It was written by Jimmy Page and Robert Plant and was included as the second track on Led Zeppelin II (1969).
This was one of Plant's first songs recorded by the band, and also marks the first appearance of drummer John Bonham's Chinese gong, which he set up as part of his drum kit in concerts. The gong appears in the middle part among Jimmy Page's guitar riffs. The song was one of the first debut appearances of Jimmy Page's Gibson Les Paul guitar.
"What Is and What Should Never Be" was performed live at Led Zeppelin concerts between 1969 and 1973. A live version taken from a performance at the Royal Albert Hall in 1970 can be seen on the Led Zeppelin DVD. Another was included on disc two of the live triple album How The West Was Won. Two more versions were included in BBC Sessions.
Lyrics
And if I say to you tomorrow
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
Songwriters: Jimmy Page / Robert Plant What Is and What Should Never Be lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc
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