This song seems to me to have something to do with faith. I also think that on the surface it seems like a criticism of a woman, but underneath, it is talking about the reality and rewards of her purity. The one thing that makes me think of this possibility is the last chorus: And as we wind on down the road
Our shadows taller than our soul
There walks a lady we all know
Who shines white light and wants to show
How everything still turns to gold
And if you listen very hard
The tune will come to you at last
When all are one, and one is all
To be a rock and not to roll
And she's buying a stairway to Heaven I don't really understand it, but the patterns seem to aggregate across the lyrics, talking about self-doubt, uncertainty about the future after death in metaphorical terms. And the lady, she is not doubting. In fact, even when she gets to the top of the stairs and see the sign that says closed, she still has hope that it can be open, because things are not always what they seem, words can have two meanings. To me, this is not about a foolish woman that is vested in the material, it is about a woman of hope that does not rely on what can be seen explicitly. It reminds me of a scripture about how faith cannot be known or proven. I feel these lyrics, vs. understand them, to say that the lady defies all the real outcomes around her in the belief that the lovely vision she believe in is available to her. I don't really know how the "buying" fits in....although in some level, it implies she is making a choice, it is costing her something. It does seem cynical at face value, but when you put it in the context of the other lyrics mentioned above, I think actually there is reverence for this woman and her choices, and she has soothing power over people that have so many worldly doubts. I will follow up if more occurs to me. This song is kind of opaque, they were probably pretty stoned when they were working it out, which doesn't make it lack genius or consistent metaphor, but I get the feeling the unspoken parts that tie it al together into a solid allegory may be pretty deeply buried and difficult to root out.
This song seems to me to have something to do with faith. I also think that on the surface it seems like a criticism of a woman, but underneath, it is talking about the reality and rewards of her purity. The one thing that makes me think of this possibility is the last chorus: And as we wind on down the road Our shadows taller than our soul There walks a lady we all know Who shines white light and wants to show How everything still turns to gold And if you listen very hard The tune will come to you at last When all are one, and one is all To be a rock and not to roll And she's buying a stairway to Heaven I don't really understand it, but the patterns seem to aggregate across the lyrics, talking about self-doubt, uncertainty about the future after death in metaphorical terms. And the lady, she is not doubting. In fact, even when she gets to the top of the stairs and see the sign that says closed, she still has hope that it can be open, because things are not always what they seem, words can have two meanings. To me, this is not about a foolish woman that is vested in the material, it is about a woman of hope that does not rely on what can be seen explicitly. It reminds me of a scripture about how faith cannot be known or proven. I feel these lyrics, vs. understand them, to say that the lady defies all the real outcomes around her in the belief that the lovely vision she believe in is available to her. I don't really know how the "buying" fits in....although in some level, it implies she is making a choice, it is costing her something. It does seem cynical at face value, but when you put it in the context of the other lyrics mentioned above, I think actually there is reverence for this woman and her choices, and she has soothing power over people that have so many worldly doubts. I will follow up if more occurs to me. This song is kind of opaque, they were probably pretty stoned when they were working it out, which doesn't make it lack genius or consistent metaphor, but I get the feeling the unspoken parts that tie it al together into a solid allegory may be pretty deeply buried and difficult to root out.