What Is and What Should Never Be
Led Zeppelin/Musicfire.in Lyrics


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And if I say to you tomorrow
Take my hand, child come with me
It's to a castle I will take you
Where what's to be, they say will be

Catch the wind, see us spin
Sail away leave today
Way up high in the sky, hey, whoa
But the wind won't blow
You really shouldn't go
It only goes to show
That you will be mine
By takin' our time, ooh

And if you say to me tomorrow
Oh what fun it all would be
Then what's to stop us, pretty baby
But what is and what should never be

Catch the wind, see us spin
Sail away, leave today
Way up high in the sky, hey whoa
But the wind won't blow
You really shouldn't go
Only goes to show
That you will be mine
By takin' our time, ooh

So if you wake up with the sunrise
And all your dreams are still as new
And happiness is what you need so bad
Girl, the answer lies with you, yeah

Catch the wind, see us spin
Sail away, leave today
Way up high in the sky, hey whoa
But the wind won't blow
You really shouldn't go
Only goes to show
That you will be mine
By takin' our time, ooh

Hey, oh
Oh the wind won't blow and we really shouldn't go
And it only goes to show-ow-ow
Catch the wind, we're gonna see it spin
We're gonna sail, little girl
Do do do, bop bop a do-oh
My my my my my my my yeah
Everybody I know seems to know me well
But does anybody know I'm gonna move like hell
Baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, oh, Lord




Baby, baby, baby, oh, right now, yeah
No, no, no, no, no, come on, now

Overall Meaning

In this song, "What Is and Should Never Be," Led Zeppelin tells the story of a romantic relationship that is both exciting and uncertain. The singer (presumably lead singer Robert Plant) urges his lover to take a leap of faith with him, promising to take her to a castle where their destiny awaits. They envision sailing away together, catching the wind and leaving their worries behind. However, their happiness is somewhat tempered by the realization that the wind won't always blow in their favor, and they ultimately acknowledge that their love might be impossible ("what is and what should never be"). The final lines of the song seem to express the singer's restlessness and desire for change, despite the fact that he is well-known and established ("Everybody I know seems to know me well / But does anybody know I'm gonna move like hell").


Line by Line Meaning

And if I say to you tomorrow
If I tell you that we should go somewhere tomorrow


Take my hand, child come with me
Come with me as I take you on this journey


It's to a castle I will take you
I'll take you to a special place


Where what's to be, they say will be
Where destiny lies and fate takes its course


Catch the wind, see us spin
Join me in enjoying the ride of life


Sail away leave today
Start fresh and leave the past behind


Way up high in the sky, hey, whoa
As we embark on this journey, we'll become deeply immersed


But the wind won't blow
However, we may come across setbacks


You really shouldn't go
Perhaps we should reconsider this decision


It only goes to show
This situation proves something important


That you will be mine
You'll become mine as we spend more time together


By takin' our time, ooh
If we take things slow and steady


And if you say to me tomorrow
If you agree and say you'd like to embark on this journey


Oh what fun it all would be
If we think this journey will be enjoyable


Then what's to stop us, pretty baby
Then nothing should hold us back


But what is and what should never be
However, we have to be aware of what's realistic and what shouldn't happen


So if you wake up with the sunrise
If you start the day feeling refreshed and optimistic


And all your dreams are still as new
And if your dreams are still fresh and exciting


And happiness is what you need so bad
If you're longing for happiness in your life


Girl, the answer lies with you, yeah
You hold the keys to your own happiness


Hey, oh
An exclamation used to get attention


Oh the wind won't blow and we really shouldn't go
We may encounter obstacles and this journey may not be a good idea


And it only goes to show-ow-ow
This only confirms what we were thinking


Catch the wind, we're gonna see it spin
But let's try anyways and enjoy the unknown


We're gonna sail, little girl
We'll embark on this adventure together


Do do do, bop bop a do-oh
Silly sounds or a meaningless phrase


My my my my my my my yeah
An expression of excitement or happiness


Everybody I know seems to know me well
Everyone in my life thinks they understand me


But does anybody know I'm gonna move like hell
However, no one knows I'm about to make a drastic change in my life


Baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, oh, Lord
An exclamation of surprise or amazement


Baby, baby, baby, oh, right now, yeah
An expression of excitement or eagerness


No, no, no, no, no, come on, now
An expression of disagreement or refusal




Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JIMMY PAGE, ROBERT PLANT

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

Mang213

I love this track. Truly a hidden gem from Page and the boys

Kevin Stacey

Discoveries like these are pure gold. Thank you!!

Brad Durian

Not sure if this was ever going t be released but I like it. Cover of “In Through The Out Door” clearly depicts a brothel.

Kris Scanlon

Very complex and progressive which suited them...coulda of moved this one along.

JEFF REYWILL STEWART

Hipnosis did their cover art. This one shows all the different characters views of the bar.

Mike J

Awesome song page playing is great Bonham too. Showed they would have gone away from the pop oriented out through the indoor aspect grom plant and jones

troutmask

It’s more like an Achilles Last Stand or San Francisco

Iago

Some guitar parts remind me on Achilles

7wardie

Anyone got an idea on the notes would be good

Josh Ritter

I think the main riff is open d string hammer on to 2nd fret, open a string hammer on to second fret, then power chord open e and a string second fret

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