What is the meaning of the Led Zep song "Stairway to Heaven"?

Two paths...


Words have two meanings...


Sometimes all of our thoughts are misgiven...


To be a rock and not to roll...


What is Robert Plant trying to tell us?

What is the meaning of the Led Zep song "Stairway to Heaven"?
Apparently, he was talking about the accumulation of material wealth, and the emptiness that often accompanies wealth. That you can't buy your way into heaven, and wealth doesn't always equal happiness. It was said that Plant didn't particularly like this song, and his favorite was Kashmir.
Reply:The hidden message in the song is to stay off of drugs or you'll be buying a stairway to heaven.
Reply:Does it really make a difference? It's one of the best songs of all time, and it should just be left at that.
Reply:I think you're just OVER-ANNALIZING the whole song. It IS a really wonderful song, but I DON'T think there is any REAL meaning behind the LYRICS, besides just suiting the mood of the music well.





Even the BAND really DIDN'T have any REAL purpose behind MOST thier music. With the exception of a FEW cases, like "All My Love", written for Robert Plant's son, Karac, who died of a rare stomach infection at the age of 5; They USUALLY just TINKERED-AROUND with the different instruments %26amp; techniques %26amp; whatever, %26amp; wrote down WHATEVER came to mind at the time. USUALLY, it had a very ACCESSABLE %26amp; FREE-FORM direction, involving just typical POP-STYLE songwriting OR just a bunch of RANDOM poetic-sounding lines that MAY or MAY NOT have really gone with each other, but sounded cool in a SONG.





"Stairway To Heaven" has been one of the STRONGEST subjects for years of such debate; SOME arguers even suggesting that the song's unusual lyrics may have actually been composed of a seires of "Subliminal Satanic Messages", that can be REVEALED when the record is played BACKWARDS (which is GREATLY regarded as complete BULLSHIT now, as the theory was TOTALLY debunked in the '80's after a SERIOUS scientific study FUNDED in part by the GOVERNMENT!)





Led Zeppelin ITSELF has ALSO been the topic of SEVERAL "Symbolic Suspicions" over the decades, %26amp; the SAME questioning was ALSO directed towards some of thier ALBUM ARTWORK.





ONE of the MOST notable "Suspicious Symbolisms", was the strange PILLAR-LIKE FIGURINE in the middle of the table that the family on the COVER were all admiring, featured on the cover of thier '76 album, 'Presence'.





When asked about the MEANING behind the particular COVER, Robert Plant notably responded: "It means WHATEVER you WANT it to mean; That's the BEAUTY of ART, man; It's ALWAYS open to interpretation."





A SIMILAR responce was given by Jimmy Page when HE was asked about the meaning of the "Four Symbols" used on the 'Led Zeppelin IV' ALBUM JACKET.





While the FIRST 3 were allegedly taken from a book of Peagan Spells that Page had had in his PERSONAL collection, the 4TH ONE, (That MANY viewers often read as the word: "Zoso"), was one of Page's OWN design.





According to Page: "The "Feather" one--(Robert's)--represents Peace %26amp; Tranquility; The one with the 3 Circles--(Bonzo's)--represents Unity; %26amp; the 3RD one--(John Paul's)--represents Inner-Strength %26amp; Self-Esteem. MINE, however--(The one everybody likes to call: "ZOSO")--is just some interesting DESIGN I made-up one night %26amp; thought it looked cool along-side the OTHERS. Really NOTHING "Symbolic" about it; Just something I thought might provoke THOUGHT %26amp; MAYBE attract different listeners to JOIN us in this Wonderful World that is ART, ya'know; The whole "FREEDOM OF IMAGINATION" thing: "I have MY ideas, %26amp; You have YOURS"; THAT'S what ART'S all about, ya'know. I think THAT should be what "Zoso" represents, if it MUST have any specific meaning..."