During the recording of "For Your Life" at Musicland Studios, Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant was convalescing from a car accident which he had sustained in Greece the previous year, and he delivered his vocal performance from a wheelchair. The song's vocals are notable in part because of the snorting sound heard around 5:30.
Jimmy Page used his 1962 Lake Placid blue Fender Stratocaster for the first time on this track, which was supplied to him by Gene Parsons. Evidence of its usage is clearly present as Page executes numerous "dive bombs" on the instrument's tremolo arm. He would later use it with his band The Firm.
In an interview he gave to rock journalist Cameron Crowe, Page commented on the spontaneous nature of the song's construction, saying that it "was made up in the studio, right on the spot".
The lyrics, written by Robert Plant, express his discontent with the rock lifestyle. Plant has also indicated that one part of the song also had to do with a friend of his who got sucked into the Los Angeles drug scene, to whom he wags a finger and says "watch it."
This song was never performed live by the band at Led Zeppelin concerts until their reunion show on December 10, 2007 at The O2 in London.
For Your Life
Led Zeppelin Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
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 lyrics of Led Zeppelin's For Your Life describe a turbulent and tumultuous relationship that has ended with the singer walking away to save himself. The opening lines suggest that the woman in the song is using him for her own exhibitionist tendencies - "Exhibition is your habit, emotion second hand." Despite realizing that the relationship is toxic, the singer is tempted to continue, as seen in the lyric "Don't you want to cook it, cook it, cook it?" But ultimately, he decides to end the relationship before he is destroyed, saying "Had to pull away to save me, maybe next time around."
The second verse tells a similar story. The singer hears a "cry for mercy" in the "city of the damned" and realizes that he cannot sink any lower. The woman he is with, however, is still enticed by the "wine and roses" of their relationship even though fate has dealt them a "losing hand." The singer, on the other hand, does not want to continue "faking it" and risking his life.
Overall, the lyrics of For Your Life explore the themes of toxic relationships, addiction, and the need to choose self-preservation over destructive passions.
Line by Line Meaning
You said I was the only
You claimed that I was the only person for you
With my lemon in your hand
You used to hold my hand and my heart with the same ease as you hold a lemon
Exhibition is your habit
You are used to displaying your emotions to everyone, even if they are not genuine
Emotion second hand
Your emotions seem to be borrowed, not genuine
Had to pull away to save me
I had to leave you for my own good
Maybe next time around
Maybe in the future we could try again
And she said, don't you want to?
You asked me if I wanted to come back to you
Don't you want to cook it, cook it, cook it?
Don’t you want to make things better between us?
Hadn't planned to, could not stand to try it, fry it, na na na yeah
I did not plan on getting back with you and I did not want to take the risk
Ooh, heard a cry for mercy
I heard someone asking for help
In the city of the damned
It was in a place where no one could blame them for feeling hopeless
Oh oh babe, damned
Oh, baby it was a terrible situation
In the pits you go no lower
Things could not have been worse for them
The next stop's underground
Things are only going to get worse from here
Wine and roses ain't quite over
There has been some happiness but it won't last
Fate deals a losing hand
Life has not been kind
And I said, didn't mean to, did not mean to fail
I did not intend to mess things up
You didn't plan it, you over-ran it
You did not have control and things got out of hand
You want to do it, you want to
You desire to get your way
You want to do it when you want to
You want to control the situation
When you blow it, babe
When things go wrong
You got to blow it right
You have to handle it with care to make sure everything works out in the end
Oh baby, if you fake it, mama
If you pretend
Baby, fake with all your might
You have to put a lot of effort in to make the deception work
When you fake it, mama
When you pretend
Please fake it right (for yourself babe)
You have to pretend well for your own benefit
When you fake it baby
When you pretend
You're fakin' it for your life, for your life
You pretend to survive because you are desperate to keep going with life
Do it, do it, do it, do it, do it
Just do it
Do it when you want to
Do it when you are ready
Oh, I can have you, baby
I could have you
But I don't know what to do, yeah
But I am not sure what to do anymore due to the circumstances
Sometime, baby
Sometimes things do not happen as planned
Nothin' I could do
I am powerless to change things
On the balance of a crystal
The outcome of the situation is unclear
Payin' through the nose
I am paying too much for something
And when they couldn't resist you
When people could not resist your charm
I thought you'd go with the flow
I thought you would be easygoing
And now your stage is empty, bring down the curtain, baby please
Your time in the spotlight is over, it is time to move on
Fold up your show
Leave it behind
Hadn't planned to
I did not plan on it
Could not stand to fry in it
I did not want to deal with the consequences
Hadn't planned it
I did not intend on it
I over-ran it (fryin')
I lost control of the situation
For your life
This all happened for survival
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JIMMY PAGE, ROBERT PLANT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Debmeow
on No Quarter
Brilliant, a masterpiece.
robin
on Immigrant Song
i love this
Marie Fenouilliére
on Stairway to Heaven
j'adoreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee