Stairway to Heaven
Pickin' On Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

There's a lady who's sure
All that glitters is gold
And she's buying a stairway to heaven.
When she gets there she knows
If the stores are all closed
With a word she can get what she came for.
Ooh ooh and she's buying a stairway to heaven.
There's a sign on the wall
But she wants to be sure
'Cause you know sometimes words have two meanings.
In a tree by the brook
There's a songbird who sings,
Sometimes all of our thoughts are misgiven.
Ooh, it makes me wonder,
Ooh, it makes me wonder.
There's a feeling I get
When I look to the west,
And my spirit is crying for leaving.
In my thoughts I have seen
Rings of smoke through the trees,
And the voices of those who standing looking.
Ooh, it makes me wonder,
Ooh, it really makes me wonder.
And it's whispered that soon, If we all call the tune
Then the piper will lead us to reason.
And a new day will dawn
For those who stand long
And the forests will echo with laughter.
If there's a bustle in your hedgerow,
Don't be alarmed now,
It's just a spring clean for the May queen.
Yes, there are two paths you can go by
But in the long run
There's still time to change the road you're on.
And it makes me wonder.
Your head is humming and it won't go
In case you don't know,
The piper's calling you to join him,
Dear lady, can you hear the wind blow,
And did you know
Your stairway lies on the whispering wind.
And as we wind on down the road
Our shadows taller than our soul.
There walks a lady we all know
Who shines white light and wants to show
How ev'rything still turns to gold.
And if you listen very hard
The tune will come to you at last.
When all are one and one is all




To be a rock and not to roll.
And she's buying a stairway to heaven.

Overall Meaning

The song "Stairway to Heaven" by Led Zeppelin is an iconic rock ballad that evokes deep emotions in the hearts of many. The song speaks of a lady who is seeking to attain heaven by purchasing a stairway. She believes that all that glitters is gold and with a word, she can obtain anything she wants. The song's lyrics suggest that life is a journey with many paths, some leading to success while others lead to failure. It also suggests that there are many distractions along the way, such as drugs, which can cause a person to lose their way.


The song continues by describing a sense of sadness looking towards the west and feeling the desire to leave. The lyrics suggest the presence of smoke in the surrounding trees and the voices of people standing & looking. The singer wonders what it all means and what lies ahead. He hears someone whispering that if we all call the tune, the piper will lead us to reason. He envisions a new day that will dawn for those who stand long, and the forests will echo with laughter. He reassures the listeners that there are two paths that one can follow but one still has time to change the road they're on. The song concludes by emphasizing the power of the whispering wind and the lady buying a stairway to heaven.


Line by Line Meaning

There's a lady who's sure
There is a confident lady


All that glitters is gold
She believes that everything that looks expensive is valuable


And she's buying a stairway to heaven.
She thinks that she can purchase her way to heaven


When she gets there she knows
She thinks that she will reach heaven


If the stores are all closed
If she can't buy her way in


With a word she can get what she came for.
She thinks she can manipulate her way in


Ooh ooh and she's buying a stairway to heaven.
Reinforces her belief in buying a way into heaven


There's a sign on the wall
There is a warning sign


But she wants to be sure
She wants to be certain


'Cause you know sometimes words have two meanings.
She thinks people can have double standards


In a tree by the brook
A tree near a stream


There's a songbird who sings,
The bird sings


Sometimes all of our thoughts are misgiven.
Our thoughts can be misguided


Ooh, it makes me wonder,
The situation intrigues me


Ooh, it makes me wonder.
The situation continues to intrigue me


There's a feeling I get
A sense of emotion


When I look to the west,
Looking towards the west


And my spirit is crying for leaving.
I feel an urge to leave


In my thoughts I have seen
In my imagination


Rings of smoke through the trees,
Smoke circles through the trees


And the voices of those who standing looking.
Voices of people looking at me


Ooh, it makes me wonder,
The situation intrigues me


Ooh, it really makes me wonder.
The situation truly intrigues me


And it's whispered that soon, If we all call the tune
There is a rumor that if we unify


Then the piper will lead us to reason.
The leader will guide us towards a reasonable decision


And a new day will dawn
A new beginning


For those who stand long
For those who have patiently waited


And the forests will echo with laughter.
A happy response to a positive outcome


If there's a bustle in your hedgerow,
If there's a commotion in your surroundings


Don't be alarmed now,
Don't panic


It's just a spring clean for the May queen.
The queen's springtime cleaning


Yes, there are two paths you can go by
People have two options


But in the long run
Consider the future


There's still time to change the road you're on.
It's possible to change direction


And it makes me wonder.
The situation continues to intrigue me


Your head is humming and it won't go
Your mind is restless


In case you don't know,
In case you haven't realized


The piper's calling you to join him,
The leader is inviting you to follow


Dear lady, can you hear the wind blow,
The wind is making a sound


And did you know
Were you aware


Your stairway lies on the whispering wind.
Your path is in the faint sound of the wind


And as we wind on down the road
As we journey further


Our shadows taller than our soul.
Our shadows are more prominent than our souls


There walks a lady we all know
There is a well-known lady


Who shines white light and wants to show
This lady radiates positive energy and aims to demonstrate


How ev'rything still turns to gold.
How everything still has value


And if you listen very hard
If you concentrate intently


The tune will come to you at last.
You will finally understand


When all are one and one is all
Unity is important


To be a rock and not to roll.
Be steadfast and dependable


And she's buying a stairway to heaven.
And she still believes that she can purchase a place in heaven




Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JIMMY PAGE, ROBERT PLANT

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found

More Versions