# Does Led Zeppelin's "stairway to heaven" in fact contain secret satanic messages? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 5, 2014, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-led-zeppelins-stairway-to-heaven-in-fact-contain-secret-satanic-messages/692435 "2014-07-05T22:07:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2014, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-led-zeppelins-stairway-to-heaven-in-fact-contain-secret-satanic-messages/692435/124 "2014-07-08T13:45:11Z")
> [@Locrian](#): > > …that the drum break he plays is exactly the drum break to honor **Chutulu**. :rolleyes: Smart move not spelling The Evil One’s name correctly; you never know what might happen. :eek: 😃 ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2014, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-led-zeppelins-stairway-to-heaven-in-fact-contain-secret-satanic-messages/692435/125 "2014-07-08T14:22:35Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > Smart move not spelling The Evil One’s name correctly; you never know what might happen. :eek: 😃 Drums? The Great Old Ones prefer pipes. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/LtXqvlRWft8/hqdefault.jpg "Do You Hear The Pipes Cthulhu.wmv") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtXqvlRWft8) ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2014, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-led-zeppelins-stairway-to-heaven-in-fact-contain-secret-satanic-messages/692435/126 "2014-07-08T14:49:23Z")
> [@Locrian](#): > > I would love to see your cites where you find confirmation in Stairway lyrics equivalent to loving Satan ( **an archangel created by Yahweh, don’t forget.** ) [emp. added] According to John Milton. ---
**Author:** ![Absinthe\_Anecdote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f6c823/32.png) [@Absinthe\_Anecdote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Absinthe_Anecdote)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2014, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-led-zeppelins-stairway-to-heaven-in-fact-contain-secret-satanic-messages/692435/127 "2014-07-08T15:46:39Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > According to John Milton. I once tried to use the argument that if Satan ultimately serves God by being a part of his mysterious plan, then any mortals that choose to serve Satan aren’t really rebelling against God. Heck, I’d much rather lay all this backwards masking crap at God’s feet and say, "It’s your fault! _ **You** _ are the one who let Thomas Alva Edison create the phonograph! _ **You are ultimately responsible** _ for that damned annoying song, [Surfin Bird, by The Trashmen](http://youtu.be/9Gc4QTqslN4). Why did you do that to us God? Do you think Surfin Bird is cute? Well, it isn’t! Backward masking? Your fault also, but I’m not really pissed about that because it is easy enough to ignore, oh, but we’ll get back to that in a minute. What I really want to know is why you thought it was such a good idea to allow Robert Plant to parade around the globe for the entire 1970s making screeching bird noises with his shirt off, and his sweaty mop of tangled hair. What the hell were you thinking? For crying out loud, by the end of each concert he was such a sweaty mess, and he’d be standing on the stage with his belly hanging out, looking like someone had covered him in a bunch of that ultrasound goop. Wasn’t it also _ **your idea** _ to send all those preachers to us with some ridiculous notion about hidden messages in Stairway to Heaven? You sure as hell let them climb out on one shaky assed limb with absolutely no credibility or top-cover, didn’t you? Why not, tell those preachers to attack Led Zeppelin on the grounds that they were tremendously over-rated? At least they would have been taken a little more seriously." Whew! I feel better now, sorry for getting carried away. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2014, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-led-zeppelins-stairway-to-heaven-in-fact-contain-secret-satanic-messages/692435/128 "2014-07-08T16:05:44Z")
> [@Absinthe\_Anecdote](#): > > _ **You are ultimately responsible** _ for that damned annoying song, [Surfin Bird, by The Trashmen](http://youtu.be/9Gc4QTqslN4). Why did you do that to us God? Do you think Surfin Bird is cute? Well, it isn’t! What are you trying to do here? Convert me into a theist? ---
**Author:** ![DChord568](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@DChord568](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DChord568)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2014, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-led-zeppelins-stairway-to-heaven-in-fact-contain-secret-satanic-messages/692435/129 "2014-07-08T16:13:08Z")
> [@Absinthe\_Anecdote](#): > > Heck, I’d much rather lay all this backwards masking crap at God’s feet and say, > > "It’s your fault! _ **You** _ are the one who let Thomas Alva Edison create the phonograph! _ **You are ultimately responsible** _ for that damned annoying song, [Surfin Bird, by The Trashmen](http://youtu.be/9Gc4QTqslN4). Why did you do that to us God? Do you think Surfin Bird is cute? Well, it isn’t! Are you kidding? If you’re intent on crediting God with the creation of “Surfin’ Bird,” then I would rank it as one of His supreme achievements!! ---
**Author:** ![Absinthe\_Anecdote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f6c823/32.png) [@Absinthe\_Anecdote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Absinthe_Anecdote)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2014, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-led-zeppelins-stairway-to-heaven-in-fact-contain-secret-satanic-messages/692435/130 "2014-07-08T16:14:04Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > According to John Milton. > [@scabpicker](#): > > What are you trying to do here? Convert me into a theist? You like that song? I’ve got to admit for having a soft spot for it too, but I thought it fit nicely into my rant. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2014, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-led-zeppelins-stairway-to-heaven-in-fact-contain-secret-satanic-messages/692435/131 "2014-07-08T16:44:35Z")
> [@Absinthe\_Anecdote](#): > > You like that song? > > I’ve got to admit for having a soft spot for it too, but I thought it fit nicely into my rant. No, I do not like that song. I love it unnaturally. ETA: Which is to mean: I want to commit an unnatural act with it! I’ve read some exposés and I want to find out how bad it is. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2014, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-led-zeppelins-stairway-to-heaven-in-fact-contain-secret-satanic-messages/692435/132 "2014-07-08T17:07:11Z")
I’m starting to think **sara20** has abandoned this thread. Or maybe there’s a bustle in her hedgerow. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2014, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-led-zeppelins-stairway-to-heaven-in-fact-contain-secret-satanic-messages/692435/133 "2014-07-08T17:12:21Z")
Satan has her now. ---
**Author:** ![42fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/4/b487fb/32.png) [@42fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/42fish)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2014, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-led-zeppelins-stairway-to-heaven-in-fact-contain-secret-satanic-messages/692435/134 "2014-07-08T17:24:42Z")
> [@DChord568](#): > > Are you kidding? If you’re intent on crediting God with the creation of “Surfin’ Bird,” then I would rank it as one of His supreme achievements!! Although it would make the Lord a plagiarist for stealing the words from the Rivingtons’ songs “Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow” and “The Bird’s the Word.” ---
**Author:** ![74westy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/74westy/32/3950_2.png) [@74westy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/74westy)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2014, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-led-zeppelins-stairway-to-heaven-in-fact-contain-secret-satanic-messages/692435/135 "2014-07-08T17:40:57Z")
> [@Absinthe\_Anecdote](#): > > You like that song? > > I’ve got to admit for having a soft spot for it too, but I thought it fit nicely into my rant. Maybe the song you wanted was [Feelings](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CyBcHUe4WeQ) which God allowed to be written and performed - presumably because Morris Albert needed to have free will for some reason. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2014, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-led-zeppelins-stairway-to-heaven-in-fact-contain-secret-satanic-messages/692435/136 "2014-07-08T18:28:12Z")
When played backwards, “sara20” (when pronounced to rhyme with “CAR uh twenty”) clearly becomes “He is no far us.” I only listened to it five times, so the actual satanic message didn’t become obvious to me. ETA: Why yes, I _do_ have a lot of free time. How can you tell? ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2014, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-led-zeppelins-stairway-to-heaven-in-fact-contain-secret-satanic-messages/692435/137 "2014-07-08T18:42:01Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > I’m starting to think **sara20** has abandoned this thread. Or maybe there’s a bustle in her hedgerow. Should we be alarmed, now? It makes me wonder. ---
**Author:** ![Absinthe\_Anecdote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f6c823/32.png) [@Absinthe\_Anecdote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Absinthe_Anecdote)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2014, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-led-zeppelins-stairway-to-heaven-in-fact-contain-secret-satanic-messages/692435/138 "2014-07-08T19:01:13Z")
> [@TreacherousCretin](#): > > When played backwards, “sara20” (when pronounced to rhyme with “CAR uh twenty”) clearly becomes “He is no far us.” I only listened to it five times, so the actual satanic message didn’t become obvious to me. > > ETA: Why yes, I _do_ have a lot of free time. How can you tell? Huh? Sara20 backwards would phonetically be (et-newt aras) Since newts are a widely known ingredient in witches brews, there is your first clue of something sinister. Aras could be a reference to the Aras River in the border region of Turkey and Armenia, suspiciously close to the resting place of Noah’s Ark. We all know that Noah’s Ark is associated with god’s unsuccessful plan to wipe out wickedness in early man. Something had to re-corrupt the descendants of Noah as they began to repopulate, right? We know from biblical records that there were 2 newts aboard the ark, we also know that that newts began to spread around the world again from the river banks in the region of the ark’s landing place. All of this points to the Aras River Newt, or et-newt Aras as being the re-corrupter of man. Now, I ask you, how could all of that be coincidence? ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2014, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-led-zeppelins-stairway-to-heaven-in-fact-contain-secret-satanic-messages/692435/139 "2014-07-08T19:32:09Z")
> [@Absinthe\_Anecdote](#): > > Sara20 backwards would phonetically be (et-newt aras) You can’t just write the phonemes backwards. Speaking a sound backwards doesn’t always sound intuitive. If you listened to the “One Day at a Time” theme, the first line, “This is it,” really did sound a lot like “Mississippi.” Not even the same number of syllables. Now, it sounded like an oddly warped “Mississippi,” but what it didn’t sound like was “Tisisith.” Sibilants and short vowels tend to sound the same, but diphthongs, and obstruents are really oddballs, and long vowels usually sound different as well. “Sara20” would come out something like “Yipnula-wpahwes.” ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2014, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-led-zeppelins-stairway-to-heaven-in-fact-contain-secret-satanic-messages/692435/140 "2014-07-08T20:07:41Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > You can’t just write the phonemes backwards. Speaking a sound backwards doesn’t always sound intuitive. If you listened to the “One Day at a Time” theme, the first line, “This is it,” really did sound a lot like “Mississippi.” Not even the same number of syllables. Now, it sounded like an oddly warped “Mississippi,” but what it didn’t sound like was “Tisisith.” Sibilants and short vowels tend to sound the same, but diphthongs, and obstruents are really oddballs, and long vowels usually sound different as well. > “Sara20” would come out something like “Yipnula-wpahwes.” Having conducted the experiment myself, I clarify thusly: 1. Recording the utterance “sara20” so that it rhymes with “CAR uh twenty” then 2. Reversing that recording and playing it back gave me 3. “He is no far us.” The _He is no_ is very clear; _far us_ is murkier, obviously a cryptic reference to some Satanic outhouse. It becomes clear only after twenty-six listenings. I apologize for taking this thread to a new level of silliness. ---
**Author:** ![Absinthe\_Anecdote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f6c823/32.png) [@Absinthe\_Anecdote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Absinthe_Anecdote)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2014, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-led-zeppelins-stairway-to-heaven-in-fact-contain-secret-satanic-messages/692435/141 "2014-07-08T20:18:06Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > You can’t just write the phonemes backwards. Speaking a sound backwards doesn’t always sound intuitive. If you listened to the “One Day at a Time” theme, the first line, “This is it,” really did sound a lot like “Mississippi.” Not even the same number of syllables. Now, it sounded like an oddly warped “Mississippi,” but what it didn’t sound like was “Tisisith.” Sibilants and short vowels tend to sound the same, but diphthongs, and obstruents are really oddballs, and long vowels usually sound different as well. > > “Sara20” would come out something like “Yipnula-wpahwes.” I’m impressed with your knowledge of linguistics; however, you are dealing with the dynamics of the spoken word. I fear you are overlooking the fact that Sara20 is a moniker for written communication; therefore, my analysis of the written moniker, must also be in written form. Writing the moniker in backwards phonetics is a sound practice, and completely appropriate. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2014, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-led-zeppelins-stairway-to-heaven-in-fact-contain-secret-satanic-messages/692435/142 "2014-07-08T20:21:58Z")
> [@TreacherousCretin](#): > > Having conducted the experiment myself, I clarify thusly: > > 1. Recording the utterance “sara20” so that it rhymes with “CAR uh twenty” > then > 2. Reversing that recording and playing it back > gave me > 3. “He is no far us.” > The _He is no_ is very clear; _far us_ is murkier, obviously a cryptic reference to some Satanic outhouse. It becomes clear only after twenty-six listenings. I trust that after 666 listenings, it will very clearly be “SATAN! He is not far!” ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2014, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-led-zeppelins-stairway-to-heaven-in-fact-contain-secret-satanic-messages/692435/143 "2014-07-08T20:38:24Z")
> [@TreacherousCretin](#): > > Having conducted the experiment myself, I clarify thusly: > > 1. Recording the utterance “sara20” so that it rhymes with “CAR uh twenty” > then > 2. Reversing that recording and playing it back > gave me > 3. “He is no far us.” > The _He is no_ is very clear; _far us_ is murkier, obviously a cryptic reference to some Satanic outhouse. It becomes clear only after twenty-six listenings. > > I apologize for taking this thread to a new level of silliness. I think you’re mishearing “for us” as “far us”, and obviously a “t” has been dropped (probably to hide this from the censors.) Therefore, the statement makes sense… “He is not for us.” And once you have that, it’s easy to deduce the meaning: Given the cultural (US) habit of capitalizing male pronouns when talking about Jesus and God, this is obviously a statement condemning Christianity and getting more kids to worship Satan by convincing them that Jesus is not for them. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-led-zeppelins-stairway-to-heaven-in-fact-contain-secret-satanic-messages/692435.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-led-zeppelins-stairway-to-heaven-in-fact-contain-secret-satanic-messages/692435.md?page=8)