Lyrics for No Quarter as interpreted by kevin

No Quarter Lyrics
Close the door, put out the light.
You know they won't be home tonight.
The snow falls hard and don't you know?
The winds of Thor are blowing cold.
They're wearing steel that's bright and true
They carry news that must get through.

They choose the path where no-one goes.

They hold no quarter.

Walking side by side with death, The devil mocks their every step
The snow drives back the foot that's slow, The dogs of doom are howling more
They carry news that must get through, To build a dream for me and you

They choose the path where no-one goes.

They hold no quarter. They ask no quarter.
The pain, the pain without quarter.
They ask no quarter.
The dogs of doom are howling more!

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napnip
04-13-2002

Rated 0 
I like this song because it has a "dark" quality to it, if that makes sense. It brings the mood down some.


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ramthar
04-16-2002

Rated 0 
i think this may be another Led Zeppelin song that borrows from Tolkien. i think it may have to do with when Aragorn and his army desperately needed to get to Gondor before it was over-run by Sauron's minions. The only way to get there fast enough was to use the Paths of the Dead. those "that wear steel that's bright and true, that carry news that must get through", could be Aragorn and his army, desperate in their attempts to reach Gondor before it was too late, who took the Paths of the Dead. Or, "the paths where no-one goes." and the dogs of doom could be the Wargs, wolves in the service of Sauron. and holding no quarter and asking no quarter in the fighting sense would be that they aren`t going to show mercy to the enemy nor ask mercy from the enemy.

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rhink
04-16-2002

Rated 0 
yeah, but in that part of the story, there wasn't any snow. It doesn't completely fit.

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Hilde
04-29-2002

Rated 0 
Nor Thor, but then again Led Zeppelin borrowed from Norse Myth as well.


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joepelli
05-06-2002

Rated 0 
I think Ram is pretty darn on the money. Good job on that.

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idiotic
05-13-2002

Rated 0 
have you all heard the tool version? i gives the song a whole new feel, check it out. both versions mean alot to me, and have the power of mood

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bennetto859
05-22-2002

Rated 0 
actually, there is a scene in the book when aragon's army crosses a mountain pass covered in snow, snow soo thick that it is nearly impossible to traverse

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uraniumgeranium
05-30-2002

Rated 0 
Okay, so Im not all into subliminal message crap, but hear me out on this one. I always thought that this song sounded like parts were recorded backward, so I played it backward on my computer and there is all this stuff like, "No one remembers him" and other weird things. I dont know what they are referring to but I thought it was pretty crazy. Okay so Im a dork! :)

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ÆnimaMan
06-21-2002

Rated 0 
This song is definatly about Lord of the Rings. Just listen to the lyrics. Its obvious. Idiotic is right. The Tool version of the song is awesome. You should totally check it out. You know that saying "nothing is as good as the original." Well this is one case where cover is as good as the led zep version.

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anifinder
09-28-2002

Rated 0 
I like listening to this song late at night, alone...It gives one an eerie feeling, that although you think you're alone, you aren't....especially during the excellent guitar parts. Anyway, that's just me.

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Muzzy
03-23-2003

Rated 0 
The song fuckin rocks. Such a creepy sound, love the fuzzy guitar too. One of their best.

Tool does a good cover of it.

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Ar3s
04-07-2003

Rated 0 
Tool's cover is very very good.

I think I may actually prefer it.
Obviously I put most of the credit led zep's way for writing such a great song, but Tool set a better mood for it I think.

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NicoleInWonderland
04-09-2003

Rated 0 
beautifully composed song. i love the feeling of tools version, its so different from this one. maynards voice is so chilling. yeah, this is a great song. led zepp is awesome.

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irie13
04-25-2003

Rated +2 
Based on everyone's feeback (and my own opinion), obviously the original song kicks ass. My question is, where's the personal connection to the band? Given the multitude of songs and titles in Led Zeppelin's cataloque, why did Plant & Page select "No Quarter" as the album title for their 1994 re-appearance? In my silly opinion, Plant experienced writer's block at a certain point during the 70's (most likely due to drug related memory loss, which isn't necessarily a bad thing) and therefore turned to his local library, whereby he stumbled upon celtic texts, and borrowed lyrical ideas for many of the songs written during that period. Though none of the band members realized it at the time--20 years later, use of the title "No Quarter", would secretly confirm the marketing-based fact that the Led Zeppelin fans will continue to finance any bogus "remastered" creativity produced decades before. Therefore, from a business perspective, the joke is on the fans, and no quarter is given in that regard. There's a reason why Page was nicknamed "Led Wallet", and coincidentally, he's produced (and re-mastered) everthing relating to Zeppelin since 1982. I'm a little drunk at the moment, and I just made that all up. However, any comments that refute the points I've made (if I've made any) shall clearly indicate that the person making such comments subscribes to bestiality-porn websites. G'nite

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NicoleInWonderland
04-29-2003

Rated 0 
???

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Krtski
06-11-2003

Rated 0 
This song frustrates me. Reason being that it just brings out so many questions. Luckily the reactions above help me a bit figuring out where this song came from. But still, its lyrics and its title are still very puzzling to me. I have an incredible urge to send an e-mail to Robert Plant (who, I assume, wrote the lyrics) and ask him to shed some more light on this songs lyrics. Maybe it's just meant to be mysterious and puzzling. I am, by the way, comforted by the fact that Robert Plant wrote nonsensical lyrics regularly (I don't know, but I've been told, big legged woman ain't got no soul). Nowadays he even claims that the lyrics of stairway to heaven are no good, so. But still, who can answer this question for me?: Why is this concept of holding or asking no quarter so central in this song? Is it (just a theory this) because the ethymology of the expression '(to give) no quarter' is so mysterious? I do think it has something to do with Robert Plant liking the words 'No Quarter' as a song title. It's not unlikely that he had the title first, around which he created this Tolkienesque story. Why else would he (and Jimmy Page) even give an album this title?

By the way, I love the Page and Plant version of this song. The use of echo in that version is great. It ads to the mysterious atmosphere of the song. Anyone who has seen the video that accompanied the 'No Quarter'-album knows that it's played live in a forest (presumably somewhere near Bron-Y-Aur, Snowdonia, Wales). Wouldn't it just have been absolutely grand if you would have been hiking in that forest , when suddenly, in the distance, you heard this rendition of 'No Quarter'? That is my vision of paradise.

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Krtski
06-11-2003

Rated 0 
Oh, and by tha way. I always thought the lyrics were 'hey, that's no quarter', in stead of 'the ask no quarter'. For that reason, I thought it was some sort of continuation of 'Gallows Pole', continuing the conversation with the hangman.

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Frosted
06-11-2003

Rated 0 
It seems more like the same idea as The Immigrant Song. The band is shown as a horde of Vikings (thus the references to Thor, and Valhalla in Immigrant Song) conquering unexplored lands.

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Clemth
06-20-2003

Rated +1 
Close the door, put out the light.
(Make like no one’s home, the Vikings are coming)
You know they won't be home tonight.
(The men of the city have gone to fight them)
The snow falls hard and don't you know?
(It’s probably blizzard like conditions outside, Vikings often came in the winter)
The winds of Thor are blowing cold.
(Thor, the main Viking god, blowing some damned cold winds)
They're wearing steel that's bright and true
(Vikings didn’t wear steel, but popular culture says that they did, along with those horned hats)
They carry news that must get through.
(They have to tell the countryside the Vikings have landed)
They choose the path where no-one goes.
(If referring to the townspeople, it’s to stay away from the Viking armies, if to the Vikings, than it’s the armies of the countryside)

They hold no quarter.
(Quarter means a sort of forced occupation, like; you demanded quarter of a house. So, it follows that the Vikings wouldn’t hold any quarter, they’d just slaughter and burn the hell out of the town)

Walking side by side with death, The devil mocks their every step
(It’s cold outside, many die on the long trip)
The snow drives back the foot that's slow, The dogs of doom are howling more
(In snow, wearing armor, you have to run, or you sink. The dogs of doom are Icelandic sheepdogs, a dog the Vikings took with them because of it’s hearty sprit, willingness to chase, and allegiance to it’s master)
They carry news that must get through, To build a dream for me and you
(If the news doesn’t get through, then the town is destroyed by Vikings)

They choose the path where no-one goes.
(See the last one, and the rest is self explanatory)

They hold no quarter. They ask no quarter.
The pain, the pain without quarter.
They ask no quarter.
The dogs of doom are howling more!

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1 Reply
Clemth
06-20-2003

Rated 0 
Close the door, put out the light.
(Make like no one’s home, the Vikings are coming)
You know they won't be home tonight.
(The men of the city have gone to fight them)
The snow falls hard and don't you know?
(It’s probably blizzard like conditions outside, Vikings often came in the winter)
The winds of Thor are blowing cold.
(Thor, the main Viking god, blowing some damned cold winds)
They're wearing steel that's bright and true
(Vikings didn’t wear steel, but popular culture says that they did, along with those horned hats)
They carry news that must get through.
(They have to tell the countryside the Vikings have landed)
They choose the path where no-one goes.
(If referring to the townspeople, it’s to stay away from the Viking armies, if to the Vikings, than it’s the armies of the countryside)
They hold no quarter.
(Quarter means a sort of forced occupation, like; you demanded quarter of a house. So, it follows that the Vikings wouldn’t hold any quarter, they’d just slaughter and burn the hell out of the town)
Walking side by side with death, The devil mocks their every step
(It’s cold outside, many die on the long trip)
The snow drives back the foot that's slow, The dogs of doom are howling more
(In snow, wearing armor, you have to run, or you sink. The dogs of doom are Icelandic sheepdogs, a dog the Vikings took with them because of it’s hearty sprit, willingness to chase, and allegiance to it’s master)
They carry news that must get through, To build a dream for me and you
(If the news doesn’t get through, then the town is destroyed by Vikings)
They choose the path where no-one goes.
(See the last one, and the rest is self explanatory
They hold no quarter. They ask no quarter.
The pain, the pain without quarter.
They ask no quarter.
The dogs of doom are howling more!

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johnny1031
04-18-2004

Rated 0 
Anyone who's ever written lyrics knows that you don't sit down with a book and carefully research each line. It just comes out of you, and in the case of Zeppelin very nicely. Read the lyrics to That's the Way and you'll see what I mean. I'll admit, as is the case with Battle of Evermore, you people seem to have done your homework, and it does make sense. I just find it hard to believe Plant sat down and researched this to the extent it's taken to decipher it, that's all. Tolkien just works organically with Zeppelin, so it just works well to convey the mood, that's all.

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Ben2k9
04-29-2004

Rated 0 
this song is so brilliant, it just shows that Zep where untouchable, they're at the height of their powers here.

very creepy, extremely complex recording techniques where required to produce this. First, Page and Jones played the song all the way through while Plant sung with a destortion mic; then, they slowed the song down; after that Jones added the piano solo and Bonham drummed to the final version while it was playing. Just shows how much effort they put into this, thats why it sounds so creapy and cold because it was slowed down.

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darkspot
05-16-2004

Rated 0 
Amazing song.

I'm not into the LoTR, so I wouldn't pick anything of that nature out of the song. But the first thing I thought of when I heard the "they have no quarter" line was about this thing in Greek mythology ... where dead souls have to cross the River Styx to get into Hades, the land of the dead. But they can only get across if they have a coin to give to the ferryman, Charon.

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Mjollnir
06-24-2004

Rated 0 
I don't think it has anything to do with lord of the rings. I'm thinking it's strictly borrowed from Norse lore. I can't recall what story though.

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corrente
07-04-2004

Rated 0 
With me being the Norse Mythology buff that I am, I realized that the song doesn't have anything to do w/LoTR. Instead it's about Ragnarok, the final battle before the end of the world and the world is re-born. The news that must get through is the war starting. They hold no quater is in reference to the fact that all of the warriors under Odin's command leave Valhalla and begin to fight. No quater meaning that they have no place to stay. The snow talks about the three ice-ages that fall upon the world before Ragnarok starts. Finally, the part about death walking next to them goes to the Valkyries that pick up fallen warriors. As much as any of us like LoTR here, this song is not about it. Sorry to disapoint.

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