Lyrics for Four Sticks as interpreted by kevin

Four Sticks Lyrics
Oh, Baby, it's cryin' time, Oh, Baby, I got to fly.
Got to try to find a way, Got to try to get away,
'Cause you know I gotta get away from you, Babe.

Oh, Baby, the river's red, Oh, Baby, in my head.
There's a funny feelin' goin' on, I don't think I can hold out long.

*And when the owls cry in the night, Oh, Baby, Baby, when the pines begin to cry,
Baby, Baby, Baby, how do you feel? If the river runs dry, Baby,
How do you feel?

Craze, Baby, the rainbow's end, Baby, it's just a den
For those who hide, Who hide their love to depths of life
And ruin dreams that we all knew so, Babe.

* Chorus

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  • 43 Comments
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ramthar
04-16-2002

Rated 0 
Bonham plays this song with two sticks in each hand - pretty damn impressive drumming.

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Bite Me
05-09-2002

Rated 0 
Where did you hear that. ramthar? Why would he? Anyone? Anyone?

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ramthar
05-15-2002

Rated 0 
i think i read that in the book that comes with the Led Zeppelin Box set, and he did it because he could. Zeppelin also sort of had a thing for giving their songs titles that have nothing to do with the lyrics of the song. "Four Sticks" and "Black Dog" are two such songs (black dog was named after a stray dog that was hanging around the studio that they were recording that album at).

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toolucky1234
04-22-2003

Rated 0 
he did it because you can do more with 4 sticks than you can with 2, the drums on the song were so complex that they required 4 sticks, ramthar is right, the song required 4 sticks just because he was one of the few drummers on the planet that could use 4 sticks

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Ben2k9
05-09-2003

Rated 0 
i think this is one of the sadly under-rated songs on the album, IMO its great!

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kingmikeking
07-02-2003

Rated 0 
i think it is the worst song on the album. but i do not mean that in a negative way at all. it is just my least favorite song on IV, however it is one of my all time favorite zeppelin songs. i just love the album so much, one of my top three, and i'm never quite sure what order those are in...

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Muzzy
07-03-2003

Rated 0 
Kingmike I was gonna say that exact same thing. I always end up skipping over this song, I mean it's a decent song but when you got the other 7 songs, 7 of the best rock songs ever, it don't seem all that great.

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jethrotull6352
04-09-2004

Rated 0 
Although this song would not make the top five or so of the album it is still a very good song with spectacular drums and a solid guitar riff. I definitly would not skip it on any account.

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The Cheat
06-30-2004

Rated 0 
I'm generally the kind of person that likes the underrated songs...I absolutely love this song...especially the bridge

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roadrunner99
09-22-2004

Rated 0 
Middle fagots(sticks) of the Silver Star.

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petox
11-07-2004

Rated 0 
This is what I read from an interview with Jimmy Page (from a reliable guitar mag): Bonham used 4 sticks on this because they had seen The Who play and ...aghh...memory is failing.. but Bonzo wanted to show up the Who drummer and so when they went to record the song he grabbed 4 sticks and played his heart out

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ZepHead379One
01-15-2005

Rated 0 
yeah petox, there's some history btw Zep and The Who's drummer, Keith Moon. Led Zeppelin's name was going to be "The New Yardbirds", but when Keith told Page their careers would crash "like a lead zeppelin", they changed it to spite him. the "a" was taken out so ppl wouldn't think it was "lead" as in "lead singer"

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JosephWolf
01-16-2005

Rated 0 
Instead of talking about Bonhams cool drumming.......................... I think it's about this man who has to ramble and get away from his girl. It's kind of obvious he's in the wilderness. Reminds me of Oregon for some reason.

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Delvis
02-26-2005

Rated 0 
Had a Jungle type feeling when I first heard it.

The lyrics here are nothing special, but the drumming here is awesome.

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LZwasgood
03-20-2005

Rated 0 
As an avid Zep fan and longtime percussionist myself, I can say that the drumming itself isn't impossible if you're a good drummer(still difficult), but the verse in 5/4, and it was quite a revolutionary song when it came out. it didn't really catch on when it was written. It never really did. I've always liked it. But if you want spectacular percussion, I would still say moby dick live was the greatest spectacle on earth.

in a recording though, it doesn't come off nearly so well (to me anyways). I would say then it would be manic depression, that was my first really really hard song that i learned. Brilliant that. Mitch Mitchell wasn't nearly the man John Bonham was, but that song is AMAZING.

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Emporer_Ezekeil
01-02-2006

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Keith Moon wasn't talking about the 'New Yardbirds'. Moon, Entwhistle, Page, and I think Beck(maybe not, i don't remember) were going to make a band together and Moon said they were going down like a led balloon. But Moon and Entwhistle got back with Who and all was well. Apparently Page's friends and stuff said that he used to where a necklace of a zeppelin or something though and always liked it which may have contributed to the name as well

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captainInsanity
01-17-2006

Rated 0 
i love this song not shure what its about but the beat is great and i love how robert plant sings it

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RebeLeader
02-17-2006

Rated 0 
this may not be the best zeppelin song but its lightyears ahead of half of the shit that people call music these days

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rurikbloodaxe
02-23-2006

Rated 0 
I saw Zep three times throughout the 70's. Live. I'm old school now, but listen to all the new bands (except rap), and Zep still lives, although i'm partial to Puddle of Mudd and Collective Soul.

Anyways, Bonham indeed used FOUR DRUMSTICKS in this song. He was a freak, a huge man pounding on a huge drumset, his sweat-soaked hair flying every which way. I was honored to record a song with my own band back in the 80's in the same recording studio that some of IV albums songs were recorded in.

Can you think of one band that twists your mind and emotions and creates a WORLD to live in other than Zeppelin? I can't.

Four Sticks... Bonham's gift to the world. Those who think it rates less than the other songs on the album, it isn't a CONTEST, baby. The whole album is plugged into the Universe and your reality. Can't separate them.... glad to see that younger listeners know musical magic when they hear it.... Zep Rules...

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WYWH
03-14-2006

Rated 0 
Ironic, isn't it, that two common names for that untitled album are "Four" and "Sticks"?

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BWIdrummerTAG
03-26-2006

Rated 0 
every song on the album is good in its own way. I thnk this song is in a really cool time signature, like the crunge. but anyway, yeah the drumming in this song rocks. I used to think there was a razor going during the instrumental verse part, has anyone else heard that?

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FJ777
03-26-2006

Rated 0 
Yeah i thought i had heard razors but then i looked down and realized i had cut myself with a razor whoooops

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FJ777
03-26-2006

Rated 0 
Yeah i thought i had heard razors but then i looked down and realized i had cut myself with a razor whoooops

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Nolesy101
06-09-2006

Rated 0 
This song is so brilliant. The drums are the show in this song just like so mnay other Zeppelin songs. Least favourite song on IV but still nonetheless amazing.

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feedme216
08-01-2006

Rated 0 
John Bonham's decision to play the song with four sticks was a result of him being very frustrated with not being able to get the track down right. After he grabbed the second pair of sticks and beat the drums as hard as he could, he recorded the perfect take and that was the one they kept.

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