Ramble On

"Ramble On" is a song by English rock band Led Zeppelin from their 1969 album Led Zeppelin II. It was co-written by Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, and was recorded in 1969 at Juggy Sound Studio, New York, during the band's second concert tour of the United States.

The song's lyrics were heavily influenced by The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien. The opening line ("Leaves are falling all around") is probably a paraphrase of the opening line of Tolkien's poem "Namárië". The poem may also be the inspiration for the entire first verse.

The Tolkien references later in the song refer to the adventures of either Frodo Baggins as he travels to Mordor, or that of Aragorn as he has to choose between staying with his love Arwen (Elrond's daughter) or going to destroy the Ring in Mordor:

Mine's a tale that can't be told, My freedom I hold dear; How years ago in days of old When magic filled the air, T'was in the darkest depths of Mordor I met a girl so fair. But Gollum, and the evil one crept up And slipped away with her.

References to the work of Tolkien also exist in other Led Zeppelin songs, such as "Bron-Y-Aur Stomp", "Misty Mountain Hop", and "The Battle of Evermore".

The guitar's jangly introduction employs a classic Jimmy Page technique: using regular open chords superimposed higher on the fretboard. Often mistaken for bongos, drummer John Bonham is actually hitting a bodhran throughout the song.

The song also serves as a classic illustration of the tight interplay between bassist John Paul Jones and drummer John Bonham. Jones' light, melodic bass phrases give way to a clever ascending motif which follows Bonham's bass drum.

Live performances
Until 2007 "Ramble On" was never performed live in its entirety at Led Zeppelin concerts. However, part of the song was performed by the band in the middle of "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You" at a concert at Toronto on 2 November 1969, as can be heard on the Led Zeppelin bootleg Listen to my Bluebird. The full version of the song was played at Led Zeppelin's reunion show on 10 December 2007, at the O2 Arena in London.

In 2004, the song was ranked #433 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.