Blog Post Week 9 - Stairway to Heaven by Led Zeppelin

For the majority of songs, after we listen to them they fade way without having any impact. On the other hand, there are the rare and exquisite songs that transcend the shallow label of music and achieve a poetic status and endure our hearts. For me, this song is unequivocally the latter. Simply put, the woman at the beginning is an allegory of the avaricious and arrogant society of people who believe that everything, including a "stairway to heaven" can be acquired with money alone. I feel that this allegory demands that we give credence to veering off the trodden path, and realize that our lives and actions are worth more than the monetary value our society puts upon them. The opening verse demands resolutely that we are worth more than the materialism of contemporary society says that we are. The next verse states "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." I feel that this verse refers to the wild west, or symbolically of adventure and wonderment beyond the lives we lead. I feel that it refers to the afterlife, if there is one. I believe that "the voices of those who stand looking" is a reference to the souls of those he loves who are imploring him to venture on a spiritual path of enlightenment. The music was also absolutely ethereal throughout. I feeling like I'm tip toeing through a brumous woodland where spirits and souls of the dead traipse aimlessly. I absolutely recommend that everyone listen to this song and ruminate upon what the words mean for your life. The words are beautifully versatile in that they can convey a different message to each person. They could impact your life as they have mine.