In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
Hey lady, you got the love I need
Maybe more than enough
Oh darling, darling, darling
Walk a while with me
Ohh, you've got so much, so much, so much
Many have I loved, and many times been bitten
Many times I've gazed along the open road
Many times I've lied, and many times I've listened
Many times I've wondered how much there is to know
Many dreams come true, and some have silver linings
I live for my dream, and a pocket full of gold
Mellow is the man who knows what he's been missing
Many, many men can't see the open road
Many is a word that only leaves you guessing
Guessing 'bout a thing you really ought to know, oh, oh, oh, oh
Really ought to know (oh, oh, oh)
I really ought to know
Oh
You know I should, you know I should, you know I should, you know I should
Maybe more than enough
Oh darling, darling, darling
Walk a while with me
Ohh, you've got so much, so much, so much
Many have I loved, and many times been bitten
Many times I've gazed along the open road
Many times I've lied, and many times I've listened
Many times I've wondered how much there is to know
Many dreams come true, and some have silver linings
I live for my dream, and a pocket full of gold
Mellow is the man who knows what he's been missing
Many, many men can't see the open road
Many is a word that only leaves you guessing
Guessing 'bout a thing you really ought to know, oh, oh, oh, oh
Really ought to know (oh, oh, oh)
I really ought to know
Oh
You know I should, you know I should, you know I should, you know I should
Lyrics submitted by kevin, edited by Mellow_Harsher
Over the Hills and Far Away Lyrics as written by Robert Plant Jimmy Page
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, O/B/O DistroKid, Royalty Network, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Standing On The Edge Of Summer
Thursday
Thursday
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
American Town
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran shares a short story of reconnecting with an old flame on “American Town.” The track is about a holiday Ed Sheeran spends with his countrywoman who resides in America. The two are back together after a long period apart, and get around to enjoying a bunch of fun activities while rekindling the flames of their romance.
ok, i just read through the 3 pages of posts, and don't feel as though enough's been said. a lot of it was bickering, and not really worth reading. so here you go, the ZepHead's explaination. A little sappy, a little serious, a little lighthearted.
This song is about Love and Life, and more.
The first part is about finding that girl you just can't stop thinking about. When you think about her, your thoughts just drift away. "Over the hills and far away," so to speak. The words and sound of this part just make you think of being with that girl, on a beautiful day, not a care in the world. To relate to another Zep song, Achilles Last Stand: "Oh to sail away, to sandy lands and other days. Oh to touch the dream, hides inside is never seen." This is a common theme of escaping our mundane lives.
Before the next two lines, the sound changes, and it's not all fluffy anymore. The lines talk about broken relationships, and when the cycle of "tears of loves lost in the days gone by" (if you've heard Thank You, which is incredible) will end. Roads are an archetype in many forms of art for wonder, the unknown, and journeys(often through life).
After wondering about Love, the next logical progression of though would be Life in general. As someone said, there's a lot of stuff that we don't understand. "Many" things we don't know. Many people don't even stop to think about life; they just keep on trucking through this life we live.
And when you try to comprehend "many," it "only leaves you guessing." "Guessing about a thing." What are we doing? Where are we going? Why can't I stop thinking about her?
Now that's my main interpretation, but there's a couple more things: "Many dreams come true and some have silver linings I live for my dream and a pocketful of gold." Ok, firstly, yeah, that gold's pot. I think the live versions pretty much nail that down. That doesn't mean the whole song's about drugs though. Secondly, these two lines together basically mean, "ya know, I can't make much out of this life thing, but i do know that some dreams do come true. That's worth livin' for." and the gold is something that this particular person needs to keep going. Maybe even to help him go "over the hills and far away" for a little while.
As for Tolkien's poem, yes, there is a poem called "Over Old Hills and Far Away," but i just looked it up, and am pretty sure it isn't about Aragorn/Arwen. I'm pretty sure it's name is what Zep took, unless it's a coincidence and they didn't even notice the connection. Bear in mind, multiple Zep songs had titles that didn't appear in the lyrics, or sometimes weren't related at all (e.g. Black Dog).
And Anti-lotr people need to chill; just because someone mentions a connection doesn't mean the whole song's about lotr, and doesn't mean the person that made the connection is a fanboy jumping all over everything. Note to lotr fans: don't start looking for connections in every song, because that is kinda stupid/annoying, and if anything, you shouldn't do it b/c it makes the ppl that hate you right.
I think that about sums it up. Please tell me what u think of my interpretation, praise or rage.