Originally named the New Yardbirds, Led Zeppelin signed a deal with Atlantic Records that gave them considerable artistic freedom. Initially unpopular with critics, they achieved significant commercial success with eight studio albums over ten years. Their 1969 debut, Led Zeppelin, was a top-ten album in several countries and featured such tracks as "Good Times Bad Times", "Dazed and Confused" and "Communication Breakdown". Led Zeppelin II (1969) was their first number-one album, and yielded "Ramble On" and "Whole Lotta Love". In 1970, they released Led Zeppelin III which featured "Immigrant Song". Their untitled fourth album, commonly known as Led Zeppelin IV (1971), is one of the best-selling albums in history with 37 million copies sold. The album includes "Black Dog", "Rock and Roll" and "Stairway to Heaven", with the latter being among the most popular and influential works in rock history. Houses of the Holy (1973) yielded "The Ocean", "Over the Hills and Far Away" and "The Rain Song". Physical Graffiti (1975), a double album, featured "Trampled Under Foot" and "Kashmir".
Page wrote most of Led Zeppelin's music, particularly early in their career, while Plant wrote most of the lyrics. Jones's keyboard-based compositions later became central to their music, which featured increasing experimentation. The latter half of their career saw a series of record-breaking tours that earned the group a reputation for excess and debauchery. Although they remained commercially and critically successful, their touring and output, which included Presence (1976) and In Through the Out Door (1979), grew limited, and the group disbanded following Bonham's death in 1980. Since then, the surviving former members have sporadically collaborated and participated in one-off reunions. The most successful of these was the 2007 Ahmet Ertegun Tribute Concert in London, with Bonham's son Jason Bonham on drums.
Led Zeppelin are one of the best-selling music artists of all time; their total record sales are estimated to be between 200 and 300 million units worldwide. They achieved eight consecutive UK number-one albums and six number-one albums on the US Billboard 200, with five of their albums certified Diamond in the US. Rolling Stone magazine described them as "the heaviest band of all time", "the biggest band of the Seventies", and "unquestionably one of the most enduring bands in rock history". They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995; the museum's biography of the band states that they were "as influential" during the 1970s as the Beatles were during the 1960s.
Albums
Led Zeppelin (1969)
Led Zeppelin II (1969)
Led Zeppelin III (1970)
Led Zeppelin IV (1971)
Houses of the Holy (1973)
Physical Graffiti (1975)
Presence (1976)
In Through the Out Door (1979)
Coda (1982)
02 For Your Life
Led Zeppelin Lyrics
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With my lemon in your hand
Oh oh oh oh
Exhibition is your habit
Emotion second hand
Oh oh oh oh
Had to pull away to save me
Maybe next time around
And she said, don't you want to?
Don't you want to cook it, cook it, cook it?
Hadn't planned to, could not stand to try it, fry it, na na na yeah
Ooh, heard a cry for mercy
In the city of the damned
Oh oh babe, damned
In the pits you go no lower
The next stop's underground
Oh, hello underground
Wine and roses ain't quite over
Fate deals a losing hand
And I said, didn't mean to, did not mean to fail
You didn't plan it, you over-ran it
You want to do it, you want to
You want to do it when you want to
You want to do it, do it when you want to
When you blow it, babe
You got to blow it right
Oh baby, if you fake it, mama
Baby, fake with all your might
When you fake it, mama
Please fake it right (for yourself babe)
When you fake it baby
You're fakin' it for your life, for your life
For your life, for your life
Do it, do it, do it, do it, do it
Do it when you want to
Do it, do it, do it
Do it when you want to
Oh, I can have you, baby
But I don't know what to do, yeah
Sometime, baby
Nothin' I could do
On the balance of a crystal
Payin' through the nose
And when they couldn't resist you
I thought you'd go with the flow
And now your stage is empty, bring down the curtain, baby please
Fold up your show
Hadn't planned to
Could not stand to fry in it
Hadn't planned it
I over-ran it (fryin')
For your life
For your life
The song "For Your Life" by Led Zeppelin is a metaphorical account of a protagonist's struggle to resist worldly temptations and emotional vulnerabilities, as he warns himself not to indulge in them, even if they seem appealing. The opening lines "You said I was the only / With my lemon in your hand" suggests that the singer was flattered by the attention he received, but was also cautious of the ulterior motives of the other person. The following lines "Exhibition is your habit / Emotion second hand" highlights that their tempting gestures were a habitual act, devoid of genuine emotions.
The singer knows that it is better to pull away early and save himself from the dangers of overindulging. The lines "Had to pull away to save me / Maybe next time around" suggest that the singer chose to put his well-being first, even if it meant missing out on an opportunity. The line "And she said, don't you want to?" highlights the other person's attempts to lure the singer into the act, but the singer firmly states that he did not plan on indulging in it.
The chorus of the song tells us that the singer acknowledges the lure of the worldly pleasures, but advises caution in approaching them. He wisely advises, "When you blow it, babe / You got to blow it right / When you fake it, mama / Please fake it right (for yourself babe)." These lines suggest that if one is to indulge, it should be done with caution and authenticity, and not just for the sake of doing it.
Line by Line Meaning
You said I was the only
The person speaking was assured that they were the only one in the other person's life.
With my lemon in your hand
The other person is holding fruit and being sexually suggestive.
Exhibition is your habit
The other person is prone to being sexually explicit.
Emotion second hand
The other person isn't sincere in their feelings and is only going through the motions.
Had to pull away to save me
The artist had to remove themselves to escape a potentially dangerous situation.
Maybe next time around
The singer suggests that they could give the situation another try in the future.
And she said, don't you want to?
The other person asks if the singer is interested in doing something sexual.
Don't you want to cook it, cook it, cook it?
The other person uses suggestive language to try and convince the artist to engage in sexual activity.
Hadn't planned to, could not stand to try it, fry it, na na na yeah
The artist had no intention of participating in sexual activity and found the other person's advances unappealing.
Ooh, heard a cry for mercy
The artist heard someone in distress and is empathizing with their suffering.
In the city of the damned
The singer refers to a place of evil or despair.
In the pits you go no lower
Things can't get much worse than the lowest point in someone's life.
The next stop's underground
Death is the next stage in life.
Wine and roses ain't quite over
Even though there are good things in life, there is still suffering present.
Fate deals a losing hand
The singer believes that they have had bad luck in life.
And I said, didn't mean to, did not mean to fail
The artist didn't intentionally cause harm or fail.
You didn't plan it, you over-ran it
The other person's situation got out of hand and they were unable to control it.
You want to do it, you want to
The other person asks the singer if they want to engage in sexual activity.
You want to do it when you want to
The other person suggests that the singer should be in control of the situation.
When you blow it, babe
If the artist makes a mistake, they need to do so in a convincing manner.
You got to blow it right
If the artist is going to lie, they need to do so in a convincing manner.
Oh baby, if you fake it, mama
If the artist is going to lie, they need to do so convincingly.
Baby, fake with all your might
If the singer is going to lie, they need to be fully committed to the lie.
When you fake it, mama
If the artist is going to lie, they need to do so in a convincing manner.
Please fake it right (for yourself babe)
If the singer is going to lie, they need to do so convincingly for their own benefit.
When you fake it baby
If the singer is going to lie, they need to do so convincingly.
You're fakin' it for your life, for your life
If the singer is going to lie, they need to do so convincingly or it could have serious, negative repercussions for them.
For your life, for your life
If the artist is going to lie, they need to do so convincingly or they could suffer the consequences.
Do it, do it, do it, do it, do it
The other person is urging the artist to engage in sexual activity.
Do it when you want to
The other person suggests that the singer should be the one in control of the situation.
Oh, I can have you, baby
The other person is confident that they can win the singer over for sex.
But I don't know what to do, yeah
The artist is uncertain of how to proceed in the situation.
Sometime, baby
The artist acknowledges that things don't always go as planned.
Nothin' I could do
The artist is helpless to control the outcome of the situation.
On the balance of a crystal
Based on uncertain or mystical factors.
Payin' through the nose
The artist is complaining about having to pay too much for something.
And when they couldn't resist you
The other person was so alluring that others couldn't help but be drawn to them.
I thought you'd go with the flow
The singer assumed that the other person would naturally fall in line with their plans.
And now your stage is empty, bring down the curtain, baby please
The situation has ended and the singer is requesting it be brought to a close.
Fold up your show
The artist is telling the other person to move on from the situation.
Hadn't planned to
The artist didn't intend for the situation to occur.
Could not stand to fry in it
The singer found the situation uncomfortable and unpleasant.
Hadn't planned it
The singer didn't have an intention for the situation to occur.
I over-ran it (fryin')
The artist took the situation too far or got in over their head.
For your life
The artist urges the other person to commit to anything they do with conviction to avoid negative consequences.
For your life
The artist urges the other person to commit wholeheartedly, to avoid putting their life at risk.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JIMMY PAGE, ROBERT PLANT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
ThisChannelHasNoName
Possibly the best performance of the night, and the least expected.
stonethecrow80
Maybe my least favorite album of my favorite band ever, but this tune fits great their 2007 attitude. They were in great shape that night
heftosprod
Totally agree. Some more esoteric stuff woulda been good. I always want Custard Pie.
not bad for a noob
@PointBlank No, they didn't. But Presence came out in 1976. Duh.
Mickey Flick
Definitely. Like getting clubbed over the head when it starts!
Kyle Elsbernd
agreed
Mystic Land
Great song from great album “Presence”. Such underrated album.
Richard Aldo Vittozzi
Totally agree! One of my favorite albums. Of which EVERY album is a favorite of this Led Zeppelin fan.
Amazing Pineapple
I thinks it's in second place for presence. Achillies Last Stand is one of the best songs ever made
Andrew Grey
I think it's the worst song they ever wrote. I can see why they don't play it lyve ever. They play it great of course, but compared to all their other tunes, this one isn't much.