Have any of you looked on Dictionary.com.

Kash·mir ( P ) Pronunciation Key (kshmîr, ksh-mîr)

also Cash·mere (kshmîr, ksh-mîr) A historical region of northwest India and northeast Pakistan. Conquered by the Mogul emperor Akbar 1586, it later came under the control of Afghanistan (1757) and a Sikh empire (1819). After 1846 it was part of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir.
See Jammu and Kashmir.

back in december that eagles fan said Led Zeppelin never incorporated religion in their music. This is true just as the eagles winning the superbowl...lol...remember the song"The Battle of Evermore" all dealing with the end of times , found in revelation

Being a HUGE Zep fan, I love this song, but I always change it because its just too long and monotonous for me. lol
Excellent lyrics tho

To jimmer-the-great: You are unfortunately not alone, but please don't show us your ignorance again:

"3 The lyrics talk about a lost Shangrala, which is in Kashmir."

If you had an ounce of education you would know that no such place called Shangrala (sic) nor Shangri-La which I presume you mean. Shangri-La is a made-up place and represents utopia or paradise. It comes from an imaginary land in James Hilton's 'Lost Horizon'.

Besides this error, you made another, which if you were a true Led Zep fan you would not have done: The lyrics do not mention a "lost Shangrala". In fact, the word "lost" does not even appear in the lyrics.

What does this song mean/say to me?

excerted from my poem:
♫ IT'S ALL ABOUT THE MUSIC! ♫
(a poem-novelette)(petit romantasy)
(about the new "No Quarter" DVD Page/Plant)

(verse 11 of 32)

"(sutra rules) Kashmir's "Islands In The Stream" rite of passage,(DP)
(innerlovelightbodyflight)("Magic Carpet Ride")(S)

(mantra oomms) You send me, there now, I believe in the adage,
(sparklers ! alight) (down a guitar popsicle slide~)

(tantra.com) "Drops Of Jupiter"/'s in Leo, truth message conveyer,
(vision questin')(totem-owl!)(T) "OBE"&"2012"(EL)

(yantra looms) Lotus "wildflower" the jewelry of my love, in my hair
*:) (joystick gyrating pitch airship; ballonet)(SY) "

Kashmir is not about a physical place. It is a 'spiritual' story about a movement in our Soul/Spirit, an astral (inner love golden lightbody) (alchemy) flight. Some might refer to it as an Out Of Body Experience or meditation, but it is going inwards to the Light at our core. (apprently the average out-of-body flight is about 10 minutes, a 10-minute cycle love/fear; fear or negativity can 'ground' you. LoL.) One travels thru the slipstream or pipeline of your focus. (conscious, subconscious, (collective unconscious), superconsciousness (and back again). You can go where and when you wish. There is no time there, no past, no future, only the Now moment (a zen term). The elders are those who have ascended and who's work it is to be at the ready when our own or Earth's ascension/enlightenment occurs. (Venus transited the Sun last year and we are entering our golden age.) Even though, when there, one's thoughts are cystal clear, and one is "an open face" (that is, consciousness without a mundane body; the substance/energy we're made up is a bouncing 'Love" -- because your thoughts, your 'word's have energy).
We hear the soundless/unstruck sounds of the primordial hum and voices of the masters; we comprehend it, but how does one translate the sound/music?
"Music is the song of Universe. And this music depends on us to add to it and experience it." and interpret it. (Author Unknown)
"wasted land" is another zen term.
"pilot of the storm who leaves no trace" is a zen term.
IMHO, Shangri-La is the paradise beyond this Earthly paradise. Our Earthly paradise we all have helped to create for ourselves -- (even though Earth has been claimed by Lucifier)/and so we live in universe of good/evil polarities (god = god/goddess = Light), however, at the core it is Unconditional Love; we are all One. "Go...create...as you have been created."
"Seeking Oneness is a road to happiness."...Buddha
"...father of the four winds, fill my sails..." is a zen term.
From a Native American Vision Quest:
"I pray to the four directions.....hear me.
I pray to the West which gives us rest and reflection.
I thank you for these gifts for without them we could not live.
I pray to the North which gives us patience and purity.
I thank you for these gifts for without them we could not live.
I pray to the East which gives us energy and emotions.
I thank you for these gifts for without them we could not live.
I pray to the South which gives us discipline and direction.
I thank you for these gifts for without them we could not live.
Grandmother, share with me your wisdom, and I thank you for this gift.
Grandfather, share with me your strength, and I thank you for this gift."
**
"straits of fear": even in the greater All That Is, we still have our inherent, primordial fear...the idea is not to overcome the fear...but sail or fly thru it keeping Love as the motivator. In the spiritual universe/dimensions, at our core, which calls to us (the Piper's clarion call), we are a spark of energetic Light and we communicate not with words but the Soulspeak of our energetic sound, our understanding, vibration or raised frequency; our Word (...and the Word was Light (God)). God said, "let there be Light", and the Goddess answered, "...and there is Light" (supra-consciousness, en-light-enment).
Our Soulspeak is not our Earthy personality language. Here, Spirit manifests thru our astrological star signs, the physical universe; but as above, so below means spiritually as well. (Not Religion, no no, but Spirit/Soul unfettered by religion.)
**
"Let me take you there"...he wishes all of us to experience/go there. If he could he would take us all. I'd like to go there with him too.
There are people (every one of us potentially) called Lightworkers who are trying to bring Heaven to Earth, just as Earth is also increasing its frequency/vibration/dimension...in this age of ascending.

STH, Going To California, The Song Remains The Same, and Tangerine also touch on this subject. Robert's new song, "Shine It All Around" from Mighty Rearranger also speaks of the Love Light.

Blue skies and flowers @>--`--,
Lyrica
J+@

can anyone tell me what shangri-la (in the 5th verse) means?? oh and this song is too beautiful and sounds too meaningful to be about drugs.

1. this song is a "brother" to When the Levee Breaks.
2. the lyrics are shadows if merely read, they must be heard with the music.
3. "Shangri-La" is separate. As "Levee" the song is "down" but the music around Shangri-La is "up." Zeppelin represents downfall as in a "Led" dirigible must crash. But inside the doomed vehicle is Shangri-La (see the ikon on the record label, Icarus or Dadealus?) that flies and is freed. "Will return again." and "all will be revealed."

I'm sure that no one will read all the way to the 800 and some odd comments BUT, just in case....to clear up the confusion about "Come With Me" song with Puff Daddy (on the Godzilla soundtrack), it wasn't Tom Morello (one awesome guitarist I should add.) on guitar. I saw a special on MTV when it came out, and it WAS Jimmy Page on guitar. He actually re-recorded the guitar backing, and sent it to Puffy.
Also I'd like to add that I think TOOL sampled a part of Kashmir for their song "Sober." Which may be one of the reasons why Maynard James Keenan actually did a live version of Kashmir with Jane's Addiction for one show on the Lollapalooza tour a year or 2 ago. It kicked ass! Download it if you can, definitley worth the listen!

ok. frankly i'm not a big zeppelin fan... not that i dont love their music... just havent heard enough of it yet. still i'd like to comment cause i think it's a beautiful song.

i dont think the song is just about one particular thing. in my opinion they've written about many things that are related to each other or that they associate with one another.

when plant says that its inspired by the fact that this strip of land just goes on and on between these somewhat elevated pieces of land on both sides i DO think it has something to do with Kashmir (located in India according to Indians and a part of Pakistan according to Pakistanis... dispute continues). Kashmir is no man's land. once described as Paradise on Earth, its seen too much war and death since The Partition (Pakistan was part of one huge India before the Partition). kashmir is supposed to be peaceful, serene. a relaxed and rather retired sort of atmosphere. only those who are extremely old can remember a time when kashmir was like this and they probably live in hope that kashmir will return to kashmir as it was before.

i could compare the sun burning everything, to bombs destroying mercilessly.

there's india and there's pakistan and in between is a strip of disputed land- kashmir. the dispute seems to go on and on and on. there seems to be no answer.

To Ereinion,
Shangri-La is a mythical, non-existant place. It represents Utopia. It can also be called the Garden of Eden. It is a peaceful and beautiful place. This mythical place was actually wonderfully featured in the amazing movie "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow."

Also, any song can be about drugs. A song can't be "to beautiful to be about drugs." There is a wonderful song by a band that not many know anymore (unfortunatey) called Emerson, Lake, and Palmer (ELP). They played keyboard and synth rock, like Yes. They have an absolutely amazing song called Pirates (the lyrics of which I posted on this site under ELP; it's a song I recommend heavily, so download it). The most popular interpretation of the song is that it's about an acid trip. But it is a very melodic, and beautiful song.

I believe Kashmir is about many different things, and one of them is the calm, peacefull state of the high on some (though not all) drugs.

The only interpretation I am getting sick of the Tolkian one. I know Led Zeppelin was obsessed with Tolkien and the tales of Middle Earth. But can't they have at least a few songs that don't have to do with Middle Earth? Is that possible, or are we that desperate to attach a solid meaning to their music?

This is my favorite Zepp song. In my opinion, this beats Stairway by a mile.

Im wearing a kasmire thong right now. By the way Melvana you need to pull the needle out of your arm and nobody likes your opinion not even you own mother.

Kashmir is both in Pakistan and India. It's not "definitely" in India. Shangri La, the resort located in a beautiful valley is in Pakistan. This resort, however, was built in 1982.

http://www.shangrilaresorts.com.pk/overview/shangrila%20resort%20hotel.jpg

This is a great song. You cannot truly define what it's about...

Many Led Zeppelin songs preach Tolkein. This may very well be one.

However, many also preach random philosophies. You'll be amazed the shit you'll think up when you're high. Some of it can actually make sense.

I hate how rap artists rip this song off; First P Diddy, and then Eminem with his fuckin' 8 Mile Crap. Oh well.

I personally think this can be interpereted as a person reflecting on what he sees going on in the world. People hating, world dying, happiness failing...

Those who haven't started killing the planet being the members of the elder race. Y'know. Nomads and things. I dunno. It's 5 in the morning. I didn't sleep. I need some fuckin' coffee... But yea, that could definitely be something to think about, instead of taking it to a political level... I personally doubt a band like Led Zeppelin cared about politics. Pioneers of Rock and Roll, they probably cared more about, well, everything else.

I say its all imagery experienced while being high, that seemed awfully similar to the Kashmir region of India. Which then was related to the Lord of the Rings in later drafts

I thought it was about his sweater..am I missing sumething?

Just adding my few cents here, one of the tribes in the Sahara called the Dogon have amazing knowledge of a star called Sirius and a planet that orbits it, which is not visible with the naked eye. The Dogon have had this knowledge for centuries and the legend goes that they got it from "space travellers", which may have absolutely nothing to do with this song, but it always makes me think of it. Also when he mentions the straits of fear, i always think of the Strait of Gibralter which isn't a million miles away, but is probably unconnected

Everyone seems to think that songs can only mean one thing. It is a fact that this was written while Plant was going through Africa. You can tell just from listening that it has an Arab feel. But it also has so much more to say that that. The Lopper, I bet both those things you said are very much related to the song. Plant said himself he took a very long time with his lyrics. Every word he writes in these types of songs have a meaning. He wasn't just throwing stuff out there.

I have not completely analyzed this song but I will post later and give my oppinion, but you can tell that this song has meaning miles deep. Read the first paragraph and think......Wow, just let that sink in...Powerful stuff right there

U IDIOTS WHO KEEP SAYING KAHMIR IS A DISPUTED REGION BETWEEN INDIA AND PAKISTAN SHOULD ACTUALLY READ SOME OF THE POSTS!!! EVERYONE ALREADY KNOWS THAT!!! THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS THAT EVEN THOUGH THE SONG IS CALLED KASHMIR IT WAS INSPIRED BY THE BANDS VOYAGE IN NORTH AFRICA. PLEASE READ THE POSTS BEFORE ASUMING PEOPLE HERE ARE STUPID!
Thank You!

its about drugs

all i know is that it's THE greatest rock song of all time *case closed*

well to me the song is making connections btween the arabs and the elves
we in the western world often view the arabs as a
dangerous and strange people
like in lotr the men of the west view the elves as a dangerous and strange people i think this may be
talking about the prejiduce views of the western civilisation on other cultures

led zeppelin makes me love sick!!!

i think that's a little over the top, virtus.

Actually,, Kashmir is a northern state of india and its known as the heaven on earth,, yes, its that beautiful,, but pakistan wants a part of it and they are sending terrorist into the region,, so nobody visits there anymore, because of that,,,,, its still beautiful, if you have the balls,, go visit it