What Is and What Should Never Be by Led Zeppelin Lyrics Meaning – Unveiling the Deep-Seated Soul Searching
Lyrics
Take my hand, child come with me
It’s to a castle I will take you
Where what’s to be, they say will be
Catch the wind, see us spin
Sail away leave today
Way up high in the sky, hey, whoa
But the wind won’t blow
You really shouldn’t go
It only goes to show
That you will be mine
By takin’ our time, ooh
And if you say to me tomorrow
Oh what fun it all would be
Then what’s to stop us, pretty baby
But what is and what should never be
Catch the wind, see us spin
Sail away, leave today
Way up high in the sky, hey whoa
But the wind won’t blow
You really shouldn’t go
Only goes to show
That you will be mine
By takin’ our time, ooh
So if you wake up with the sunrise
And all your dreams are still as new
And happiness is what you need so bad
Girl, the answer lies with you, yeah
Catch the wind, see us spin
Sail away, leave today
Way up high in the sky, hey whoa
But the wind won’t blow
You really shouldn’t go
Only goes to show
That you will be mine
By takin’ our time, ooh
Hey, oh
Oh the wind won’t blow and we really shouldn’t go
And it only goes to show-ow-ow
Catch the wind, we’re gonna see it spin
We’re gonna sail, little girl
Do do do, bop bop a do-oh
My my my my my my my yeah
Everybody I know seems to know me well
But does anybody know I’m gonna move like hell
Baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, oh, Lord
Baby, baby, baby, oh, right now, yeah
No, no, no, no, no, come on, now
At the heart of Led Zeppelin’s musical odyssey sits ‘What Is and What Should Never Be’, a song that ensnares the spirit of the late 60s transcendence with its bluesy undertones and psych-rock aspirations. Psychedelic to its core and unmistakably Zeppelin, the song is an exploration of alternate realities and the internal dialogues haunting the freedom-seeking youth of the era.
This profound track on the iconic ‘Led Zeppelin II’ album married Robert Plant’s impassioned vocals with Jimmy Page’s distinctively dreamy guitar riffs. The resulting harmony was not just a song, but an anthem etched with the timeless struggle between desire and restraint, whimsy and reality.
The Gateway to a Castle in the Sky: Escapism or Insight?
The opening lines of the song serve as an invitation to a fantastical escape, a journey ‘to a castle’ where predetermined fate awaits. It’s a calling to break free from the mundane, to explore what lies beyond the tangible. But the real question is whether this castle represents a tangible aspiration or if it’s a metaphor for the untapped potential within the dreamer.
This escapism is entwined with the acceptance of a predestined future. The words ‘what’s to be, they say will be’ dually acknowledge a surrendering to fate and a nod to free will’s potency—in deciding to take the journey, the character chooses his destiny.
The Siren’s Call to Adventure and Its Inevitable Hesitation
The chorus speaks of seizing the day, of ‘catch[ing] the wind’ and spinning into a new adventure. Yet, the contradicting lines ‘But the wind won’t blow’ and ‘You really shouldn’t go’ act as the voice of reason against the siren’s call, highlighting the perennial human conflict between desire and conscience.
The wind, potentially symbolic of change and opportunity, is at an impasse, suggesting that a leap of faith is often countered by fear or practicality. It’s this acknowledgment of a duality within us all that turns the song into a mirror, reflecting our own hesitations.
Unraveling the Love Song Within: Passion’s Pleading Voice
Below the surface of a seemingly whimsical song about castles and wind lies a more intimate layer—a love song. The lines ‘Then what’s to stop us, pretty baby / But what is and what should never be’ lament the constraints that reality imposes on romantic ideals.
This is a lover speaking to a beloved, conjecturing a world in which they could be together without limitations. Yet the ‘should never be’ conjures up societal norms, circumstances, or personal doubts that often stand in the way of such romantic interludes, despite the heart’s yearning.
The Hidden Meaning: A Reflection on Personal Development
While the song may first appear as a tale of romantic escapade or existential daydream, its true essence may lie deeper in a narrative of personal growth. ‘And all your dreams are still as new / And happiness is what you need so bad / Girl, the answer lies with you,’ strikes the chord of individual responsibility in finding one’s happiness.
Placing the key to fulfillment firmly in one’s own hands, these lines encourage self-reliance and introspection. The song flirts with the idea that despite our collective yearning for change, it is only through our conscious efforts that we can transform ‘what should never be’ into ‘what is.’
The Lyrical Tapestry: Memorable Lines That Resonate Through Time
Each verse and chorus are woven into a lyrical tapestry, with strings of memorable phrases standing out: ‘Everybody I know seems to know me well / But does anybody know I’m gonna move like hell.’ Here lies the tension between external perception and internal resolution—the gap between how others see us and how we see ourselves.
The notion of moving ‘like hell,’ of undiscovered resolve, invites listeners to confront their impetus for change and growth. By harnessing the energy of these lines, the song sends out a rallying cry for the listener’s introspection and strikes at the core of a universal struggle to reconcile inner truth with outer reality.
