The Battle of Evermore
SHEL Lyrics


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The Queen of Light took her bow, and then she turned to go
The Prince of Peace erased the gloom, and walked the night alone
Oh, dance in the dark of night
Sing to the morning light
The Dark Lord rides in force? tonight, and time will tell us all
Oh, through down your plough in awe
???
Side by side, break the night of the darkest of them all

I hear the horses thunder down in the valley below
I'm waiting for the angels of Avalon
Waiting for the Eastern glow

The apples of the valley hold the seeds of happiness
The ground is rich from tender care
Repay, do not forget
Oh, dance in the dark of night
Sing to the morning light
The apples turn to brown and black, the tyrant's face is red
Oh, war is a coming cry
Pick up your swords and fly
The sky is filled with good and bad that mortals never know

Oh well, the night is long
The beads of time pass slow
Tight eyes on the sunrise, waiting for the Eastern glow

The king of war cannot exceed the woe of aftermath
The drums will shake castle walls
And new raids riding back
Ride on
Oh, see in the range of all, shoot straighter than before

Comfort has the fire at night, it lights the face so cold
Dance in the dark of night
Sing to the morning light
Magic??? of??? gold to bring the balance back
Bring it back

At last the sun is shining
Clouds of blue roll by
With flames from the dragon of darkness,
Sunlight blinds his eyes

Bring it back
Bring it back
Bring it back
Bring it back
Oh, dance in the dark of night





The Queen of Light took her bow
And then she turned to go

Overall Meaning

The Battle Of Evermore by SHEL is a folk rock song that tells a mythical story of a war between good and evil. The lyrics are open to many interpretations but one of the most popular interpretations is that it is about the classic struggle between light and darkness, and the hope that light will ultimately triumph. The opening lines describe the departure of the Queen of Light and the Prince of Peace, who are possibly divine figures. The lyrics then go on to describe the battle between the "Dark Lord" and the army of good, who are trying to "bring the balance back".


The lyrics are filled with imagery and metaphors, which create a sense of mysticism and fantasy. The song is underscored by a haunting melody, which perfectly captures the sombre mood of the story. The chorus is an invitation to dance and to sing, despite the darkness that surrounds them. The final lines of the song describe the return of the Queen of Light, bringing an end to the war and the darkness that had enveloped the land.


Line by Line Meaning

The Queen of Light took her bow, and then she turned to go
The personification of light has moved on from the situation


The Prince of Peace erased the gloom, and walked the night alone
The bringer of peace fixed the sadness and walked out of it by himself


Oh, dance in the dark of night
Take action even when everything is gloomy


Sing to the morning light
Show the world your happiness and good intentions even amidst difficult times


The Dark Lord rides in force? tonight, and time will tell us all
A difficult situation is coming, and only time will be able to tell what's gonna happen


Oh, through down your plough in awe
Stop what you're doing and be amazed


???
No meaning was provided as there were question marks in the original line


Side by side, break the night of the darkest of them all
Join forces with someone and face the most difficult challenge head-on


I hear the horses thunder down in the valley below
An event is about to happen, and it's clearly audible


I'm waiting for the angels of Avalon
I'm anticipating a great event or help from a divine power


Waiting for the Eastern glow
Waiting for the sun to rise, signaling the start of a new day


The apples of the valley hold the seeds of happiness
Valleys are a source of joy and positive energy


The ground is rich from tender care
Fertile grounds come from a gentle touch or care


Repay, do not forget
Don't forget to reciprocate kindness shown to you


The apples turn to brown and black, the tyrant's face is red
Good things have turned bad, and a 'tyrant' or cruel authority figure may be to blame


Oh, war is a coming cry
People are starting to prepare for an impending war


Pick up your swords and fly
Get ready to fight for what you believe in and don't hesitate to take action


The sky is filled with good and bad that mortals never know
The world is full of both good and bad things that are beyond human understanding


Oh well, the night is long
The present situation will take a long time to get through


The beads of time pass slow
Time seems to crawl by when things are tough


Tight eyes on the sunrise, waiting for the Eastern glow
Staring intently at the beginning of a new day with hope and anticipation


The king of war cannot exceed the woe of aftermath
The misery and destruction of war will always be greater than its cause


The drums will shake castle walls
A warlike force is coming that will impact all levels of society, even the highest hierarchy


And new raids riding back
New attacks are returning after the people had thought the danger had passed


Ride on
Move forward with courage


Oh, see in the range of all, shoot straighter than before
Be sharper and more accurate in assessing a situation to avoid making the same mistakes


Comfort has the fire at night, it lights the face so cold
The warmth of a fire can bring comfort even in the coldest and hardest of circumstances


Magic??? of??? gold to bring the balance back
No meaning was provided as there were question marks in the original line


Bring it back
Restore what was lost or broken


At last the sun is shining
Finally, after a long time, things are looking up


Clouds of blue roll by
The dark thoughts and doubts are disappearing


With flames from the dragon of darkness,
A source of evil or danger is present


Sunlight blinds his eyes
The good and beneficial force is overwhelming the danger, making it powerless


Bring it back
Restore what was lost or broken


Bring it back
Restore what was lost or broken


Bring it back
Restore what was lost or broken


Bring it back
Restore what was lost or broken


Oh, dance in the dark of night
Even after the darkness, it's possible to find joy and dance in life




Writer(s): PAGE JAMES PATRICK, PLANT R A

Contributed by Luke I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Comments from YouTube:

@mtnbiker78

As a huge Zeppelin fan, I hate it when others do covers of their songs because they 98% of the time ruin it.
But this? HOLY MOLY! This was great! You girls are seriously bonkers crazy talented!
NEW FAN!

@lekkertarty

Ditto

@TonyPrinceTD777

Not only did you girls "nail it" but you added your awesome talent & energy that only SHEL can! thank you for "taking us there"

@retroaktivsynthesizers5075

Normally I hate when people cover this stuff. You on the other hand, elevated this. Thank you.

@RandyXB9R

I was in my teens when this song came out; another incredible ballad of our times that we took as our own. I have to say now, that the thousands of times I've listened to this song, never have I been moved to tears by it. The flood gates broke when you transitioned into the " Bring it Back! " chorus. I'm sure the reasons for this were complex, quite complex actually. It's not been an easy life and many of us from that generation that have lived this long are deeply missing those magical times of our youth, of how cultures lived then and the cheapness of life today.

You all bring back that richness we need in these times along with the memories that were lost in the noise of "civilization". The fact that you triumph as a musical group of strong young women is also not lost on the audience. Your voices are real and strong. Your instruments take life in your hands. Bravo!

Thank you so very much, from all of us who know and appreciate brilliant music with emotions, sung from the heart.

@jhardycarroll

Saw them do this live a few years ago and it totally blew my mind. SHEL is the kind of band that makes me love music. Every one of them is massively great, and they have so much fun on stage it's just contagious. Bravo.

@FlatlandMando

Beautiful dynamic range on this piece, from rocking it out, jumping & pounding to delicate passages

@robzamites3441

Outstanding cover of a timeless and beautiful classic.

@TaijDevon

Not a Led Zepplin fan so I thought this was actually better. Who cares, we both like it in the end.

@Raed911

THE testimony Zeppelin will never be touched by anyone... evidence is here ladies and gentlemen that even a cover chills your spine like nobody's business. Epic work girls!!!

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