Poem Interpretation

"Stairway To Heaven"
Robert Plant

There's a lady who's sure all that glitters is gold
And she's buying the 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 the 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 stand 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 everything 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 the stairway to heaven.

1. Dramatic Situation: The speaker is a male, and he is talking to a lady. The location of this person is irrelevant. It is simply telling s story of a girl..


2. Structure: This poem rhymes. Listening to this poem as a song helps understand the structure better. This song slowly builds throughout. This poem is structured so beautifully, and it has to be heard with the melody to get the full effect. There is repetition in this poem. "Ooh, it makes me wonder."


3. Theme: "My hand was writing out the words, 'There's a lady is sure , all that glitters is gold, and she's buying a stairway to heaven'. I just sat there and looked at them and almost leapt out of my seat." Plant's own explanation of the lyrics was that it "was some cynical aside about a woman getting everything she wanted all the time without giving back any thought or consideration. The first line begins with that cynical sweep of the hand ... and it softened up after that."
-Plant

Happiness will come if you take the right path.. "And there's still time to change the road you're on..."

4. Grammar and Meaning: "Your stairway lies on the whispering wind."  This line is amazing! Every line in this song has a purpose and this particular line is so moving and gives the real imagery that Robert Plant intended for this song. The Stairway to Heaven itself symbolizes the road to happiness, good fortune, etc.

5. There are a lot of figurative uses of language: "Our shadows taller than our soul." Then there is use of literal language as well: "When all are one and one is all".

6. Important words: "glitters is gold", "smoke through the trees" "The piper's calling you to join him"

7. Tone: The tone actually changes from the beginning to the end of the poem. As the music builds, the same words begin to take on a new meaning. The character in this poem is starting to figure out what happiness really is, and the change in tone expresses this.

8. Literary Techniques: diction/syntax, figurative language, imagery, metaphor, repetition, narrator point of view, "the forests will echo with laughter" <--- major personification! 

9. Procedy: The song flows and gradually builds into a rhythm that is wells structured.