybe the lady who seeks the glitter isn't so wrong: that risk is necessary to achieve the greatest heights of happiness. Thus, the stairway to heaven lies in taking the risks rather than foolishly standing around waiting for life to pass you by.
And as we wind on down the road Our shadows taller than our soul.
As we live out our lives, letting our possibilities be larger than our actual existence:
There walks a lady we all know Who shines white light and wants to show How everything still turns to gold.
There exists a philosophical companion, some call her Lady Luck, that we all have assumed is too risky and yet she illuminates a possibility that if we take risks we can find that gold turns up in strange places.
And if you listen very hard The tune will come to you at last.
If you listen to Lady Luck very carefully, and faithfully, you will one day have the opportunity to pay the piper to play the tune that suits your life the best to provide the greatest happiness.
When all are one and one is all To be a rock and not to roll.
We can live our lives with the people around us in harmony and happiness, without sacrificing our dreams, by being strong like a rock against the adversity we encounter in adventure rather than living a life where we conform (roll) with decisions made by others.
And she's buying a stairway to heaven.
One has to accept that taking risks can have profound implications that may result in death or great happiness, either way is buying a stairway to heaven.

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Last Modified March 3, 2022