Going To California
lyrics by Robert Plant

Spent my days with a woman unkind
Smoked my stuff and drank all my wine.
Made up my mind to make a new start
Going To California with an aching in my heart.
Someone told me there's a girl out there
With love in her eyes and flowers in her hair.
Took my chances on a big jet plane
Never let them tell you that they're all the same.
The sea was red and the sky was grey,
Wondered how tomorrow could ever follow today.
The mountains and the canyons started to tremble and shake
As the children of the sun began to awake.

Seems that the wrath of the Gods
Got a punch on the nose and it started to flow;
I think I might be sinking.
Throw me a line if I reach it in time
I'll meet you up there where the path
Runs straight and high.

To find a queen without a king,
They say she plays guitar and cries and sings... la la la la
Ride a white mare in the footsteps of dawn
Tryin' to find a woman who's never, never, never been born.
Standing on a hill in my mountain of dreams,
Telling myself it's not as hard, hard, hard as it seems.

Meaning: Um. I think this is just about finding the perfect woman to spend the rest of your life with (if you were a guy and are not gay, no offense to anyone). Well. I know there are already a ton of songs on the subject, but Robert Plant wrote it in a different and more poetic style. I mean, he's not simply saying, "Ooh Babe, where are you? I've been to Hell and back trying to find you..." and so on. He's also hoping that this girl he's looking for might help him straighten up, that's suggested in the first four lines.

Why? Well, this is my favorite Led Zeppelin song. Notice how I always pick my favorite songs for Song of the Week. I don't pay attention to what anybody else likes, hehe. I like the guitars. I wonder how Jimmy Page does that. He could play like 3 different tunes at the same time! Or maybe it's just a dub. It sounds cool all the same. And then Robert Plant does his "Aaooo, aaooo, oooooooohhhhh!!" moaning kind of thing and it excites me! Too bad John Bonham doesn't get to tap out a few beats on it though. And then the lyrics are of course good... Listen to the damn song, then maybe you'll understand.