A song from
Led Zeppelin's 1970 album
Led Zeppelin III, celebrating the joys of living in the
Welsh countryside with
man's best friend. From the liner notes:
Credit must be given to BRON-Y-AUR a small derelict cottage in South Snowdonia for painting a somewhat forgotten picture of true completeness which acted as an incentive to some of these musical statements--August, 1970.
The "
Stomp" of the title refers to a type of dance, as well as
John Bonham's steady, driving drumming during the verses (handclaps from one of the other members provide an interesting counterpoint on the off beats). Both
Jimmy Page and
Robert Plant sing on this one. The song begins with a pair of catchy, jangling acoustic guitars being strummed rapidly, much like the beginning of
Ramble On. The introduction is also reminiscient of the
Allman Brothers' song
Little Martha, and the style of the strummed guitar throughout the song has its influence in
Delta Blues and the American
South.
Lyrics:
Oh, when you're smiling at me
that's the way it should be,
like a leaf is to a tree,
so fine.
Ah, all the good times we had,
I sung love songs, so glad,
always smiling, never sad,
so fine.
As we walk down a country lane
I'll be singing a song, you hear me calling your name.
Hear the wind within the trees
tellin'
Mother Nature 'bout you and me.
Well, if the sun shines so bright,
or our way is darkest night,
the road we choose is always right,
so fine.
Ah, can any love be so strong?
When so many loves go wrong,
will that love go on and on and on
and on and on and on?
As we walk down a country lane,
I'll be singing a song, you hear me calling your name.
Hear the wind within the trees
tellin' Mother Nature 'bout you and me.
My my,
la la la,
come on now,
it ain't too far.
Tell your friends all around the world,
ain't no companion like a blue-eyed
merle!
Come on now, let me tell you what you're missing, around them
brick walls.
So, of one thing I am sure:
it's a friendship so pure,
angels singing all around, my dog's
so fine.
Yeah, ain't but one thing to do,
spend my next life with you.
You're the finest dog I knew,
so fine.
When you're old and your eyes are dim,
there ain't no "old Shep" gonna happen again:
We'll still go walking down country lanes,
I'll sing the same old song, you'll hear me callin' your name.
If you like this song, you may enjoy some of these:
Gallows Pole
Black Mountain Side
Ramble On
Boogie with Stu
The Girl I Love She Got Long Black Wavy Hair
That's the Way
Or, by other artists:
Allman Brothers -
Little Martha