Behind the Song: Stairway to Heaven

Almost every rock fan is familiar with the song “Stairway to Heaven,” but recently, it’s been brought to my attention that not too many people know the meaning behind the masterpiece. 

The song was released as a part of the album Led Zeppelin IV in 1971. It was a seven-minute fifty-five-second song that became rock defining. Everything about it was innovative and never done before, from the fairytale acoustic folk to the swampy grooves and blues-based hard rock. They created a new sub-genre of rock, raising the levels of the ridiculous rock audacity. The song had popularized the double-neck guitar and rose to be the most requested song of the 70s. It was the catalyst of prog. 

To this day, Robert refuses to meet up with the remaining Led Zeppelin bandmates due to the requests of “Stairway to Heaven.” He doesn’t want to burn a hole right through the sentimental song by playing it show after show after show. He says he wouldn’t play the song for even a million dollars. He’s told us that for the past 30 years. 

Here’s my take on the brilliant piece by one of my all-time favorite bands. 

The exact meaning of the song seems infinite. Lyrically it speaks of the inevitability of death, fear, and greed. The opening lyrics read, “There’s a lady who’s sure that all glitters are gold/ And she’s buying the stairway to heaven.” 

“Gold” could be pointing to the dainty or valuable things in life, which are different for every person. The first line indicates that the woman thinks “glittering” items, like actual gold and wealth, are the top advantages in life. This line could have been inspired by JRR Tolkien’s words, “All that is gold does not glitter,” as the band is known to use his works for inspiration.

Further lyrics sing, “There’s a feeling I get when I look to the west/And my spirit is crying for leaving.” The sun setting in the west has been symbolic of death since at least Egyptian times. When the narrator looks to the west (thinks about dying), his spirit longs for it.  

 “In my thoughts I have seen rings of smoke through the trees/ And the voices of those who stand looking.” Tintern Abbey, a poem by William Wordsworth, contains a similar line: “wreaths of smoke, sent up in silence, above the trees.” The poem and the song both have esoteric themes. Seeing “smoke among the trees” would be a bad omen in the ancient times since it would signify camps of an army coming to invade their lands. 

“And she’s buying the stairway to heaven.” The song closes with the line

telling us that the lady indeed bought her way to heaven, and we all can. But the price to pay is wisdom, spirituality, and staying away from sin.

The ultimate gift can be attained through the path of the heart and not material wealth. 

To me, the song simply means: The terminal gift can be accomplished through the path of the heart and not material wealth