Lyrics for Celebration Day as interpreted by kevin

Celebration Day Lyrics
Her face is cracked from smiling, all the fears that she's been hiding,
And it seems pretty soon everybody's gonna know.
And her voice is sore from shouting, cheering winners who are losing,
And she worries if their days are few and soon they'll have to go.

*My, my, my, I'm so happy, I'm gonna join the band,
We are gonna dance and sing in celebration, We are in the promised land.

She hears them talk of new ways to protect the home she lives in,
Then she wonders what it's all about when they break down the door.

Her name is Brown or White or Black, you know her very well,
You hear her cries of mercy as the winners toll the bell.

* Chorus
There is a train that leaves the station heading for your destination,
But the price you pay to nowhere has increased a dollar more.
Yes, it has!
And if you walk you're gonna get there though it takes a little longer,
And when you see it in the distance you will wring your hands and moan.

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  • 33 Comments
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Philadelphia Eagles
06-13-2004

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Why no comments yet? this is a great song

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Cynic_11
06-21-2004

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nice song. Page certainly is an artist on what he does with the tape track in the beginning and how it pans from "Friends"

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mnkyonastick
06-24-2004

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The reason he did that was because the beginning of Celebration Day was screwed up on the master tape when they recorded, so he just cut out the beginning of the song and used the synthesizer to cover it up so it sounded like it was supposed to be like that.

Awesome song. The first verse always reminds me of an insane person. But in a nice, funny way. =)

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roadrunner99
09-22-2004

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The Pact with Satan.

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1 Reply
ironion
10-22-2004

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I think this song is about someone who seems false, who doesn't ring true with Plant. Maybe someone who isn't forward enough about her emotions.

Dunno about the reference to 'the promised land', but I suspect the chorus is meant to be sarcastic.

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leonie
10-29-2004

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Have not figured it out yet, but the lyrics seem to have a dark undertone.

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experimental_punk
11-16-2004

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I think it might be about heroin and the people who use it

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Grobus
01-08-2005

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Ive never really though about the lyrics, but they DO have a very dark tone to them.

One of my favourite Zep songs - its really overlooked.

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JumpyJack
01-10-2005

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It's most certainly not about heroin. It's about an old hag groupie, the Livin Lovin Maid. I love the simple guitar break in this song and Page pulled it off brilliantly in The Song Remains the Same concert.

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JumpyJack
01-10-2005

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Notice how busy Page is on guitar in this song. It's like he's playing three guitar parts at once. Live performances like this song are what prompted Keith Richards to tell Page he was the "most overworked guitarist in rock". Page responded that he would love to have another guitarist in the band but that it "just wouldn't look right to the audience". At first that statement struck me as a bit self-centered and vain but the more I thought about it it just showed how very perceptive Page was about the band's image.

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Led Zeppelin Rule
01-25-2005

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hi , i have to say this is such a great song and i think it's a song that is under rated because it is'nt known but dedfinetly one of my favourites

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LedZepLuver
01-28-2005

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I really don't get the lyrics in this song...but I thihnk as someone wondered above the promise land refers to well north america cause well...that where all bands seem to go to get famous, and well..when I listened to this song i always thought it was about someone who wnats to become famous with their band...but now i think it might be about someone who is famous with a band...am i thinking to literally??

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jon_merricks
07-16-2005

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mabe but ur probly right idk its probly one of them songs that really dont have a meaning


ne way this ong is the shiznat

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hawk_er_8
07-16-2005

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THIS SONG ROX! I think this song is about being a loser, and that eventually not everything will go ur way.

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IsmAvatar
09-19-2005

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This seems to tell the story about a woman who is fighting for the wrong/losing side. It reminds me a lot of America, and the freedom vs. protection fight.
"She hears them talk of new ways to protect the home she lives in,
Then she wonders what it's all about when they break down the door."

I'm thinking it might have something to do with the race movement, because of the reference to the Promised Land (King's speech) and "Her name is Brown or White or Black" and then the reference to a train (underground railroad). The price may have increased because it's harder to escape to freedom. If you walk, a lot of slaves broke free without the aid of the underground railroad.
Going back up to the top, "Her face is cracked from smiling, all the fears that she's been hiding" slaves had to hide their fears from their slaveholders else they'd get whipped until their skin cracked/bled.
"Her voice is sore from shouting...dance and sing in celebration" the way slaves sang about freedom.
Joining the band may mean joining the railroad.
"it seems pretty soon everybody's gonna know" eventually all the slaves will know about the railroad, and so will the slaveholders who will promptly up security.

I'm not sure why winning is considered with so much sarcasm. Perhaps a pessimistic view from a [ex-]slave?

I'm probably wrong, it's probably about something else, but hey, it fits pretty well.
I'm surprised there's not more comments on this song.
I love the dark undertone and the sarcasm, it just adds so much to the song. The pessimism really makes it interesting, added with the cryptic lyrics, it really makes you wonder (heh).

@roadrunner99: I'd like to see some justification for how it even vaguely relates to a pact with satan. I don't care if it might be a common and pessimistic view of zeppelin, it would still be interesting to see your interpretation of the song.

-Ism

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Nolesy101
06-09-2006

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There was actually supposed to be a drum intro to this song but on of the roadies accidently deleted over while trying to sneak a listen in the studio. After that he ran out of that place scared shitless. It's one of Zeppelin's greatest mysteries.

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seargent pepper
08-17-2006

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this song always reminds me of hicks, maybe cos the guitar at the begining sounds a bit like the banjo from deliverance,
lyrics dont make much sense to me, its more the fell of the song that gets to u i think

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scorpio6
08-22-2006

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One of Led Zeppelin's Greatest songs.

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laakss
09-17-2006

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This song is definately about race relations. IsmAvatar has it right, it's about slaves and how they were freed into a world in which they were hated. I think the "brown or white or black" part makes the song appliable to more than one race.

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70schic
12-14-2006

Rated 0 
one of my favorite songs!!!!!
I love Led Zepeplin

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Wintah
01-29-2007

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This song always reminded me of the Odyssey and how Penelope is left behind to a palace full of unruly suitors how take over her house. They of course sing the chorus being overjoyed at being in the "promised land", previously sacred to her marriage to Oddysseus. The final verse seems to refer to Odysseus whose journey was misguided and now has cost him dearly "But the price you pay to nowhere has increased a dollar more". The final line seems to reference the point in the book where Odysseus gets within miles of home then is thrown back across the sea, helpless to defend his home and wife "And when you see it in the distance you will wring your hands and moan."

Just a theory...

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Wintah
01-29-2007

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Just to add to the above, the line "And her voice is sore from shouting, cheering winners who are losing," seems to refer to Penelope desperately waiting for the return of Odysseus and his army who won the battle of Troy yet are "losing" as they are cursed by Poisedon.

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floyd7
03-22-2007

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i think the line is supposed to be "my my my im so crappy, im gonna join a band. i really hate this song, repeatative guitar riffs and plant writes about the stupidest things. zeppelin can do way better and zeppelin never does a great job. every song is just a screechy rant about "babe". the only reason they were successful was because they were the first to slam the guitar strings harder and sing louder. page is pretty good though, not on this song

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pink_floyd5959
04-02-2007

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Floyd7 I think the line is supposed to be my my my im so crappy, im gonna join a band. This song is pretty bad.

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pink_floyd5959
04-02-2007

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Floyd7 I think the line is supposed to be my my my im so crappy, im gonna join a band. This song is pretty bad.

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