Led Zeppelin - Over the Hills and Far Away - Lyrics Meaning

This song is included on the 1973 album Houses of the Holy. The central theme of the song is about going out and living life. The band is urging the listener to move outside of their comfort zone and gain some perspective from all that life has to offer. The title of the song is a reference to England, which is where the band is from. Many travelers from the United Kingdom who are living or working in the United States refer to their homeland as "over the hills and far away'.

Throughout the song, lead singer Robert Plant repeats the word "many". He says many times he has loved, listened, lied and dreamt. This is Plant telling his audience what he has experienced and how much he has lived. The "open road" is perspective and he sings that he has opened his mind through his travels. The song was written over two years before it appeared on Houses of the Holy and the band wrote it after an extended tour through America when they had returned to the United Kingdom and were taking a break in the Welsh countryside. The "pocket full of gold" is not material wealth, but rather a richness of experiences the band has taken from their travels. At the end of the song, Plant tells us that ultimately the word "many" is an ambiguous term and even though he thinks he has seen much of the world, his idea of much or "many" may be nothing compared to the listener's. The bottom line is that everyone should have their own unique experiences in order to find happiness and fullness in life.