Your Time Is Gonna Come

Album: Led Zeppelin (1969)
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Songfacts®:

  • Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones wrote this song, which is about an unfaithful girl who will pay the price for her deceitful ways. The lyrics reflect Jimmy Page's views on women at the time. He thought they were deceitful and inferior to men, similar to Aleister Crowley, who Page idolized. >>
    Suggestion credit:
    Adrian - Gettysburg, PA
  • Page played a Fender 10-string steel guitar on this, and Jones played a church-style organ, using a pedal to generate the bass. Page told Guitar Player magazine: "I had never played steel before, but I just picked it up. It sounds like a slide or something. It's more out of tune on the first album because I hadn't got a kit to put it together."
  • All four members of the band sing together on the chorus. >>
    Suggestion credit:
    Bertrand - Paris, France
  • Led Zeppelin performed this on their Scandinavian tour in 1968, then never played it live again.
  • Jimmy Page performed this while touring with the Black Crowes in 1999-2000.
  • British singer Sandie Shaw became the first artist to cover a Led Zep tune when she reworked this for her 1969 album, Reviewing the Situation.

Comments: 28

  • AnonymousThis intro is Paris for me. My brother stayed there working for a bank. I came to visit from my military service. In the evening he tossed his tie under the bed. A pipe and a small quantity of hashish materialized.
    - Listen to this brother, he said to me with a smile.
    The organintro from ”Your time is gonna come”flew through the air. Sweet Jesus! All my sorrows - I had none by the way - disappeared.
    And just like Fortest Gump - that’s all I have to say about that!
  • Jeremy Smith from PhiladelphuaThis is one of my favorite songs to play on the jukebox at the bar. Watching everyone looking around wondering who would play the church music, and slowly watching their heads bob to the greatest tune they've never heard is so satisfying
  • Mike from Nampa, IdThis is one of those intros that is such a masterpiece, that I almost wish it would go on forever. It reminds me of the church organist playing chord progressions as people are coming into church. The whole song is a masterpiece, including how the guitar is introduced by the crash of the cymbals. Plant's vocals are outstanding.
  • Thomas from Roswell, NmThe organ at the beginning is a really unique thing. Not many rock groups would think of ever starting a track with an organ. Credit to John Paul Jones and Zeppelin for thinking outside the box on this one.
  • Jason from Tulsa, Ok1. This song has a lot of disparate elements (rock drumming, folk acoustic picking, country steel guitar, jazz organ) somehow it all works together beautifully.

    2. This resembles Dear Mr. Fantasy only because both use a back to back swinging eighths blues suffle toward the end of the measure as a hook. Not at all an uncommon motif in blues/jazz. Otherwise they share nothing else in common. The instant someone says Led Zeppelin "plagiarized" some riff I know they don't listen to the blues very much. Either that or their listening habits are so sloppy they fail to notice common motifs that seperate the blues from other genres. "Professional" music critics included.
  • Eb from Fl Keys, FlI enjoy how in a general sense you can apply this song toward any injustice or unfair person. It's almost like a sermon. The Bible says you reap what you sow, so you better watch out if you treat folks bad, sinner! Your time is gonna come!
  • Oldpink from New Castle, InI know, I know, many of you love this song, but it is probably the only one in their entire canon that I really dislike.
    Yes, the entire band harmonizes the vocals, but it's really a grating song, instrumentally speaking.
    Sorry, but I must call them as I see them.
  • Ryan from Pittsburgh, Paesp. after the chorus parts... "your time is gonna come" BA BA BA BA...
  • Ryan from Pittsburgh, Papaul, great comment... the drumming is incredible in this song. And I'm not really a "drum guy" but they give me the chills in this song...
  • Peter Griffin from Quahog, RiWhich song has a better organ solo? Your Time Is Gonna Come, or Thank You? I vote Your Time Is Gonna Come.
  • Paul from San Francisco, CambodiaOne of many great things about this song, which nobody else seems to have mentioned, is the drumming. The transition from the organ intro to the band section, led by Bonham's huge out-of-nowhere crash on the downbeat; the simple, rock solid, but gigantic and unstoppable drum part; and the slightly-behind-the beat, solid as hell fills on the chorus. This sums up John Bonham's genius as well as any other Zeppelin tune.
  • Gary from Seattle, WaThe lines "One of these days and it won't be long You'll look for me and I'll be gone" quote the Ray Charles song "I Believe to My Soul." Page's guitar was purposely played out of tune.

    Be safe, Crowski KZOK. SEATTLE
  • Michael from OxfordThis stuff about this song being underrated... If you go on iTunes and look up this album you'll see this is the most popular track on the album.
  • Peter Griffin from Quahog, RiOne of (I believe) 5 Led Zeppelin songs to feature an organ.
  • Peter Griffin from Quahog, RiVery underrated.
  • Bill from Topeka, Ksthis song is awsome to me underrated as all hell
  • Rachel from Fort Smith, Ari had this song on in the car and my mom told me to "turn off the wizard music"
    hahah
    but i really love this song
  • Mario from Slunj, CroatiaPage,Jones and Bonham sing the chours with Plant
  • Alan from London, Englandwho sings back up on the chorus? I think it kinda sounds like pagey, but it might be john paul. Can anyone clear this up please?
  • Johnny from Los Angeles, CaYeah, I have never heard it before now and I agree that it is underrated. I really like the use of the organ. Like Kelly said, it sets such a mood. Blind Faiths song is superior, though.
  • Dave from Canberra, AustraliaIts awesome how it leads straight into Black Mountain Side on the album...Zeppelin rock!
  • Jude from Szombathely, HungaryThey *did* play it live after '68, on September 24th 1971, at the Budokan Hall in Tokyo, Japan, as part of the Whole Lotta Love Medley.
  • Jason from Monterrey, MexicoDavid: "Can't find my way home" is by Blind Faith not Traffic.
  • Tom from New York, Nyinteresting observation by David right below. there is a very interesting article by Will Shade about how Led Zeppelin "borrowed" alot of their work without giving proper credit to its original writers. The article can be accessed on line.
  • David Cook from Agawam, Mathis song sounds likes a couple of songs 1. traffic song called dear mr.fantasy the guitar sounds the riff is like identical 2. traffic song cant find my way home the chord pattern and meoldy is similar 3. the organ melody after the intro sounds just like the james taylor song fire and rain...wierd led zeppelin kicks all these bands asses tho!
  • Pants from Calgary, CanadaThe steel guitar used for solos was tuned slightly flat. The other guitar(S) used were in tune.
  • James from San Francisco, CaThis song was placed on Zeppelin's debut album, in lieu of "Baby Come on Home"--which you'll find on the remastered CODA.

    Thank God.
  • Kelly from Los Angeles, Camy favorite zeppelin song! love jpj's organ! it sets such a mood! this song is so underrated!
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