dpat Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 "...I got a date I can't be late for the __________________?" We all know the official lyric sheet on the album cover lists it as 'high hopes hailla ball,' but to my loud-music-beaten ears it sounds nothing like it. Sounds more like: "for the hell I'm head for," "for the hellfire that must fall" "for the hellfire and its spore"* (hence the mushroom reference in the flick?) "for the hellhound and its spawn" Any thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunray782 Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 The CD sleeve says: "Got a date, can't be late for the high hopes hailla ball" Which isn't what he says but Wikipedia says this about that line: "The song is also known for a lyric intentionally misprinted on the insert sleeve of the LP. A lyric referring to "The Hellhound" (a homage to Robert Johnson who, as legend has it, could not have received such talent without meeting the devil and his "hellhound" at the "crossroads") was deemed unfit to print in the lyric sheet and was changed to the nonsense phrase "high hopes hailla"." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 I don't remember. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lzfan715 Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 It's got to do with the hellhound. I used to know but I forgot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irg82 Posted January 3, 2008 Share Posted January 3, 2008 It sounds like hellhound, but let me take another listen. I actually believe its "cause it's hell I'm headed for". Don't know why they wouldn't print that, though. I'll take another listen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irg82 Posted January 3, 2008 Share Posted January 3, 2008 Wow, okay. He definitely says "hell". To me, it sounds like "for the hellhound hellis four", but that means absolutely nothing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Idunn Posted January 3, 2008 Share Posted January 3, 2008 For what it's worth, "heilla" is an old icelandic word meaning "bewitch". Is that what Percy actually sings? No idea. But it is interesting, never the less. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eskimoblueday Posted January 3, 2008 Share Posted January 3, 2008 (edited) It sounds to me like "the hellhound headed forth." There's got to be a story behind those lyrics which I don't know. Maybe the lyrics are completely innocent, but perhaps Jimmy, with his flair for marketing, asked that the record company print some alternative line on the record sleeve to keep us all guessing. I wish Ev or Otto were around. They could definitely answer this question for us. Edited to add: I just checked my "Led Zeppelin, Dazed and Confused: The Stories Behind Every Song," and it doesn't even mention the line. Edited January 3, 2008 by eskimoblueday Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LetTheMusicBeYourMaster Posted January 3, 2008 Share Posted January 3, 2008 "...I got a date I can't be late for the __________________?" We all know the official lyric sheet on the album cover lists it as 'high hopes hailla ball,' but to my loud-music-beaten ears it sounds nothing like it. Sounds more like: "for the hell I'm head for," "for the hellfire that must fall" "for the hellfire and its spore"* (hence the mushroom reference in the flick?) "for the hellhound and its spawn" Any thoughts? It's "I got a date I can't be late for the hellhound headed forth" isn't it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mz_led Posted January 4, 2008 Share Posted January 4, 2008 it's "hellhound headed forth," yea.....its from Hellhound On My Trail by Robert Johnson. you know Percy and his blues references.....the funny thing is that he sang it different in every concert recording available Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toleressea Posted January 4, 2008 Share Posted January 4, 2008 Hi, the line goes ...date I cant be late for the Hellhound lovers ball. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mz_led Posted January 4, 2008 Share Posted January 4, 2008 lol that doesnt even make any sense. which version are you listening to??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AllisonAdler Posted January 5, 2008 Share Posted January 5, 2008 Hi, the line goes ...date I cant be late for the Hellhound lovers ball. That's what I've always thought. It does make perfect sense: the ocean is supposed to be the audience acc. to RP, so hellhound lovers' ball, hellhounds being the band, lovers=the audience, and ball is the show (ball as in ballroom, not the ball all day variety!). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lilith Posted January 5, 2008 Share Posted January 5, 2008 I haven't a clue what he sings, either ... but wasn't there a lyrics page on the old website? What happened to that - or am I imagining things/hallucinating?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redeyedrichard Posted January 5, 2008 Share Posted January 5, 2008 I think the most accurate place to look would be in the CD album sleeve itself....where it says this: "Got a date, can't be late for the high hopes hailla ball" End of story. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eskimoblueday Posted January 5, 2008 Share Posted January 5, 2008 That's what I've always thought. It does make perfect sense: the ocean is supposed to be the audience acc. to RP, so hellhound lovers' ball, hellhounds being the band, lovers=the audience, and ball is the show (ball as in ballroom, not the ball all day variety!). That's a very interesting take on those lyrics. The only thing is, the third word he sings seems to start with an "f" sound, don't you think? That's what I'm hearing anyway. Led Zeppelin is an awesome band. Here were are 30+ years later still trying to figure out what Robert is trying to tell us. They're like the gift that keeps on giving. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redeyedrichard Posted January 6, 2008 Share Posted January 6, 2008 That's a very interesting take on those lyrics. The only thing is, the third word he sings seems to start with an "f" sound, don't you think? That's what I'm hearing anyway. Led Zeppelin is an awesome band. Here were are 30+ years later still trying to figure out what Robert is trying to tell us. They're like the gift that keeps on giving. See my post: I think the most accurate place to look would be in the CD album sleeve itself....where it says this: "Got a date, can't be late for the high hopes hailla ball" End of story. I just agree with this because you would expect the official lyrics to be inside the official sleeve wouldn't you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lzfan715 Posted January 6, 2008 Share Posted January 6, 2008 Yes, but that isn't right. It says something about a Hellhound, and Atlantic didn't like that, so instead of rerecording the song they changed the lyrics on the sleeve. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eskimoblueday Posted January 6, 2008 Share Posted January 6, 2008 See my post: I just agree with this because you would expect the official lyrics to be inside the official sleeve wouldn't you? Ah ha! You WOULD expect the official lyrics to be on the official sleeve UNLESS the band in question is Led Zeppelin. Then all bets are off. A couple of things I'm thinking: To me, the lyrics Robert sings on the record just don't sound like the lyrics printed on the sleeve. Do they sound the same to you? Robert has the sort of singing style that lends itself to confusion where lyrics come in, but to me, the two really don't seem to match. What is a high hopes hailla ball, anyway? For that matter, how could the movement you need be on your shoulder? ...ok, I guess that's a question for another thread. In response to a post once about Robert compiling the true lyrics of Zep songs into a lyric book, Knebby said something to the effect that Robert has a bad memory and probably couldn't remember the lyrics he sang at the time the Zep records were recorded in order to do so. I wonder if the same applies to this particular lyric? I wonder if he couldn't actually remember what he sang, and he just made up something for the record company to print on the sleeve? I know I'm kind of rambling, but those are some of my thoughts. What do you think? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Masson Posted January 6, 2008 Share Posted January 6, 2008 (edited) Knebby just might have figured this out. For the life of me I simply can't. The thing is, to me it does sound like he's saying 'hellhound' there (instead of 'high hopes'), but I can't really make out the rest of the line. However, I find that slightly odd, because if that's what he's saying in the beginning of the line then he's quoting the single most poetically dark and dramatic blues ever recorded, e.g. Robert Johnson's 'Hellhound On My Trail' - in a song that overall carries a happy, even celebratory mood. We all know the song basically is about Led Zeppelin's concerts, the ocean being a metaphor for the fans in the audiences. Of course, Plant might be referring to the band's very strong blues roots. To me Plant does seem to say something like 'ball' at the end, which I think might make sense in the context of the song, and as for the strange 'hailla' in the official version of the lyrics (you can't find that one in the OED - I tried), well, Robert Johnson in 'Hellhound' does sing about 'Blues falling down like hail'. But I can't get a sentence out of it all that makes any sense, and the reference seems a bit 'dark' for the mood of the song. 'Hellhound [....] ball'? Hmm... Here are the lyrics to Robert Johnson's masterpiece: HELLHOUND ON MY TRAIL I got to keep movin' I've got to keep movin' blues falling down like hail blues falling down like hail Umm mmm mmm mmm blues falling down like hail blues falling down like hail And the days keeps on worryin' me there a hellhound on my trail hellhound on my trail hellhound on my trail If today was Christmas eve If today was Christmas eve and tomorrow was Christmas day If today was Christmas eve and tomorrow was Christmas day - aow, wouldn't we have a time, baby? All I would need my little sweet rider just to pass the time away, huh huh to pass the time away You sprinkled hot foot powder, mmm mmm, around my door all around my door You sprinkled hot foot powder all around your daddy's door, hmm hmm hmm It keep me with ramblin' mind, rider every old place I go every old place I go I can tell the wind is risin' the leaves tremblin' on the tree tremblin' on the tree hmmm hmmm hmm All I need's my little sweet woman and to keep my company, hey hey hey hey my company. And if anyone hasn't heard this: Go and have a listen at the first opportunity. You haven't heard a blues until you've heard this one. Edited January 6, 2008 by Otto Masson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AllisonAdler Posted January 6, 2008 Share Posted January 6, 2008 Ah ha! You WOULD expect the official lyrics to be on the official sleeve UNLESS the band in question is Led Zeppelin. Then all bets are off. A couple of things I'm thinking: To me, the lyrics Robert sings on the record just don't sound like the lyrics printed on the sleeve. Do they sound the same to you? Robert has the sort of singing style that lends itself to confusion where lyrics come in, but to me, the two really don't seem to match. What is a high hopes hailla ball, anyway? For that matter, how could the movement you need be on your shoulder? ...ok, I guess that's a question for another thread. In response to a post once about Robert compiling the true lyrics of Zep songs into a lyric book, Knebby said something to the effect that Robert has a bad memory and probably couldn't remember the lyrics he sang at the time the Zep records were recorded in order to do so. I wonder if the same applies to this particular lyric? I wonder if he couldn't actually remember what he sang, and he just made up something for the record company to print on the sleeve? I know I'm kind of rambling, but those are some of my thoughts. What do you think? He def. doesn't say what's printed on the sleeve! And in live versions, he really emphasizes the "hell" part (like on the dvd). I don't know about the "f" sound--it's hard to hear on the studio version, but then again, RP changes lyrics around in live versions as well, so could be headed forth on the studio and something else live. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redeyedrichard Posted January 7, 2008 Share Posted January 7, 2008 When I made those previous posts I must admit that I hadn't listened to The Ocean in quite some time...I just basically whipped out the album sleeve and copied down the lyrics. However after listening to it, he doesn't say "high hopes". But I really down think he says "hell hound" either. It sounds more like "hell high". I think it could then say "lovers ball". I listened to the DVD version as well and I think he says "hell high". I can't make out hellhound really. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AchillesLAX Posted January 11, 2008 Share Posted January 11, 2008 To me it sounds like he says "Got a date I can't be late, cause it's hell I'm headed for" This would seem that he has a date with the devil and doesn't really want to be late for it. (fancy dinner perhaps?) Mind you I don't personally think that they had some kind of deal with the devil, I just found it interesting because it sounds nothing like High hopes hailla ball. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Z88 Posted January 13, 2008 Share Posted January 13, 2008 "...I got a date I can't be late for the __________________?" We all know the official lyric sheet on the album cover lists it as 'high hopes hailla ball,' but to my loud-music-beaten ears it sounds nothing like it. Sounds more like: "for the hell I'm head for," "for the hellfire that must fall" "for the hellfire and its spore"* (hence the mushroom reference in the flick?) "for the hellhound and its spawn" Any thoughts? I would bet in "for the hellhound and its spawn". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alice Posted January 16, 2008 Share Posted January 16, 2008 To me it sounds like he says "Got a date I can't be late, cause it's hell I'm headed for" I listened to it on youtube and it really sounds like 'for the hell I'm headed for' or so : http://de.youtube.com/watch?v=XaMzgA2V7Gk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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