Going To California - Led Zeppelin

Artist: Led Zeppelin
Song: Going To California
Year: 1971
Album: Led Zeppelin IV

When a years long relationship ended for reasons that I didn't agree with, I immediately thought of this song and it became my new mantra.

Lyrics:
Spent my days with a woman unkind
Smoked my stuff and drank all my wine.
Made up my mind to make a new start
Going To California with an aching in my heart.
Someone told me there's a girl out there
With love in her eyes and flowers in her hair.
Took my chances on a big jet plane
Never let them tell you that they're all the same.
The sea was red and the sky was grey
Wondered how tomorrow could ever follow today.
The mountains and the canyons started to tremble and shake
As the children of the sun began to awake.

Seems that the wrath of the Gods
Got a punch on the nose and it started to flow;
I think I might be sinking.
Throw me a line if I reach it in time
I'll meet you up there where the path
Runs straight and high.

To find a queen without a king,
They say she plays guitar and cries and sings... la la la
Ride a white mare in the footsteps of dawn
Tryin' to find a woman who's never, never, never been born.
Standing on a hill in my mountain of dreams,
Telling myself it's not as hard, hard, hard as it seems.

Four Sticks - Led Zeppelin

Artist: Led Zeppelin
Song: Four Sticks
Year: 1971
Album: Led Zeppelin IV

John Bonham was frustrated with the sound of the drums on this song, so he grabbed a second pair of drumsticks and recorded a take using "four sticks". The take was perfect and was the one used on the song.

Lyrics:
Oh, baby, it's cryin' time, oh, baby, I've got to fly
Got to try to find a way, got to try to get away
'cause you know, I gotta get away from you, babe

Oh, baby, the river's red, aw, baby, in my head
There's a funny feeling goin' on
I don't think I can hold out long

And when the owls cry in the night
Oh, baby, baby, when the pines begin to cry
Baby, baby, baby, how do you feel
If the rivers run dry, baby, how would you feel

Craze, baby, mm, the rainbow's end
Hoo, baby, it's just a den for those who hide
a-hide their loves to depths of lies
and ruined dreams that we all knew so, babe

And when the owls cry in the night
And, baby, when the pines begin to cry
Oh, baby, baby, how do you feel
If the rivers run dry, baby, how will you feel

Ah-ahh, ah-ah-ahh-ay
Ahh-ahh-ahh, ah-ah, ah-ah
Ahh-ah-ah-ahh, ah-ah, ah-ah, ah
Baby, how do you feel

Oh, yeah, brave I endure
Woo, yeah, strong shields and lore
N-they can't hold the wrath of those who walk
in the boots of those who march
baby, through the roads of time so long ago

Ooh-ooh-ooh, yeah, ooh-ooh-oooh, ooh-ooh-oooh-ooh-ooh, yeah
Ah-ah-ah-ha-ah-haa, ah-ah-ah-ah-ahh, ah-ha-ah-ay
Ah-he-ah-haa, ay-ay-ayy-e-ay-ah
Ooh-ooh, hoo-ooh, ooh-ooh, hoo-ooh, oooh-ahh
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh

Ten Years Gone - Led Zeppelin

Artist: Led Zeppelin
Song: Ten Years Gone
Year: 1975
Album: Physical Graffiti

This song was originally intended to be an instrumental, but Robert Plant added lyrics about a girlfriend that made him choose between her and his music, ten years earlier. Some say this is just a variation on an unreleased song called "Swan Song", and is not a separate song.

Most of the songs on this album run together for me. Probably because this album is very hard to digest at once and the songs are of great length. The songs sound all in a similar vein to me, but that is just my opinion. I know the songs well, but if I am listening to the songs in the background, I can tell it's only from this album until I put my concentration on the particular song.

I was finally able to see this song performed live, when I saw Jimmy Page play with the Black Crowes. It was spectacular to see it performed live. The Black Crowes did an amazing job playing along side Jimmy Page. I say Page tour with Robert Plant and they left this song off the set list.

I never got to see Led Zeppelin tour. I can see video of it, but it's just not the same. To experience the full brunt of Zeppelin's force, you must see them live. Sadly, this will never be. It came close in recent years with Jason Bonham filling in for his father, but without Robert Plant touring, it will just be another pale comparison.

Lyrics:
Then, as it was, then again it will be
and though the course may change sometimes
rivers always reach the sea

Blind skies of fortune, each have separate ways
On the wings of maybe, downing birds of prey
Kinda makes me feel sometimes, didn't have to go
but as the eagle leaves the nest, he's got so far to go

Changes fill my time
Baby, that's alright with me
In the midst, I think of you and how it used to be

Did you ever really need somebody and really need 'em bad
Did you ever really want somebody, the best love you ever had
Do you ever remember me, baby, did it feel so good
'cause it was just the first time, and you knew you would

Do the eyes not sparkle, senses growing keen
Taste the love along the way, see your feathers preen
Kinda makes me feel sometimes, didn't have to go
We are eagles of one lair, the nest is in our soul

Vixen in my dreams, with great surprise to me
Never thought I'd see your face the way it used to be
Oh, darlin', oh, darlin', oh, oh darlin', hey-yeah, oh darlin'
I'm never gonna leave ya
Ten years gone, holdin' on, ten years gone
I'm never gonna leave ya
Ten years gone, holdin' on, ten years gone
Ten years gone, holdin' on, ten years gone
Ten years gone, holdin' on, yeah, yeah
I said
Ten years gone, holdin' on, ten years gone
I said, I'm never, I'm never, I'm never, oh, woo, yeah, yeah

Traveling Riverside Blues - Led Zeppelin

Artist: Led Zeppelin
Song: Traveling Riverside Blues
Year: 1990
Album: Led Zeppelin Box Set

The Led Zeppelin box set was the absolute best gift I can remember receiving on Christmas day 1990. I was beginning an obsession with Led Zeppelin. I had purchased cassettes of Led Zeppelin IV and Houses Of The Holy during my last week of eighth grade, earlier in the year.

I'm not exactly sure how I caught the Led Zeppelin bug, but when I was hooked, I was hooked for life. I'm sure it had to do with a mixture of WCKG (a local classic rock station at the time), the bow playing of Jimmy Page, Christian television propaganda and the music.

I guess I should offer an explanation about the Christian television propaganda. I'm not a churchgoer. That's fine for people who are, but it's just not for me. There used to be a television show on the Christian stations about the evils of rock n' roll music. They would feature videos of mostly hard rock bands. The show would show this seemingly harmless clip and post the lyrics. Then they would show the same clip backwards and interpret what lyrics supposedly said.

I found the show absolutely hilarious. Led Zeppelin's song was "Stairway To Heaven" on the show. I always found it funny that the show used the live version of "Stairway To Heaven" to illustrate its point instead of the studio version.

Anyway, when I heard that Led Zeppelin was coming out with a box set, I immediately started saving money and also put the set on my wishlist. I didn't get it for my birthday, but Christmas turned out to be the jackpot.

I was waiting to hear the two new tracks. "Traveling Riverside Blues" was one and a mash-up of two of John Bonham's drum solo songs was the other. Unbeknownst to me at the time, "Traveling Riverside Blues" was a song by Robert Johnson. The King of the Delta Blues and the musician who supposedly sold his soul to the devil originally played this.

I played this over and over again. I think I wore out my cassette copy. Years later, I would purchase a used copy of the CD version of this set. This song has been a mainstay in my musical rotation ever since its release.

Lyrics:
Hey, that's right
Asked sweet mama, "Let me a-be your kid"
She said-a, "You might get hurt if'n a-you don't a-keep it hid"
Well, uh-huh, I know my baby if I see her in the dark
I said, I know my rider if I see her in the dark

Now, I'm goin' to Rosedale, take my rider by my side
Still barrelhouse 'cause it's on the riverside, yeah
I know my baby, lord, I said-a, beware, there's something wrong
I know my mama, lord, a brown-skin but she ain't no plum, ah-ha

See my baby, tell her, tell her, "Hurry home"
Had no lovin' since my baby geen bone (sic), yeah
See my baby, tell her, "Hurry on home"
I ain't had, no, my right mind since my rider's been gone

Hey, promises-a she's my rider
I wanna tell you, she's my rider
Blow your mind, she's my rider
She ain't but sixteen, but she's my rider

I'm goin' to Rosedale, take my rider by my side
Anybody argue with me, man, I'll keep them satisfied
Well, I see my baby, tell her, tell her the shape I'm in
Ain't had no lovin', lord, since you-know-when
Aww, yeah, my, my, my, my
Ah, why don't you come in my kitchen

My kindhearted baby, ya studies evil all the time
She's a kindhearted woman-a, studies evil all the time

Squeeze my lemon 'till the juice runs down my leg-a
Squeeze it so hard, I'll fall right outta bed
Will you squeeze my lemon 'till the juice runs down my leg
I wonder if you know what I'm talkin' about
Ah, well, the way that you squeeze it, girl-a
I swear, I'm gonna fall right outta bed

Aw, she's a good rider, hey-yeah
She's my kindhearted baby
I wanna take my rider by my side, yeah
I said, her front teeth are lined with gold
She got a mortgage on my body, got a lien on my soul
She's my brown-skinned sugar-plum
She makes me