Lyrics for Immigrant Song as interpreted by kevin

Immigrant Song Lyrics
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 our 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 all your ruins
For peace and trust can win the day despite of all your losing

Interaction
Mail to a friend Send Lyrics to a Friend
Share on Facebook

Stumble It
Add to Del.icio.us Add to Del.icio.us




  • 171 Comments
  • Printer Friendly Lyrics
newest first     Expand All
Ladyaphrodite
09-26-2009

Rated 0 
The movie "eric the viking" is like this song made into a movie. it's beautiful.

Log in to reply
billy talent is god
09-02-2009

Rated 0 
and ice and snow is not norway, it's iceland.

Log in to reply
billy talent is god
09-02-2009

Rated 0 
it's about leif ericson in perspective of the vikings accoring to robert plant<3 and it was written when led zeppelin toured in iceland.

Log in to reply
zeppelinfan
08-17-2009

Rated 0 
the viking thing makes sense but of course led zeppelin always has complicated lyrics that are deeper than we think at first. the song is actually about how on tour one of the band members (not sure who) slept with Miss Iceland so that's what the song is about. knowing how complex zeppelin lyrics are it probably is about both things

Log in to reply
Mordur
07-23-2009

Rated +1 
The song is in fact inspired by the band's visit to Iceland in 1970 (damn, I wasn't born then). Some workers went on strike so their concert would've been cancelled if the University of Iceland hand't lent them a their hall.
The song is probably about Leifur Eiriksson and his journey to America

Log in to reply
Glocuster
06-27-2009

Rated 0 
Vikings. This is probably the one song dedicated to them. I learned about vikings in school and my teacher had us listen to it. One of my all time favs from led zeppelin.

Log in to reply
Jyokdar
01-11-2009

Rated -2 
It's not "the western shore" it's "to rest ashore"

Log in to reply
Balanar91
01-01-2009

Rated 0 
the song is just about them putting themselves in the bodys of Nordic warriors who, by conquering and battle, seek Valhalla and therefor a blessing of the gods and mainly Odin.

Log in to reply
b_dog
12-14-2008

Rated 0 
This is a really cool song...but why the heck is it so short? How can they give us two minutes of awesomeness, only to have it suddenly dead end? Why couldn't they have made a "Kashmir" out of this?

Log in to reply
AndreAndre
09-13-2008

Rated 0 
and guys dont compare the lyrics in this song too harshly with the historical facts of the viking invasions. yes, the mentions of 'hordes' and 'ruins' dont exactly fit in with north america, and yes, it's iceland that's famous for hot springs, not mainland scandinavia - but remember these were rockstars writing the lyrics, not history or geography professors.

Log in to reply
1 Reply
AndreAndre
09-13-2008

Rated +1 
definitely about vikings. theyre from scandinavia (We come from the land of the ice and snow, From the midnight sun where the hot springs blow). they feel compelled to keep sailing further and plundering progressively distant lands (The hammer of the gods will drive our ships to new lands) until finally they reach the east coasts of north america (On we sweep with threshing oar, Our only goal will be the western shore). robert plant's shrieking at the beginning (AHHHHH-AH!) is suposed to be the viking's war cry.

i nominate this song as the most hard-driving, high-energy hard rock song ever. and its all the more powerful because its so short and abrupt.

Log in to reply
rwjz28
08-24-2008

Rated 0 
When I was stationed in Iceland in the mid-70's while in the USAF, I was told this song was written while Zeppelin was in Iceland, following a concert in Reykjavik. Upon hearing the history of the Danes who left Denmark for "greaner pastures", and hearing the merchandising (naming) stories of Iceland versus Greenland, they wrote a song to tell the story of oppression, and the constant battles for freedom and their own distincton as a people. Made sense to me then. Thirty five years later, it still makes sense. It's always eben one of my favorites, but then, Led Zeppelin III has always been one of my favorites as well. Enjoy this site, it's very cool as it allows all of us to interpret, share and ponder. I can't wait to dealve into the deep symbolism of some Ted Nugent lyrics like "Cat Scratch Fever" or "Wango Tango"........ have fun folks!

Log in to reply
musicismy1luv
08-16-2008

Rated 0 
led zeppelin and this song kick ass.

only fuckheads argue.

kay know that my lame-ass fan diss is over i can get on to the actual meaning. Norwegians migrate to battle and gain more land. Led Zeppelin came over from england and dominated the US. I doubt that's the most complex metaphor, but to me it's the most obvious and i like it

Log in to reply
denkigan
08-13-2008

Rated 0 
this is definitely about vikings
ice and snow=Norway
Valhalla=Viking heaven
Hammer of Gods: Thor's hammer

Log in to reply
nunchuckz117
06-25-2008

Rated 0 
I Love Led Zeppelin I heard:

Ah,ah we come from the land with ice and snow from the midnight sun were the hot springs blow, hammer of the goals will drive our ships to new lands, fight the horde sing it and cry Valhalla, I AM COMING!

on we sweep with THREASHING OAR! are onley goal will be the western shore

Ah,ah we come from the land with ice and snow from the midnight sun were the hot springs blow, so soft your feilds so green, the whisper tails of gore...ofhow we calmed the tides of war we are your overlords ohhh ohhh On we sweep with threshing oar, Our only goal will be the western shore.

So now you'd better stop and rebuild all your ruins,
For peace and trust can win the day despite of all your losing.

Log in to reply
shawndixon
05-17-2008

Rated 0 
Led Zeppelin wrote this song on their way back from
Iceland in 1970. Robert Plant was heavily into Scottish folk lore at that time. And got most of his lyrics based upon that. It has references about the vikings in this song.

Log in to reply
dazzlingstar
05-07-2008

Rated 0 
I noticed that Ramthar (on the first page of comments) made a comment about the time period when Vikings first came to America. I just wanted to share a little known fact about this. Here in Oklahoma there is a Rune Stone (in Heavner, Oklahoma to be exact) that is dated back to 700a.d. based on the script used. "Scholars" debated the time period because it kind of throws the whole Columbus/pilgrim story out of the water, but still 700a.d. sounds about right.

Another thing that the stone shows is that the Vikings weren't the ruthless pillaging, raping barbarians that Capitol One commercials portray them as. Considering that the stone is within a few miles of an Indian civilization its is safe to assume the groups knew the others were near by, but there are no signs of war. In fact, "experts" at the Spiro Mounds (the Indian civilization) say they didn't have contact at all; however, after viewing some of the Indian artwork you will notice subtle Nordic influences, the cougar head that was carved at the front of the viking ships for example.

I just thought I would share that little bit of information in case anyone was interested in looking into it for themselves.

Other than that I think the line "We are your overlords" is very interesting and suiting. In many cultures (mostly Northern Hemisphere ones) there are stories of men coming from the North bringing culture and civilization with them. Nietzsche speaks of these men, in particular, in his book "The Antichrist", its in the first aphorism.

Log in to reply
wanderer4
05-04-2008

Rated 0 
AAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

THIS SONG KICKS ASS

Log in to reply
wanderer4
05-04-2008

Rated +1 
AAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

THIS SONG KICKS ASS

Log in to reply
The_Rusty_Nail
04-19-2008

Rated 0 
I had a thought that the line "We are your overlords." could be a reference to Operation Overlord in WWII (D-DAY). It kind of makes sense in the context of the lyrics. "On we sweep with threshing oar"= Allied forces crossing the English Channel? Just a thought.

Log in to reply
a_passing_phase
04-13-2008

Rated 0 
If youve done any reading on Zeppelin some sites say that this song is about Leif Erricson and the norse mens journey to north america. and Valhalla is a warriors heaven and Odin is there god

Log in to reply
musicismy1luv
03-25-2008

Rated 0 
all u people talk aout how it's about vikings.

That's PAINFULLY obvious.

Why doesn't anyone acknowledge that the Ah-hah is nearly orgasmic and the song is mesmerizing?

It only makes them better they take such already respectable history and make it into an amazing song.

Really being an immigrant (i'm not one, just saying) is someones from a foreign place come to live somewhere new. I relate to that right now, coming from the cold and briny north heading for the western shore, where it's warm. Really coming from anywhere uninhabital and going someplace more welcoming is what i think it's about.

Log in to reply
heavymetalchic
03-13-2008

Rated 0 
I agree with Jennings on the interpretation. And Zeppelin Rocks!!

Log in to reply
dhawk
03-10-2008

Rated 0 
yea jennings, that does. Maybe it's like a double meaning. So yea. That does a lot.

Log in to reply
jenningsfarmblues
03-09-2008

Rated 0 
In my opinion, taking into account everything that has been said about the song; that is is supposed to be funny etc, this is Robert comparing the way Led Zep were sweeping through the world at the time, to the way the vikings did. He said they had just come from iceland, "we come from the land of the ice and snow". it is about them and their incredible domination of the music scene. Now, don't you think that sounds like Robert Plant's brand of humour? :)

Log in to reply




  • Add Your Comments
What does this song mean to you?

You must be logged in to post your comments.

Feel free to create an account with us, or log in with your existing account, to start adding your comments to songs.





Popular
Top:   Lyrics, Artists, Albums
Random:   Lyric, Artist, Album

Your Ad Here