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)
Train Kept a-Rollin
Led Zeppelin Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I met a dame
She was a hipster
Man a real gone dame
She wasn't pretty
For New York City
As we strut down on that ol' fairlane
With a heave and a ho
Get along
Sweet little woman get along
On your way
Get along
Sweet little woman get along
On your way
With a heave and a ho
I just couldn't let her go
The train kept a rollin' all night long
The train kept a rollin' all night long
The train kept a rollin' all night long
The train kept a rollin' all night long
With a heave and a ho
I just couldn't let her go
I made a stop round Albuquerque
She must'a thought I was real gone jerk
Got off the train at El Paso
A' looking so good I couldn't let her go
With a heave and a ho
I just couldn't let her go
The train kept a rollin' all night long
The train kept a rollin' all night long
The train kept a rollin' all night long
The train kept a rollin' all night long
With a heave and a ho
I just couldn't let her go
"Train Kept a-Rollin'" is a classic rock song that was originally written and recorded by Tiny Bradshaw in 1951. However, it was the version by Johnny Burnette and the Rock and Roll Trio in 1956 that inspired the Led Zeppelin version. The Led Zeppelin cover version is more known than the original songs.
The lyrics of "Train Kept a-Rollin'" tell the story of the singer meeting a woman on a train, who he describes as a "real gone dame" and a "hipster." Despite her not being conventionally attractive, he is swept off his feet and can't let her go. The repeated refrain of "the train kept a-rollin' all night long" adds to the sense of momentum and urgency in the song.
The song represents a classic example of the rockabilly style of the 1950s, which blended elements of country, rock and roll, and blues music. The fiery guitar solos from Jimmy Page, as well as the driving rhythm section, are particularly notable features of the Led Zeppelin version.
The song also has a storied history in the rock and roll canon. It's one of the earliest examples of a guitar riff being used as a central hook in a song. Many other bands have covered the song over the years, including Aerosmith, Motorhead, and the Yardbirds (which included Jimmy Page before he formed Led Zeppelin).
Line by Line Meaning
Aboard a train
Boarded a train and started a journey.
I met a dame
Encountered a woman on the train.
She was a hipster
She was a trendy and fashionable person.
Man a real gone dame
A woman who is cool and confident.
She wasn't pretty
She wasn't conventionally attractive.
For New York City
Not attractive based on the standards of New York City.
As we strut down on that ol' fairlane
As we walked confidently down the train aisle.
With a heave and a ho
With effort and determination.
I just couldn't let her go
I couldn't resist her presence and charm.
Get along
Leave.
Sweet little woman get along
A polite way of asking someone to leave.
On your way
Leave promptly.
The train kept a rollin' all night long
The train continued moving without stopping.
I made a stop round Albuquerque
Stopped at a station in Albuquerque during the journey.
She must'a thought I was real gone jerk
She thought I was a strange and unattractive man.
Got off the train at El Paso
Left the train at El Paso station.
A' looking so good I couldn't let her go
She looked so attractive that I couldn't resist her.
Lyrics © CARLIN AMERICA INC, BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: CHRIS DREJA, JAMES PATRICK PAGE, JAMES STANLEY MC CARTY, JEFF BECK, KEITH RELF
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Electric Sailor
"Ladies and Gentlemen, please welcome--THE LED ZEP-A-LIN"--It just gives me chills the way the great Chip Monck introduced artists at all the rock festivals back then. Because in those days, it was thought you couldn't be a band unless you had the article THE in your name. Thus, you had THE Cream, THE Blue Cheer, THE Pink Floyd, THE Jefferson Airplane, THE Iron Butterfly, THE Vanilla Fudge--you get the idea!
Cyber 101
Very interesting! 🧐
b bb
it is British, chip monck is trying to be cool, alas he is NOT cool
Electric Sailor
@b bb It was also very hard to get people out of the habit of calling a band by "THE" something, as if they were a street gang. Eventually they did. I'm surprised he didn't say "The Led Zeppelins" (plural)!
William Money
The jimi Hendrix experience
William Money
@Electric Sailor I can’t imagine calling the doors just doors.
Ned D.
Never understood why they didn't do a studio version of this song.
BenJamin Everett
I thought it was the Yardbird's
Electric Sailor
Aerosmith might have thought twice about releasing their own version of the tune if Zep did it first. There again, Zeppelin had to convince everyone in the early days that they were the NEW Yardbirds, and that they haven't strayed too far from the OLD Yardbirds roots by playing that--and even remaking "For Your Love'
Cyber 101
I've always thought the same!