Released in 1971, Led Zeppelin’s Stairway to Heaven forever changed the landscape of

music. The ambiguity of the lyrics left much of the message up to interpretation, but the overall

theme resonated with the anti-materialistic hippie movement of the time. In the song “Stairway

to Heaven,” Led Zeppelin uses allusions, metaphors, and imagery to suggest that greed often

results in the illusion of a brighter future.

Led Zeppelin uses allusion to suggest that greed often results in the illusion of a brighter

future. Robert Plant sings “There’s a lady who’s sure all that glitters is gold” in line one of

Stairway to Heaven. This is an allusion to 1 Timothy 6:6-10 where the phrase “all that glitters is

not gold” is coined. This is a metaphor meaning the most precious things in life are not

necessarily tangibly valuable. The aforementioned woman values material wealth above all,

painting her as ignorant and avaricious. In the same verse, the duo writes “There’s a sign on the

wall, but she wants to be sure, ‘cause you know sometimes words have two meanings.” This

could be in reference to the Protestant Reformation of the fifteen and sixteen hundreds.

Differences in interpretation of the Holy Book caused a group called the Protestants to split from

the Catholic church. The woman in the song is so shortsighted that she values riches over

righteousness. And because of this, she fails to uphold the 95 Theses, posted upon the door of the

church at Wittenberg (a sign on the wall) by Martin Luther, the leader of the Catholic church at

the time of the Reformationn. Hence, “buying the stairway to heaven.” These biblical allusions

show that, despite her opinion, the woman’s ”gold” will not carry her through to the afterlife, and

that it is more important to be a good person than a wealthy one.

 Led Zeppelin uses metaphors to suggest that greed often results in the illusion of a

brighter future. Page writes “Dear lady, can you hear the wind blow? And did you know the

stairway lies on the whispering wind?” At the time it was written the phrase “whispering wind”

was a metaphor for popular opinion. The woman’s “glittering gold” is only of merit because the

people believe in its worth. Paper money and coinage have no inherent value. But because the

world is so reliant on it- it grows to become something she holds in high esteem and desperately

desires. Led Zeppelin later composes “And as we wind down the road, Shadows taller than our

soul, There walks a lady we all know.” As days come to a close; shadows begin to elongate. The

setting sun is a popular metaphor for one’s life coming to an end. This is further solidified within

the lyrics by the allusion to the Virgin Mary as “the lady we all know.” When the woman walks

the stairway to heaven, her good deeds will be judged. Because of her greed in life- the woman’s

soul did not outshine her shadow and her money would not carry her to salvation as she once

believed it would. These metaphors demonstrate how the woman’s greed has warped her

perspective and soul.

Led Zeppelin uses imagery to suggest that greed often results in the illusion of a brighter

future. In the fifth verse Plant writes “The piper’s calling you to join him.” This utilization of

one’s sense of sound alludes to the serpent in the Garden of Eden. The devil misleads Eve into

consuming the forbidden fruit by promising her knowledge (a brighter future). This condemns all

humankind to an eternity of hurt. The woman in Stairway to Heaven is driven by her desire for

monetary gain, believing her wealth is eternal, this oversight may eventually sentence her to an

eternity in Hell. In the fourth verse, he sings “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.” Plant’s illustration of the paths allows
the listener to consider the woman in a different light, showing that though she is nearing the

end- there is still time for her to change. Her optimism would no longer be misplaced were she to

realize that all that glitters is not gold. She could become a rock that does not roll. Her soul could

outshine her shadow, and she would climb the stairway to heaven rather than attempt to buy it.

These examples of imagery help to create contrasting views from within the song, adding depth

to the attributes of the woman’s convictions.

Throughout the song, a woman is shown to believe that her wealth will carry her through life-

and even into after. Robert Plant and Jimmy Page show that this is untrue, as Led Zeppelin uses

metaphors, allusion, and imagery to suggest that greed often results in the illusion of a brighter

future. This interpretation of the lyrics of Stairway to Heaven is important to consider in today’s

economic, political, and social climate- as the rise of materialism and fall of spirituality (not

particularly Christianity) plague the world, destroying the love that should bind the people

together