# What Do These Led Zeppelin Song Titles Mean? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 20, 2004, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-these-led-zeppelin-song-titles-mean/265141 "2004-09-20T15:06:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Surreal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@Surreal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surreal)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2004, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-these-led-zeppelin-song-titles-mean/265141/1 "2004-09-20T15:06:47Z")
I’m having some difficulty interpreting the following Led Zeppelin song titles: D’yer Mak’er Bron-Yr-Aur Bron-Y-Aur Stomp The first one appears to be a pair of contractions, but I can’t figure out what of. Does anyone know what any of these are supposed to mean? Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Lars\_Aruns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c68b51/32.png) [@Lars\_Aruns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lars_Aruns)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2004, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-these-led-zeppelin-song-titles-mean/265141/2 "2004-09-20T15:11:47Z")
> [@Surreal](#): > > D’yer Mak’er Jamaica, in a dodgy Jamaican accent. > [@Surreal](#): > > Bron-Yr-Aur > > Bron-Y-Aur Stomp Both named after a place in Wales where they retired to compose the songs in **III** , if I recall correctly. The second one was actually misspelled. ---
**Author:** ![Engywook](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bc8723/32.png) [@Engywook](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Engywook)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2004, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-these-led-zeppelin-song-titles-mean/265141/3 "2004-09-20T15:13:52Z")
Okay, so now I know how to pronounce D’yer Maker… how would I pronounce Bron-Yr-Aur if I were in Wales? ---
**Author:** ![Small\_Clanger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@Small\_Clanger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Small_Clanger)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2004, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-these-led-zeppelin-song-titles-mean/265141/4 "2004-09-20T15:17:10Z")
> [@Engywook](#): > > Okay, so now I know how to pronounce D’yer Maker… how would I pronounce Bron-Yr-Aur if I were in Wales? Bron -\> bron Yr -\> ur Aur -\> ire Welsh is phonetic (well my mum always says so :)) Want to know how to pronounce “LL”? ---
**Author:** ![GaWd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f08c70/32.png) [@GaWd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaWd)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2004, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-these-led-zeppelin-song-titles-mean/265141/5 "2004-09-20T15:17:30Z")
> [@Engywook](#): > > Okay, so now I know how to pronounce D’yer Maker… how would I pronounce Bron-Yr-Aur if I were in Wales? From a long ago memory of Led Zeppelin fanatacism, it would be pronounced ‘Brom-rawr’. I’m sure a real honest-to-god Brit can correct me if I’m wrong. Sam ---
**Author:** ![GaWd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f08c70/32.png) [@GaWd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaWd)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2004, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-these-led-zeppelin-song-titles-mean/265141/6 "2004-09-20T15:19:19Z")
Then again, maybe my memory of those times is a _bit_ on the fuzzy side. 😉 Sam ---
**Author:** ![Small\_Clanger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@Small\_Clanger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Small_Clanger)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2004, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-these-led-zeppelin-song-titles-mean/265141/7 "2004-09-20T15:20:57Z")
> [@Surreal](#): > > Does anyone know what any of these are supposed to mean? Me: My wife’s gone to the West Indies. You: Jamaica? Me: No, she went of her own accord. Boom. Boom. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2004, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-these-led-zeppelin-song-titles-mean/265141/8 "2004-09-20T15:44:28Z")
D’yer Mak’er is indeed to be pronounced like the country Jamacia, and is a slangy version of “Did you make her?” with sexual conotations. ---
**Author:** ![Small\_Clanger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@Small\_Clanger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Small_Clanger)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2004, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-these-led-zeppelin-song-titles-mean/265141/9 "2004-09-20T15:51:21Z")
D’yer Mak’er -\> Jamaica It’s from thet stupid joke I posted, honest. The song is supposed to be Reggae. Hence Jamaica. Reference the joke and you get D’yer Mak’er. I think it was a Morecambe and Wise Joke. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2004, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-these-led-zeppelin-song-titles-mean/265141/10 "2004-09-20T17:22:59Z")
I found several references online to the joke in relation to the song title, and that seems to be the most supported by the evidence. I can’t really find any support for the idea of sexual overtones. ---
**Author:** ![NicePete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ee7513/32.png) [@NicePete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NicePete)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2004, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-these-led-zeppelin-song-titles-mean/265141/11 "2004-09-20T17:27:07Z")
Sexual overtones? In a Led Zeppelin song? Nah, that’d never happen. ---
**Author:** ![Gamaliel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b487fb/32.png) [@Gamaliel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gamaliel)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2004, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-these-led-zeppelin-song-titles-mean/265141/12 "2004-09-20T17:49:19Z")
> [@Small Clanger](#): > > The song is supposed to be Reggae. Reggae? Seriously? LZ is _soooo_ white. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2004, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-these-led-zeppelin-song-titles-mean/265141/13 "2004-09-20T18:34:20Z")
> [@Gamaliel](#): > > Reggae? Seriously? > > LZ is _soooo_ white. Yep - I recall Plant being interviewed and saying “we were just trying to do a reggae song” IIRC, the title has nothing to do with the lyrics, they just were going for the name Jamaica - as in birthplace of reggae - and the old joke mentioned above. He talked about how silly it was to hear Americans come up to him and ask him about the song “DYE-ur MAKE-ur.” And remember, white though they may be, LZ _loved_ a number of genres thought of as being African, African American, etc…JP Jones was interviewed (VH-1 Legends?) where he talked about Bonzo’s love of Motown and Soul and that was why Kashmir big, plodding drum beating moves so nicely - he spices up the beat with Motown-style cymbol work. And let’s not forget the Crunge, which is meant to be James Brown, complete with “Take me to the bridge” an homage to Brown’s always asking his sax player, Maceo Parker to take him to the bridge ("Maceo - Maceo!!! you ready to take me to the bridge?! Take me to the bridge - hey-ey!!!) Not to mention the black origins of the blues. Nope, LZ maybe some British White Boys, but they got into the roots of it… ---
**Author:** ![Gamaliel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b487fb/32.png) [@Gamaliel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gamaliel)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2004, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-these-led-zeppelin-song-titles-mean/265141/14 "2004-09-20T18:59:54Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > Not to mention the black origins of the blues. Nope, LZ maybe some British White Boys, but they got into the roots of it… Well, I was kidding obviously. I think it’s funny that a band excelled in one foreign style, the blues, couldn’t make a reggae song that sounds, to me anyway, anything remotely like reggae, while other UK bands (The Clash, for ex.) had no problem with that.