Classic Rock Lyrics

Immigrant Song Lyrics - Led Zeppelin



Ah, ah,
We come from the land of the ice and snow,
From the midnight sun where the hot springs blow.
The hammer of the gods
Will drive their ships to new lands,
To fight the horde, singing and crying:
Valhalla, I am coming!
On we sweep with threshing oar,
Our only goal will be the western shore.
 
Ah, ah,
We come from the land of the ice and snow,
From the midnight sun where the hot springs blow.
How soft your fields so green,
Can whisper tales of gore,
Of how we calmed the tides of war.
We are your overlords.
On we sweep with threshing oar,
Our only goal will be the western shore.
 
So now you'd better stop and rebuild your ruins,
For peace and trust can win the day
Despite all your losing.


The "Land of ice and snow" is Iceland, where the band played in June, 1970.
One of the lyrics became part of Led Zeppelin lore. The line, "The hammer of the gods will drive our ships to new lands" got many of their fans referring to Zeppelin's sound as the "Hammer of the gods." The phrase was used by author Stephen Davis as the title of a book about the band.
Led Zeppelin meant for this song to be somewhat humorous. They weren't known as a funny band, so a lot of their fans took it quite seriously.
The hiss at the beginning is feedback from an echo unit. It was intentional.
Until the Zeppelin boxed set was released, "Hey, Hey What Can I Do" could be found only on the flip side of this single.
The single was mistakenly released in Japan with "Out On The Tiles" as the B-side rather than "Hey, Hey What Can I Do." That single is now a rare collectible.
One of the lyrics is "Valhalla I am coming." It refers to Norse Mythology. Valhalla is a hall in Asgard where the souls of fallen warriors are taken by the "Valkyries," which are spirits of war who carry up heroes who have been slain. Only heroes are taken to Valhalla, where they will wait for their certain doom. (thanks, Mike - Chicago, IL)
To get permission to use this song in the movie School Of Rock, the star of the movie, Jack Black, videotaped himself singing in front of a huge crowd of people, begging for Led Zeppelin to let them use the song in the movie. They succeeded. (thanks, Gina - Reston, VA)
Led Zeppelin opened their live shows with this song from 1970-1972. (thanks, Adrian - Wilmington, DE)


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