Songs Lyrics and YT- Youtube Music Videos: Physical Graffiti

Led Zeppelin Songs - Ten Years Gone Lyrics

Led Zeppelin - Ten Years Gone

Led Zeppelin - Ten Years Gone Lyrics and Youtube Music Videos

Album: Physical Graffiti
Released: 1975

Ten Years Gone Lyrics

Ten Years Gone Song Chart

Robert Plant wrote the lyrics about a girlfriend who made him choose between her and his music 10 years earlier. She got the boot. In an interview with Rolling Stone magazine (March 13, 1975) the interviewer, Cameron Crowe, asked Robert Plant what gambles he had taken. Plant replied: "Let me tell you a little story behind the song 'Ten Years Gone' on our new album. I was working my ass off before joining Zeppelin. A lady I really dearly loved said, 'Right. It's me or your fans.' Not that I had fans, but I said, 'I can't stop, I've got to keep going.' She's quite content these days, I imagine. She's got a washing machine that works by itself and a little sports-car. We wouldn't have anything to say anymore. I could probably relate to her, but she couldn't relate to me. I'd be smiling too much. Ten years gone, I'm afraid. Anyway, there's a gamble for you."

Jimmy Page used some 14 guitar tracks to overdub the harmony section on this piece, which was originally intended to be an instrumental number. He cites this track as an example of a Led Zeppelin song that wasn't riff-led, relying on orchestrated guitars instead.

John Paul Jones used a strange 3-necked guitar and bass pedals to play this live. It became too much of a chore and they dropped it from concerts in 1977.

Robert Plant: "'Ten Years Gone' has been meticulously assembled from different sections written by Jimmy. After the tremendous focus dedicated to such a song, we played anything to warm ourselves up. This is how 'Trampled Underfoot' and 'Custard Pie' were born." (thanks, Bertrand - Paris, France)

Led Zeppelin played this when they opened and closed the Knebworth Festival in 1979. (thanks, Marshall - Gallatin, TN)

Led Zeppelin Songs - Kashmir Lyrics

Led Zeppelin - Kashmir

Led Zeppelin - Kashmir Lyrics and Youtube Music Videos

Album: Physical Graffiti
Released: 1975

Kashmir Lyrics

Kashmir Song Chart

All band members agreed this was one of their best musical achievements. Robert Plant said it was "One of my favorites... it was so positive, lyrically." Page has answered the question "What is the greatest Zeppelin riff of all" by citing this song.

Plant wrote the lyrics in 1973 while driving through the Sahara Desert on the way to the National Festival of folklore in Morocco. Kashmir is in Southern Asia; he was nowhere near it. In Mojo magazine, September 2010, Plant explained: "'Kashmir' came from a trip Jimmy and me made down the Moroccan Atlantic coast, from Agadir down to Sidi Ifni. We were just the same as the other hippies really."

The original title was "Driving To Kashmir."

This runs 8:31. Radio stations had no problem playing it, especially after "Stairway To Heaven," which was almost as long, did so well.

Kashmir, also known as Cashmere, is a lush mountain region North of Pakistan. India and Pakistan have disputed control of the area for years. The fabric Cashmere is made from the hair of goats from the region. The area is also famous for growing poppies, from which heroin is made. (thanks, erourke - Raleigh, NC)

Plant thinks John Bonham's drumming is the key to this: "It was what he didn't do that made it work."

The signature guitar riff began as a tuning cycle Jimmy Page had been using for years.

This is one of the few Zeppelin songs to use outside musicians. Session players were brought in for the string and horn sections. Jimmy Page said (Rolling Stone, 2012): "I knew that this wasn't just something guitar-based. All of the guitar parts would be on there. But the orchestra needed to sit there, reflecting those other parts, doing what the guitars were but with the colors of a symphony."

Led Zeppelin played this in every live show from it's debut in 1975 to their last concert in 1980.

Page and Plant recorded this with an orchestra and Moroccan musicians for their 1994 Unledded album.

Puff Daddy (he wasn't Diddy yet) sampled this in 1998 for a song called "Come With Me." He performed it on Saturday Night Live with Page on guitar.

The remaining members of Led Zeppelin performed this at the Atlantic Records 40th anniversary party in 1988 with Jason Bonham on drums. It was a mess - the keyboards got lost in the feed and Plant was bumped by a fan and forgot some of the words. They had more success when they performed the song on December 10, 2007 at a benefit show to raise money for the Ahmet Ertegun education fund.

In the movie Fast Times At Ridgemont High, Mike Damone tells Mark Ratner, "When it comes down to making out, whenever possible, put on side one of Led Zeppelin 4. In the next scene, he is on the date with this song playing in the car. Cameron Crowe, who wrote the screenplay, couldn't get the rights to any of the songs on Led Zeppelin 4, so he used "Kashmir" instead. Crowe used Zeppelin's "That's The Way" on his 2001 movie Almost Famous.

Plant said in an audio documentary that he loved this song not only because of its intensity, but also because it was so intense without being considered "Heavy Metal," a label none of the band liked. (thanks, Adrian - Wilmington, DE)

Jimmy Page: "The intensity of 'Kashmir' was such that when we had it completed, we knew there was something really hypnotic to it, we couldn't even describe such a quality. At the beginning, there was only Bonzo [drummer John Bonham] and me in Headley Grange. He played the rhythm on drums, and I found the riff as well as the overdubs which were thereafter duplicated by an orchestra, to bring more life to the track. It sounded so frightening at first..."

Peter Grant: "I remember Bonzo having me listen to the demo of 'Kashmir' with only him and Jimmy. It was fantastic. What's funny is that after a first recording of the song, we found it sounded a bit like a dirge. We were in Paris, we had Atlantic listen to it, and we all thought it really sounded like a dirge. So Richard (Cole) was sent to Southall in London to find a Pakistanese orchestra. Jonesy put it all together and the final result was exactly what was needed. He was an exceptional arranger." (thanks, Bertrand - Paris, France for above 2)

Led Zeppelin Songs - Bron-yr-Aur Lyrics

Led Zeppelin - Bron-yr-Aur

Led Zeppelin - Bron-yr-Aur Lyrics and Youtube Music Videos

Album: Physical Graffiti
Released: 1975

Bron-yr-Aur Lyrics

Bron-yr-Aur Song Chart

This is a 2-minute acoustic guitar instrumental written by Jimmy Page.

Bron-yr-Aur (pronounced "Bron-rar") is a place in Wales where Page and Plant went after a tough tour in the US. They needed to put another album together, and decided to go there for a change of scenery. They ended up writing many of the songs for Led Zeppelin III on the trip.

Some minor string squeaks and small mistakes were left in to keep the live feel. Jimmy Page liked it that way.

This was recorded in 1970 at the Led Zeppelin III sessions. It was resurrected for Physical Graffiti to fill the double album.

The title is spelled differently from "Bron-y-aur," as in "Bron-y-aur Stomp," another Zeppelin song.

Led Zeppelin played this live during their early to mid 1970 tour to preview the third album, then it was dropped entirely from setlists. (thanks, Chris - Whitesboro, NY)

This song along with "Friends" features Open C tuning by Jimmy Page. The rattling heard in the song is from most of the strings being tuned low. (thanks, JT - Tullahoma, TN)

On the demos recorded at Headley Grange, you can hear Jimmy Page playing this, with young Carmen Plant's laughter in the background! (thanks, Bertrand - Paris, France)

Led Zeppelin Songs - Trampled Underfoot Lyrics

Led Zeppelin - Trampled Underfoot

Led Zeppelin - Trampled Underfoot Lyrics and Youtube Music Videos

Album: Physical Graffiti
Released: 1975

Trampled Underfoot Lyrics

Trampled Underfoot Song Chart

The lyrics were based on Robert Johnson's 1936 "Terraplane Blues." A Terraplane is a classic car, and the song uses car parts as metaphors for sex: "pump your gas," "rev all night," etc. (thanks, Kevin - Dover, OH)

This evolved out of a jam session. It became a concert favorite and a popular song on rock radio. When Led Zeppelin played it live, they would often jam on it, extending it with guitar and keyboard solos. (thanks, Donovan Berry - El Dorado, AR)

Regarding the innovative guitar sound on this track, Jimmy Page told Guitar Player magazine: "It's sort of backwards echo and wah-wah. I don't know how responsible I was for new sounds because there were so many good things happening around that point, around the release of the first Zeppelin album, like Hendrix and Clapton."

This is one of Robert Plant's favorite Zeppelin songs. He sang it on his 1988 Now and Zen tour.

Led Zeppelin performed this at Carmen Plant's 21st birthday party in 1989 with Jason Bonham on drums. Carmen is Robert's daughter.

The "Talkin 'bout love" part was most likely nicked from the song "Love" by Curtis Knight and Jimi Hendix. (thanks, Tin Ear - Fullerton, CA)

Led Zeppelin did not release any singles in the UK until 1997 when "Whole Lotta Love" was released 18 years after it was written. There were several pressings made of "Trampled Underfoot," but they were all shelved before being released, and are, today, viewed as highly collectable.

At Earls Court in 1975, Robert Plant introduced the song like this: "If you like the motor cars and the parts of the human body, then sometimes... you can get trrrrrampled under foot!"

"Trampled Underfoot" was probably named after the bassline being a repetitive boom, played with a Moog pedal. (thanks, Bertrand - Paris, France)

Led Zeppelin Songs - The Wanton Song Lyrics

Led Zeppelin - The Wanton Song

Led Zeppelin - The Wanton Song Lyrics and Youtube Music Videos

Album: Physical Graffiti
Released: 1975

The Wanton Song Lyrics

The Wanton Song Song Chart

The band developed this song during soundchecks on their 1973 United States tour. Jimmy Page worked up the riff in his Plumpton Place manor house and brought it to the band during the Physical Graffiti sessions. The song went through a number of changes as they worked it up, becoming one of the funkier Zeppelin songs by the time they were done. The credited writers on the track are Page and Robert Plant.

Like "The Lemon Song," this song is dripping with desire, and does not mention the title in the lyrics. "Wanton" can mean willful and deliberate, but also sexually indiscriminate and lacking inhibition, which is probably what Robert Plant had in mind when he wrote the lyric. The "silent woman" he sings about could be a metaphor or a real person; mystery is a hallmark of his songwriting.

Jimmy Page used his "backward echo" on the guitar solo, where the echo is heard before the note.

This is one of Robert Plant's favorites. In 1983 he told Record magazine that putting this song together was one of the highlights of his days recording with Led Zeppelin. "The whole session – it was so electric, so quick and so fruitful," he said.

Led Zeppelin played this live on some of their 1975 American and European dates, but it was soon dropped.

In the February 2006 issue of Guitar World magazine, Jimmy Page was told that Led Zeppelin's biggest hits - "Stairway To Heaven," "Kashmir," "Over The Hills And Far Away" - don't have choruses. Page replied: "As far as I'm concerned, the riff in Led Zeppelin's 'The Wanton Song,' for example, is the chorus. It could go on for a half an hour and I would be completely riveted and satisfied. It's so powerful and concise that it never gets boring." (thanks, Bertrand - Paris, France)

The Seaside by Led Zeppelin Songs - Down Lyrics

The Seaside by Led Zeppelin - Down

The Seaside by Led Zeppelin - Down Lyrics and Youtube Music Videos

Album: Physical Graffiti
Released: 1975

Down Lyrics

Down Song Chart

This is a nod to Neil Young, who had a song called "Down By The River." It's done in his style.

The band recorded this for Led Zeppelin 4, but they thought it wasn't good enough at the time. It was included on Physical Graffiti to fill the double album.

Jimmy Page and Robert Plant wrote this in 1970 as an acoustic piece at Bron-yr-Aur, the cottage in Wales where they went after a grueling US tour. The cottage had no electricity or running water.

Led Zeppelin never played this live.

Plant recorded a version with Tori Amos in 1995 for the Led Zeppelin tribute album Encomium. Plant is a huge fan of Amos and wanted to get a different take on the song by having her sing while he played guitar. Tori is also a huge Zeppelin fan.

It was Robert Plant's idea to include this song on the album, though not everyone agreed with him. Says Plant: "Everybody laughed when I suggested to include 'Down By The Seaside' on Physical Graffiti." John Paul Jones in particular hated this track. (thanks, Bertrand - Paris, France)

Led Zeppelin Songs - The Rover Lyrics

Led Zeppelin - The Rover

Led Zeppelin - The Rover Lyrics and Youtube Music Videos

Album: Physical Graffiti
Released: 1975

The Rover Lyrics

The Rover Song Chart

"Rover" is old British slang for a wanderer. The lyrics are fitting to this definition. (thanks, Mason - Greenville, NC)

This began life as an acoustic piece. Jimmy Page and Robert Plant started writing it in 1970 at Bron-yr-Aur, the cottage in Wales they went to after a brutal US tour. The cottage had no electricity or running water.

Led Zeppelin recorded this at the Houses Of The Holy sessions. They didn't use it on that album, so they remixed it for Physical Graffiti.

Led Zeppelin never played this live, but during their 1977 tour of the United States, the band would often use the opening riff to segue into "Sick Again." (thanks, Chris - Whitesboro, NY)

The intro is very close to the Kinks track "Wicked Annabella" from their Village Green album. (thanks, John - Waterford, Ireland)

Led Zeppelin Songs - Custard Pie Lyrics

Led Zeppelin - Custard Pie

Led Zeppelin - Custard Pie Lyrics and Youtube Music Videos

Album: Physical Graffiti
Released: 1975

Custard Pie Lyrics

Custard Pie Song Chart

This song is based on various American blues recordings, including Blind Boy Fuller's 1939 "I Want Some Of Your Pie" and Brown McGhee's 1947 "Custard Pie Blues." It's the first song on the double album Physical Graffiti.

Zeppelin bass player John Paul Jones played the electric clavinet on this.

This is one of the few Led Zeppelin songs they never played live.

Actual custard pie involves a pie shell filled with custard and other ingredients. You might not think of it this way, but both pumpkin and banana cream are custard pies.

It is speculated that "custard pie" is a euphemism for female sexuality and/or genitalia. Other songs which associate pie and women include The Beatles' "Wild Honey Pie," The Four Tops' "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)," and of course Warrant's "Cherry Pie."

Jimmy Page joined The Black Crowes briefly and covered this song on their album Live at the Greek.

This song is from the album Physical Graffiti, which sold 16x platinum for Led Zeppelin... in the US alone.

"Custard Pie" was recorded at Headley Grange, long about January-to-February 1974.

This includes a snippet from "Shake 'em On Down" by the blues musician Bukka White. (thanks, Bertrand - Paris, France)

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