After the group disbanded in 1988, Fortis and Sakharoff came back to Israel, releasing several albums (some together, some solo) and became main figures in the Israeli rock scene.
Immigrant Song
Minimal Compact Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
From the midnight sun where the hot springs blow.
The hammer of the gods,
Will drive our ships to new lands,
To fight the horde singing and crying:
"Valhalla I am coming!"
On we sweep,
Our only goal will be the western shore.
We come from the land of the ice and snow,
From the midnight sun where the hot springs blow.
How soft your fields so green,
Can whisper tales of gore,
Of how we calmed the tides of war,
We are your overlords.
On we sweep,
With thrashing oar.
Our only goal will be the western shore.
So now you'd better stop
And rebuild all your ruins,
For peace and trust can win the day
Despite of all your losing.
The lyrics of Minimal Compact's "Immigrant Song" express the idea of a group of fearless warriors who invade and conquer distant lands while singing about the anticipation of entering Valhalla. The opening lines of the song set the stage for the journey with the mention of their homeland being the land of the ice and snow, and the midnight sun where the hot springs blow. The metaphorical hammer of gods is presented as driving their ships to new lands. The warriors are ready to fight against the horde, and the repetition of the line "Valhalla, I am coming," projects their eagerness to enter the afterlife.
In the subsequent verses of the song, the warriors' mission is to conquer the western shore, which represents their ultimate goal. The romanticism of the open sea is described with a picturesque image of sweeping ahead with thrashing oars. The lyrics then state that the group has a story of defeating war, which will be whispered by the natives who will become their subjects. In the final verse, a message for peace and trust is delivered, citing that whoever lost must rebuild their ruins.
Overall, "Immigrant Song" is an ode to the Viking heritage that dictates the fearless and relentless approach to colonialism. The song perpetuates this glorification of terror, seemingly legitimizing exploitation and colonization in the name of one's culture or religion.
Line by Line Meaning
We come from the land of the ice and snow
We are from a cold and snowy place
From the midnight sun where the hot springs blow
We come from a place where even though it's dark, there are hot springs
The hammer of the gods, will drive our ships to new lands
We believe that a powerful force is helping us reach new places
To fight the horde, singing and crying: 'Valhalla, I am coming!'
We are ready to fight against our enemies while shouting for victory
On we sweep, with thrashing oar, our only goal will be the western shore
Our team is using great power to move through the water, with the aim of reaching the western shore
How soft your fields so green, can whisper tales of gore
Your peaceful fields hide a history of violence and bloodshed
Of how we calmed the tides of war, we are your overlords
We have the power to stop war and control the situation, making us your rulers
So now you'd better stop, and rebuild all your ruins
It's about time for you to take a break and repair the damage done
For peace and trust can win the day, despite of all your losing
Even if you have lost before, peaceful actions and trust can still lead to success
Writer(s): Robert Plant, James Patrick
Contributed by Charlotte B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Ayelets1
Ah-ah, ah!
Ah-ah, ah!
We come from the land of the ice and snow
From the midnight sun, where the hot springs flow
The hammer of the gods
W'ell drive our ships to new lands
To fight the horde, and sing and cry
Valhalla, I am coming!
On we sweep with threshing oar
Our only goal will be the western shore
Ah-ah, ah!
Ah-ah, ah!
We come from the land of the ice and snow
From the midnight sun where the hot springs flow
How soft your fields so green
Can whisper tales of gore
Of how we calmed the tides of war
We are your overlords
On we sweep with threshing oar
Our only goal will be the western shore
So now you'd better stop and rebuild all your ruins
For peace and trust can win the day despite of all your losing
VomeinsamenMädchen Sophie
One of the best bands...yet so unknown...
EfiKefi
If there's one Led Zeppelin's cover I love even more than the original.... oh yeah!
PAUL LANCASTER
This is fantastic Its my favourite Zep tune ... and thry make it their own! Well Done
Mannchild11
You have to have a real set of balls to even think of attempting to cover this song. Notice how they can't copy that unmistakable scream. Lol. No shame there really. They did it justice with putting their own flavor to it; which is the whole point. Bravo!
Ayelets1
Ah-ah, ah!
Ah-ah, ah!
We come from the land of the ice and snow
From the midnight sun, where the hot springs flow
The hammer of the gods
W'ell drive our ships to new lands
To fight the horde, and sing and cry
Valhalla, I am coming!
On we sweep with threshing oar
Our only goal will be the western shore
Ah-ah, ah!
Ah-ah, ah!
We come from the land of the ice and snow
From the midnight sun where the hot springs flow
How soft your fields so green
Can whisper tales of gore
Of how we calmed the tides of war
We are your overlords
On we sweep with threshing oar
Our only goal will be the western shore
So now you'd better stop and rebuild all your ruins
For peace and trust can win the day despite of all your losing
Not Available
This version just makes me want to hear Immigrant Song done by Laibach!!
StrikeHoldBlog
Amen! The Trent Reznor version was lame.
Gidi Kaufman
Great! Both vesions are good.
Andres Rodriguez Campos
Cuando cover supera original !!!
RCA Connecting
Led Zeppelin cover off the "The Figure One Cuts" album, 1987