| Led Zeppelin – Stairway to Heaven Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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I believe that your interpretation is absolutely brilliant, but from a slightly deeper perspective, I believe that it reflects the deepest teachings of Christ. I've copied and pasted everything you wrote below, and then added my comments below each paragraph: ---- 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. Erik: I totally agree with this 100%. In the second verse, it says that "there's a sign on the wall". I believe this represents the fact that we don't know for sure what to believe, but there is a religious authority which gives us a standard answer. However, the woman looks deeper because there may be more than one simple meaning. Erik: Yes, from a Christian perspective, the religious authority could be likened to the "scribes and Pharisees" who, while teaching the "letter of the law", often miss the "Spirit of the law" which requires one to look deeper and listen to the Holy Spirit within. "In a tree by the brook",(using more natural and mystical language than the "sign") a songbird hints that our entire perception about the world around us may be wrong. I believe the songbird represents the wondering of our mind. Erik: Yes, this is referenced in Paul's letter to the Corinthians' in which he says that we are like children looking through a "darkened glass". Our perception of the world is distorted because our hearts aren't pure, and only through the "renewing of the mind" which he talks about in his letter to the Romans. Then, "Ooh, it makes me wonder" Third Verse. Here it begins to get a little bit dark. "There's a feeling I get when I look to the west, and my spirit is crying for leaving." Something is pulling at my soul to look for something else and leave what I know behind. "In my thoughts I have seen rings of smoke through the trees, and the voices of those who stand looking." The trees represent the "forest" of the mind, and rings of smoke has to mean that something inside the mind is trying to communicate something, which is rather spooky. The voices looking are his thoughts in response to the "smoke rings". Erik: Yes, the mind has become distorted due to selfish thinking and now seems to be stuck in a forest of impure thoughts. Yet, the Holy Spirit is still there sending up smoke signals, offering relief to the mind that is willing to look for Him. "Ooh, it makes me wonder." Fourth Verse 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. If we all call the tune and follow the whisperings of our mind, "the Piper" will lead us to see things differently. The result being that we will leave way we knew behind and live in a new way of splendor and freedom. Erik: Yes, the "Piper" is the Holy Spirit, Who is Calling us to this new and better way. The drums start, as does this new vision of existence. Fifth Verse "If there's a bustle in your hedgerow, don't be alarmed now. It's just a spring clean for the May Queen." A hedgerow is a bush, this is imagery depicting a bush shaking from the inside, but refers to wary feelings in the mind. The "May Queen" is an occultist reference. It says that while you may be alarmed at first, she is simply cleaning out your old ways of thought. Erik: When you start to listen to the Holy Spirit and follow Christ, it will feel as though you are being shaken up on the inside. The old self will rage inside, as it feels that it is having to sacrifice control, and the temptation to go back to the old ways will be very strong in the beginning. That's why we must be vigilant. The May Queen, in my perspective anyway, is another way of referring to the Holy Spirit, Who's job it is to clean out the altar of our mind so that we may serve Christ and Christ alone. "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." It's not too late. You still can go down either path if you want, but in the long run this occultist enlightenment will always be at arms' length. Erik: The two ways are the way of Christ, and the way of satan. We've all been on the path of satan (i.e. selfishness), but there's still time to change the road we've been on. Sixth Verse "Your head is humming and it won't go, in case you don't know, The Piper's calling you to join him." You're wary and anxious about it but you won't go unless you decide to surrender yourself to it, meanwhile "The Piper" is calling you on. Erik: When you are still "on the fence" about which of the two roads you will walk on, it will feel as though your head is "humming" with a splitting headache. The split will not be healed until we answer the Holy Spirit's (the Piper's) Call to join Him. "Dear Lady can you hear the wind blow, and did you know, Your stairway lies on the whispering wind." The Lady is the pure soul. He asks, don't you hear the whisperings of your mind, and do you know that the way to your paradise is through following those deepest thoughts and wants? Erik: Yes, the DEEPEST thoughts and wants of our mind are those which come from True Inspiration, i.e. those which are Given to us BY the Holy Spirit for our healing and joy. "Your Stairway lies on the whispering wind" is a metaphorical way of saying that you will get to Heaven by listening to the "small, still Voice within", which can seem like the whispering wind because it's so quiet and pure. Then, a sudden strange and abrupt change in music. The solo seems to communicate its own particular message without words. This transition seems to represent the crossing over from innocence and falling into the rich, mournful truth. Erik: Yes, it's a transition from the false innocence of just believing that everything is "hunky-dory" to the fact that there is a cosmic war going on in my mind for possession of it, and that I need to start becoming highly vigilant for the Truth and ONLY for the Truth. Then: And as we wind on down the road Our Shadows taller than our soul (Our desires overcoming our potential for goodness) There walks a Lady we all know of (We are all familiar with the intimacy of our souls) Erik: I think that the Lady in this case could also be thought of as the part of our Soul that HAS chosen Light over darkness, and now wants nothing more than but to extend and share this Light with everyone. Who shines bright light and wants to show (She is figuratively radiant from the new knowledge) How everything still turns to gold (In this new vision, things turn to gold, as opposed to the naive optimism earlier of believing all glittering things were gold) Erik: Yes, when you are letting the Light of Christ shine THROUGH you, then everything lights up and is seen as beautiful, like gold. And yes, this IS in stark contrast to the earlier naivety of seeking for pleasure in the world and believing that "all that glitters is gold". And if you listen very hard (Listen!) The truth will come to you at last (Promising the thing everybody is searching for) When all is one and one is all (The belief that everything is for you and for your purpose. Everything is you and you are everything. The central ideal in satanism. Robert Plant has yelled "That's what HE is!" quickly after this line in concert.) Erik: I wouldn't attribute the idea of Perfect Oneness to satan, but to Christ. We are all one in Christ, as Christ is one with God. To be a rock and not to roll. (To be the unmoveable center of your universe) Erik: Or like a rock in the sense of being totally steadfast and unmovable in one's pure devotion to Christ. Lots of Love to you! Erik |
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