For Your Life

Album: Presence (1976)
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  • You said I was the only
    With my lemon in your hand
    Oh oh oh oh
    Exhibition is your habit
    Emotion second hand
    Oh oh oh oh
    Had to pull away to save me
    Maybe next time around
    Oh
    And she said, don't you want to?
    Don't you want to cook it, cook it, cook it?
    Hadn't planned to, could not stand to try it, fry it, na na na yeah

    Ooh, heard a cry for mercy
    In the city of the damned
    Oh oh babe, damned
    In the pits you go no lower
    The next stop's underground
    Oh, hello underground
    Wine and roses ain't quite over
    Fate deals a losing hand
    And I said, didn't mean to, did not mean to fail
    You didn't plan it, you over-ran it

    You want to do it, you want to
    You want to do it when you want to
    You want to do it, do it when you want to

    When you blow it, babe
    You got to blow it right
    Oh baby, if you fake it, mama
    Baby, fake with all your might
    When you fake it, mama
    Please fake it right (for yourself babe)

    When you fake it baby
    You're fakin' it for your life, for your life
    For your life, for your life
    Do it, do it, do it, do it, do it
    Do it when you want to
    Do it, do it, do it
    Do it when you want to

    Oh, I can have you, baby
    But I don't know what to do, yeah
    Sometime, baby
    Nothin' I could do
    On the balance of a crystal
    Payin' through the nose
    And when they couldn't resist you
    I thought you'd go with the flow

    And now your stage is empty, bring down the curtain, baby please
    Fold up your show
    Hadn't planned to
    Could not stand to fry in it
    Hadn't planned it
    I over-ran it (fryin')
    For your life
    For your life Writer/s: JIMMY PAGE, ROBERT PLANT
    Publisher: Songtrust Ave, Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
    Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 31

  • Cris Cates from Charleston ScHas anyone else heard the snorting sound on the song?
  • Dan Eden from Santa Barbara, CaMy favorite Zep tune from my favorite band. Was kind of bummed that JPJ didn’t play the original bassline in the middle and just played the Page riff at the reunion. Still great though.
  • Hy from Usa And Totally Cool With ItIt's "When you blow it, babe
    You've got to close your eyes"

    Not "you've got to blow it right"
  • Hy from Usa And Totally Cool With ItMy favorite tune on Presence. Unbelievably insistent, wicked groove....impossible not to get up and dance

    And I hate dancing

    Again Page with the perfect minimalist solo, never an extra note played (in studio, that is...he quite frankly gets too sloppy live for my taste)
  • Zebedyzak from UkAfter the unbelievably brilliant opening track "Achilles Last Stand" (see my comment on that one), the indescribable excellence of Led Zeppelin continues in this second track on the underrated "Presence" album. On "For Your Life", Jimmy Page contributes some of his finest-ever guitar playing, and believe me, this song is infinitely more addictive than the drug it mentions in the lyrics, as well as being much better for us. Who needs drugs when there is music as delightful as this to get hooked on?
  • Kwami from Washington Dc, DcPage didn't use the "wammy bar" (the rod attached to the bridge that produces those swooping bends of notes and chords) very often -- hardly at all in fact ("In the Evening" is the only other number that even comes to mind). Mostly because he preferred his Les Paul to the Strat he plays here. But he really gives that sucker a workout on this song. I tried replicated the effect on a buddy's Fender Mustang once while playing this tune and believe me, it takes some technique! His solo even has some "wammy" to it. A real tour de force this song.
  • Thomas from Roswell, NmAnother Zeppelin song with sexual references. There is some about this track that reminds me of some Elvis tracks. Not sure what it is but my first thought upon hearing this was that it sounded a little like Elvis.
  • Thomas from Roswell, NmThe pig snorting is appropriate with the lyrics "With the fine lines of the crystal payin' through your nose".
  • Collin from Rochester, MnI always thought it was "cool cat" for some reason.
  • Anonymous from Nj, NjI gotta admit that snorting sound at 5:30 is just plain weird! And what ever you do, don't get into drugs. Just look at Janis Joplin and Elvis, they died from drugs and plenty of others are messed up from them.
  • Brian from Las Vegas, NvPeter - Led Zeppelin played, "For Your Love" (the 1965 Yardbirds tune), at their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995. "For Your Life" is a different song. VERY different. You get an A for effort, though! (grin)
  • Rod from Brisbane, AustraliaWhat a friggin brilliant song.
  • Lisa from Blountville , TnI argee with those who say is underrated.The whole LP is underrated.Robert did most of the lyrics from a wheelchair.He (Robert)claims his voice sounds strained and tired,I think he sounds great.
    Jimmy plays some great almost eerie rock barrages and Bonzo is so amazing on this.So powerful.Charlie Watts,drummer for the Rolling Stones once said of John Bonham"You need a drum about that big and be able to hit it so hard.Bonham...you won't get another one" How true Charlie.
  • Schweet from Cincinnati, OhThis song is about a coke whore, and is without a doubt their most underrated and under-appreciated song. I was ecstatic to learn that they finally played it live at the O2.
  • Matt from Chicago, IlThis is a great song. I'd just like to clarify the lineage on the riff that this song and Interstate Love Song share in common. The riff is actually a Robert Johnson creation. You can hear it on Traveling Riverside Blues as well. So, both bands were paying tribute to Johnson.
  • Matt from Chicago, IlThis is a great song. I'd just like to clarify the lineage on the riff that this song and Interstate Love Song share in common. The riff is actually a Robert Johnson creation. You can hear it on Traveling Riverside Blues as well. So, both bands were paying tribute to Johnson.
  • Michael De Lazzer from Studio City, CaDidn't Page use a primitive whammy pedal on this? Pretty sure it's the same device that shows up years later when Page and Plant reunite for "No Quarter". He's using it in the Indian village (I think that's the place).
  • Nickzepp from Oklahoma City, OkYou can hear a snorting sound at around the 5:30 mark for this song.
  • Nickzepp from Oklahoma City, OkThis song was played live for the first time ever on December 10th 2007. Wasn't played before in any carnation of Page/Plant/Led Zeppelin
  • Bill from Topeka, KsGreat song very underated
  • Peter Griffin from Quahog, RiYou notice the opening line mentions a lemon? Could this be a reference to "The Lemon Song"?
  • Tyrone from San Francisco, CaIt is just me, or did the Stone Temple Pilots lift one of the riffs from this song for the main Interstate Love Song riff. There is a reason they are known as the Mighty Zep!!
  • Gav from Dublin, IrelandThis is jimmy at his drug induced best......i mean the man must have been absolutly out of it to come up with a riff like it....plants lyrics are also among his best......and lets be honest it wasnt really about plants friend it was about jimmy.
  • Grayson from Cleveland, OhExcellent song. Brilliant. the guitar bridge is completely awesome.
  • Rob from Vancouver, CanadaIf you were into Zeppelin as much as we were in the 70's and 80's, there were no 'under the radar' Zeppelin albums. The only Zep album that didn't have as much to offer was 'Coda'.
  • Joseph M Shea from Pittsburgh, Pathe whole presence album is underrated and i think it was because physical graffiti was so great.then again everything zeppelin did was great.
  • David from Orlando, FlBest song from Zeppelin's lone 'under-the-radar' album.
  • Yo from Sudbury,ontario, Canadai agree jeanette this is probobly my favorite song of all time and yet half of all the led zeppelin fans dont no wat it is
  • Jeanette from Irvine, CaI love this song! I think it's the most underrated Zep song.
  • Jes from Canal Fulton, OhJimmy Page used his Stratocaster for In The Evening played live at Knebworth in 1979
  • Peter from Goderich, CanadaThis was, however, played by Jones, Page and Plant during their induction to the rock and roll hall of fame in 1995
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