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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BlackDog
12-31-2004

Rated 0 
I'm pretty sure Clemth is right about the meaning of the song although after reading all these posts I'm starting to think that Joel's idea might actually be the correct one. This song has such a creepy atmosphere. Plant's vocals here send shivers down my spine. Amazing song.

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ledzeppelin
12-20-2004

Rated 0 
led zeppelin came wayyyy before radiohead

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iwantout
12-08-2004

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It is a song with a lot of great feelings and atmosphere. It just sounds so creepy, yet it's so good! This was used in the movie "The Song Remains The Same" (the Zep video) for, ummm, I'm pretty sure John Paul Jones' part. Correct me if I'm wrong. It was his idea, his song, from what I have read, heard, etc., and I think that it turned out beautifully. He was always the quiet one, so this little victory is well deserved!
*Plant and Page used this as the title in "Plant and Page: No Quarter- Unledded", and I always felt that was mean to Jones, since they never included him in that thing (news flash- he WAS part of Led Zeppelin! Don't block him out!!).

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Dissectional88
12-04-2004

Rated 0 
This song was originally wrote by Radiohead.

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Joel
12-01-2004

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ah i think its a song about being tough( they hold no quarter, they ask no quarter) could be that they give no mercy and ask none, or it oculd mean that as they are kind of trailblazers( those who take the road where no one goes), and therefore they hold no quarters i.e living space. there also seems to be some feeling of isolation(, also the tone is cold and dark... where no one gooooes), it might be a song about how tough those are who go it alone, but bring back news of their adentures, identities( the carry news that must get through). There is also religious imagery here ( the devil mocks their every step) and while they endure pain they ask for no mercy for themselves( see jesus). to me it really is about those who forge new paths( jesus, aragorn, the vikings) or take their own path. and teh pain of doing so.

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Dissectional88
11-16-2004

Rated 0 
This song is about Lotr. Probably when they are passing through the mountains and have to go through the mountain with the orcs and yeah. btw, the Tool cover is great, altough they left all the Lotr stuff out, you gotta respect that, Lotr is Zeppelins thing.

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FahQ_Nigel
11-02-2004

Rated 0 
wow, um, yeah. Best Zep song ever?? Hah, maybe not, but def. up there.

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TenYears_Gone
10-17-2004

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Reagan: Zeus is the Greek god of thunder, not the Norse.
Philidelphia: Good job, but I'm not sure about that ZoSo part. No one knows what ZoSo means except for Paige; he's only told Plant once, and he forgot. As for Thor being Satan, I really doubt that. This is the first time I've heard that he is Satan; he's always been the god of thunder. I think it's just supposed to be a sort of kenning; such as "gray-eyed Athena": something to add to put the Norse gods in the song. Plus, it sounds pretty cool.

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Philadelphia Eagles
10-15-2004

Rated 0 
Trust me, I know thor is satan. I know what I'm talking about.

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ledzeppelin
10-14-2004

Rated 0 
in norse mythology thor is the god of thunder...not satan...

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ronald_reagan
10-14-2004

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sorry, but zeus is the god of thunder.

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ledzeppelin
10-14-2004

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oh and thor is not the same thing as satan in any way...thor is the god of thunder...

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ledzeppelin
10-14-2004

Rated 0 
this has to be one of my favorite songs by them. maybe even my favorite song. i love just laying on the floor motionless in the dark listening to this song. it gives me a high. its intense.

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Diablosniper
10-13-2004

Rated 0 
creepy song

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Philadelphia Eagles
10-10-2004

Rated 0 
I've just found out Thor is the same thing as Satan. That just adds to the validity of my explanation.

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x_nikole_x
10-05-2004

Rated 0 
This song is amazing. I don't really know enough about mythology or Lord of the Rings to really be able to compare and contrast the song to either of them, but this song definitely gives you this eerie feeling. It's one of my favourites of Zeppelin.

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Philadelphia Eagles
10-02-2004

Rated 0 
This is easily one of my favorite Led Zeppelin song. It's so unbelieveably brilliant. This song, I thought, used to be a little creepy, I don't think so now, I love the fuzzy guitar sound. I think this in one of Plant's best songs too.

As for the meaning, I'm not really sure, I do know "no Quarter" is a pirate phrase meaning "no mercy".

Then there's the line "The pain, the pain without quarter." and then "They hold no quarter. They ask no quarter."

And they do have refrences to the "dogs of doom". The "dogs of doom" here might be a refrence to Jimmy Page's ZoSo emblem. A "ZoSo" is a 3-headed dog that guardes the gates of hell.

With that said, I think this song is about hell. "No Mearcy" "dogs of doom", it's clear to me. Since Norse idol "Thor" is mentioned, this might be about Norse idea of hell rather than the Monotheistic hell.

Do you guys agree, or am I way off???? Please give feedback.

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roadrunner99
09-22-2004

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

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corrente
07-04-2004

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Also, Thor is the Norse god of Thunder and the son of Odin. He carried a hammer called Mjollnir. On the day of Ragnarok, Thor will kill the Midgard Serpent but then he will die of the serpent's poisin. Any questions on Norse mythology go to http://pantheon.org/areas/mythology/europe/norse/
This site will also help with other Zeppelin songs.

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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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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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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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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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johnny1031
04-18-2004

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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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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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