D'yer Mak'er
Led Zeppelin Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Oh oh oh oh oh oh,
You don't have to go, oh oh oh oh oh
You don't have to go, oh oh oh oh oh
You don't have to go

Ay ay ay ay ay ay
All those tears I cry, ay ay ay ay
All those tears I cry, oh oh ah ay
Baby please don't go

When I read the letter you wrote me, it made me mad mad mad
When I read the news that it told me, it made me sad sad sad
But I still love you so
I can't let you go
I love you
Oh, baby I love you

Oh oh oh oh oh oh
Every breath I take, oh oh oh oh
Oh, every move I make
Oh, baby please don't go

Ay ay ay ay ay ay
You hurt me to my soul, oh oh oh oh
You hurt me to my soul oh, oh
Darling please don't go

When I read the letter you sent me, it made me mad mad mad
When I read the news that it brought me, it made me sad sad sad
But I still love you so
And I can't let you go
I love you
Oh, baby I love you, oh

Oh oh oh oh oh oh
You don't have to go, oh oh oh oh
You don't have to go, oh oh oh oh
Oh, baby
Babe, please, please, please, please




Oh oh, oh oh, oh oh, baby
Oh oh, oh I really love you, baby

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Led Zeppelin's "D'yer Mak'er" appear to be a plea from a lover to their partner not to leave them. The repetition of "you don't have to go" and "baby please don't go" suggests a desperate attempt to hold onto the relationship. The use of "mad mad mad" and "sad sad sad" to describe the effect of the partner's letter and news on the singer's emotions highlights the intense feelings involved.


The title of the song, "D'yer Mak'er," is a phonetic spelling of "Jamaica" in a dialect of English called Patois. The song is likely a homage to reggae music, which had a strong influence on Led Zeppelin's music.


Interestingly, the lyrics are intentionally misspelled in a way that suggests the singer's heavy regional accent. This was a common technique in early blues and rock music, where slang and non-standard pronunciations were used to create a sense of authenticity and character.


Another notable feature of the song is the use of falsetto vocals by Robert Plant on the lines "oh oh oh oh" and "ay ay ay ay." This adds an emotive quality to the lyrics and reflects the use of similar techniques in many reggae songs.


The song's melody is also heavily influenced by reggae, with a syncopated rhythm, use of offbeat accents, and a bouncing bassline. The guitar solo in the middle of the song also incorporates elements of reggae and features a distinctive wah-wah effect.


Line by Line Meaning

Oh oh oh oh oh oh,
The singer is expressing their deep emotional distress caused by the absence of their loved one.


You don't have to go, oh oh oh oh oh
The singer is begging their loved one not to leave and go away from them.


Ay ay ay ay ay ay
The singer is expressing their pain and sorrow caused by the actions of their loved one.


All those tears I cry, ay ay ay ay
The singer is crying and feeling heartbroken because of their lover's potential departure.


All those tears I cry, oh oh ah ay
The singer is crying and feeling heartbroken because of their lover's potential departure.


Baby please don't go
The singer is pleading with their lover not to leave them.


When I read the letter you wrote me, it made me mad mad mad
The singer is revealing how angry they were when they read their lover's letter.


When I read the news that it told me, it made me sad sad sad
The singer is revealing how sad they were when they heard what the news had to say regarding their relationship.


But I still love you so
The singer still loves their partner despite feeling so upset.


I can't let you go
The singer is not ready to let go of their loved one and is clinging onto the hope that they will stay.


I love you
The singer is expressing their love to their partner and hoping to convince them to stay.


Oh, baby I love you
The singer is expressing their love to their partner and hoping to convince them to stay.


Every breath I take, oh oh oh oh
The singer cannot bear to be away from their loved one and is holding onto every memory and breath of them.


Oh, every move I make
The singer is paranoid and scared of every move made by their partner, feeling they might leave.


You hurt me to my soul, oh oh oh oh
The singer is revealing the pain caused by their partner's actions, which hurts them to their soul.


You hurt me to my soul oh, oh
The singer is revealing the pain caused by their partner's actions, which hurts them to their soul.


Darling please don't go
The singer is addressing their loved one with passion and affection, begging them not to go.


When I read the letter you sent me, it made me mad mad mad
The singer is revealing how angry they were when they read their lover's letter.


When I read the news that it brought me, it made me sad sad sad
The singer is revealing how sad they were when they heard what the news had to say regarding their relationship.


But I still love you so
The singer still loves their partner despite feeling so upset.


And I can't let you go
The singer is not ready to let go of their loved one and is clinging onto the hope that they will stay.


Oh, baby I love you, oh
The singer is expressing their love to their partner and hoping to convince them to stay.


You don't have to go, oh oh oh oh
The singer is pleading with their loved one not to go, indicating that they have a choice.


You don't have to go, oh oh oh oh
The singer is begging their loved one not to leave and go away from them.


Oh, baby
The singer is addressing their loved one with affection and tenderness.


Babe, please, please, please, please
The singer is pleading with their lover to stay, using endearments and begging.


Oh oh, oh oh, oh oh, baby
The singer is expressing their affection and desperation for their lover to stay.


Oh oh, oh I really love you, baby
The singer is expressing their love and hope to hold onto their partner, like they mean everything to them.




Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: John Paul Jones, John Bonham, Robert Anthony Plant, James Patrick Page

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@LedZeppelinGold

D'yer Mak'er

Oh, oh-oh-oh-oh-oh, you don't have to go-oh, oh-oh-oh-oh
You don't have to go-oh, oh-oh-ah-ah, you don't have to go

I, I-I-I-I-I, all those tears I cry, I-I-I-I
All those tears I cry, oh, oh, uh, I, baby, please don't go

When I read the letter you wrote me, it made me mad, mad, mad
When I read the words that it told me, it made me sad, sad, sad
But I still love you so, I can't let you go
Ah-I love you, ooh, baby, I love ya

Oh, ah-oh-oh-oh-oh, every breath I take, oh-oh-oh-oh
Oh, every move I may-ay-ake, oh, baby, please don't go, oh

I, I-I-I-I-I, ya hurt me to my soul, oh-oh-oh-oh
You hurt me to my soul, oh-oh-oh-ohh-whoa
Darlin', please don't go

When I read the letter you sent me, it made me mad, mad, mad
When I read the news that it brought me
it made me sad, sad, sad
But I still love you so, and I can't let you go
I love you, ooh, a-baby I love ya

Oh, oh-oh-oh-oh-oh, you don't have to go, oh-oh-oh-oh
You don't have to go, oh-oh-oh-oh
Oh, baby, babe, please, please, please, please

Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah, baby, ah-ah, I really love you, baby
Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh, darlin', oh, oh
Oh, baby, I still love ya so, oh, baby, I still love ya so
Oh-oh-oh, ooh, oh-oh-oh-oh-ah-ah, yeah
Fire, ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah, oh, fire, ah-ah-ah-ah-ah
Oooh-ooh-hoo, yeah/Fire
Oh, baby, baby, baby



All comments from YouTube:

@grantfarkas2715

I heard Stairway to Heaven millions of times. D'yer Mak'er is my favorite Led Zeppelin song. The melody is so intoxicating, full of raw emotion.

@passdasalt

This is when I first really appreciated the drums in a song. Absolutely love it.

@zuckfacegobbels4527

~Rip John Henry Bonham~ (31 May 1948 – 25 September 1980) ,Mee Too!

@greggstewart1977

Because there's John Henry Bonham and then there's every OTHER drummer who picked up a pair of sticks 😊😁

@amogusenthusiast5064

@@greggstewart1977 neil peart :(

@greggstewart1977

@@amogusenthusiast5064 he's great but not the same sound sir different styles saw Rush and Zeppelin Moon Carl Palmer there's many great drummers 👍

@TheMcTwist

That rustle bustle style is legendary

2 More Replies...

@user-dh8tb2wz2u

one of my favorite Led Zeppelin songs

@tt-rs1457

Hands down.....

@mariastewart9820

Mine too ! ❤

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