# Stairway to Heaven IS Tolkien related!! (LONG) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 20, 2002, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stairway-to-heaven-is-tolkien-related-long/119927 "2002-07-20T03:31:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![si\_blakely](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@si\_blakely](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/si_blakely)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2013, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stairway-to-heaven-is-tolkien-related-long/119927/81 "2013-06-10T13:40:10Z")
is the May Queen **late** (and moving)? ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2013, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stairway-to-heaven-is-tolkien-related-long/119927/82 "2013-06-10T13:44:04Z")
Mmmmmm…zombie Arwen is still hot. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2013, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stairway-to-heaven-is-tolkien-related-long/119927/83 "2013-06-10T16:10:40Z")
> [@tommycash](#): > > Not to mention the fact that these lines: > And if you listen very hard > The tune will come to you at last. > When all are one and one is all > To be a rock and not to roll. > > It’s very reminiscent of the The Ainulindalë. No it isn’t! ---
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2013, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stairway-to-heaven-is-tolkien-related-long/119927/84 "2013-06-10T16:51:14Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > Given that “Stairway to Heaven” was released in 1971 and the Ainulindalë (and the rest of _The Silmarillion_) was published in 1977, it’s hard to see how the song could have been influenced by the book: Well, _obviously_ the line about ‘With a word she can get what she came for’ refers to someone blackmailing Tolkien into allowing her to look through his notes. Duh. ---
**Author:** ![Agent\_Foxtrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc29f/32.png) [@Agent\_Foxtrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agent_Foxtrot)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2013, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stairway-to-heaven-is-tolkien-related-long/119927/85 "2013-06-10T16:53:14Z")
I’ve always thought the song to be about Jimmy Page and his drug abuse. ---
**Author:** ![KRC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/45deac/32.png) [@KRC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KRC)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2013, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stairway-to-heaven-is-tolkien-related-long/119927/86 "2013-06-13T05:47:13Z")
It’s about the Protestant Reformation. The Lady is buying indulgences, the songbird in the tree is Teztel or whatever his name was, and the piper is Luther. The feeling you get when you look to the west as smoke goes through the trees is about people leaving Germany during the 30 years war. To be a rock and not to roll meant in spite of persecution you had to be true to your beliefs. I swear, I spent an entire morning trying to convince my sister of that, and then told her next week I’d convince her it was about the French Revolution. Next up: Court of the Crimson King is about Stalin! ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2013, 10:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stairway-to-heaven-is-tolkien-related-long/119927/87 "2013-06-13T10:37:09Z")
It’s about 8 minutes. ---
**Author:** ![JBGUSA](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/258eb7/32.png) [@JBGUSA](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JBGUSA)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2013, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stairway-to-heaven-is-tolkien-related-long/119927/88 "2013-12-02T02:42:12Z")
> [@guitarguy471](#): > > Wow bill, you really know your stuff. I too thought that it was about this and when i was researching it all i found was to the negative of the theory. this website agrees with the theory… [http://www.auburn.edu/~speedhe/](http://www.auburn.edu/~speedhe/) > > It interests me because not long ago (within a month from now), i looked at the site and it said that it was definatly NOT about lord of the rings…while now as you can see it has plainly changed views. > AUSTIN My son speculates that the band’s denial of any connection is legal, relating to copyright issues. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2013, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stairway-to-heaven-is-tolkien-related-long/119927/89 "2013-12-02T02:50:46Z")
Can’t be that. They’re different works-- A song is in no sense a copy of a book. If it were, they’d be in trouble for the handful of songs that do explicitly reference Tolkien. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stairway-to-heaven-is-tolkien-related-long/119927.md?page=4)