Album: Led Zeppelin II (1969)

Charted: 65

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• With a purple umbrella and a fifty cent hat,
  Livin', lovin', she's just a woman.
  Missus cool rides out in her aged Cadillac.
  Livin', lovin', she's just a woman.
  
  *Come on, babe on the round about, ride on the merry-go-round,
  We all know what your name is, so you better lay your money down.
  
  Alimony, alimony payin' your bills,
  Livin', lovin', she's just a woman.
  When your conscience hits, you knock it back with pills.
  Livin', lovin', she's just a woman.
  
  * Chorus
  
  Tellin' tall tales of how it used to be.
  Livin', lovin', she's just a woman.
  With the butler and the maid and the servants three.
  Livin', lovin', she's just a woman.
  
  Nobody hears a single word you say.
  Livin', lovin', she's just a woman.
  But you keep on talkin' till your dyin' day.
  Livin', lovin', she's just a woman.
  
  * Chorus
  
  Livin', Lovin', She's just a woman. Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 47

• Vicki from MinnesotaI was recently watching an interview with Robert, where he now expressed his dislike of the song, Living, Loving, She's Just a Woman. He said at the time it was written from the perspective of a 20 year old, which he was at the time.
• Woods from OklahomaI though it was “With the pedal on the metal and a fifth in hand.”
• Ray Search from Windsor, OntarioThe opening line should read "With a purple umbrella and a Fips in hand." "Fips" or "Phips" was a common English reference to a Philip Morris cigarette. This woman was trying desperately to be cool in 1969. A "fifty cent hat" is NOT cool... Never has been! Cheers to every Zepp fan!!!
• Brian Carson from Oxford, CtThis was one of the first songs I learned to play on electric guitar. Honestly I didn't really like Zepplin until I started riding motorcycles; then I felt it!
• Jimmy from Blackpool, EnglandCan someone help here?
  I have a copy of Led Zeppelin II (Remastered) and it has a misprint - "Livin' Lovin' Wreck (She's a Woman)". Is it worth anything? It's supposed to just be the original UK pressings that are misprinted there.
• Camille from Toronto, OhNo one has mentioned the lllllllivin', llllllovin' part of the lyrics towards the end; please excuse me for saying it, but the rolling of the "L" on the tongue like that is a simulation of female oral sex. Could explain why someone's woman doesn't care for the song, way too crude. I, too, like how the song's beginning just bursts out in words, it's jamming from the get-go. "She's just a woman" doesn't offend me, after all, the same can be said for the opposite sex: "he's just a man" which was sung in "I Don't Know How To Love Him" from Jesus Christ Superstar. I took the alimony line as the woman is collecting alimony for divorcing a guy she never loved in the first place but now feels guilt, hence the pills.
  
  For decades, except for the chorus, I never knew what the singer was actually saying until now when I looked them up. Like a lot of other Zepplin songs!
• Andre from Sao Paulo, BrazilWith a purple umb-rella and a 50c hat! Best opening line ever!
• Roberta Trevisan from S?o Paulo, BrazilI think he didn't like just because of this old groupie. This woman never got out of their minds. Hahahahahaa!!!
• Roberta Trevisan from S?o Paulo, BrazilWhat was the groupie's name? Pleaaaase!
• Thomas from Roswell, NmNot quite sure why Page dislikes this track. I think it is a catchy track.
• Nate from New York, NyPretty sure Page uses an Ocatave Pedal.
• Lisa from Blountville , TnThe line is "With a purple umbrella and a 50 cent hat." I read that Jimmy's lady at the time Charolotte ,mother of his daughter Scarlett said she found the song offense and did'nt want the song played live. The song was recorded befoe Charlotte and Jimmy were together but ,the rumour was she did not like it and asked Jimmy not to play it onstage.I don't think Jimmy was too crazy about the song.However you can hear Pagey singing back-up vocals on the song.Not a bad voice .No match for Robert though but,then agian what few singers are a match for Mr.Plant?
• David from Los Angeles , CaTara, I've seen this book but haven't bought it, however i do have "Led Zeppelin Revealed".
• Tara from Petoskey, MiAlright, I think I have an answer for Peter Griffin...In a book that I just recently purchased called "A Whole Lotta Led Zeppelin", their tour manager, Richard Cole, refered to this pair of sisters that were quite homely and fat. They were determined to make casts of the band members private parts(lol)and were stubbornly overstaying their welcome, despite the band's repeated pleas for them to just vanish. It only said one of their names, which was apparently Cynthia Caster.
  Haha, and I want to add this...One afternoon while they were at the pool, the sisters were there and wouldn't shut up about the casts. Finally Bonzo said, "The only way you bitches are going to clam up is to fill your mouths with water." He then proceeded to get up, and while he was walking away, he used all of his body weight to push Cynthia into the pool. This is an amizing illustrated book, and I suggest that all Zepp fans own this!!!
• Jena from Leavenworth, KsThis song follows "Heartbreaker" PERFECTLY. They're almost ike one long song. I'm so used to hearing them together. It's a disappointment that on Led Zeppelin I, they follow Heartbreaker with Ramble On, I love that song too, but it just doesn't sound right, not hearing this one afterward.
• Reilly from Rosa , CaOn the Led Zeppelin II version (not the greatest hits 4-cd collection) there is a mistake at about 1:41, they appear to slow down very slightly and then if you listen carefully you can hear someones voice.
• Elizabeth from Syracuse, NyThis song gets played sometimes at Philadelphia Flyers hockey games.
• Allie from Clarkston, MiThis is one of my favorite Led Zeppelin songs.
  When i first heard it i thought Robert sang
  "With a purple operator and a fifty-cent hair"
  oops!
  I love the driving sound it has, esp. the drumming
  and guitar
• Peter Griffin from Quahog, RiWhat was the groupie's name?
• Hank from Tampa, FlI happen to believe that the four song line up of "Heartbreaker" "Livin' Lovin' Maid" "Ramble On" and "Moby Dick" on Led Zeppelin II may be the best run of multiple songs in a row on an album.
• Bill from Topeka, Ksthe first time i heard this i fell in love with it
• Mark from Worcester, MiI'll join those who don't like the "she's just a woman" line. It wasn't a band favorite, and my guess would be that it just has a negative feel to the lyrics. I like the song however. Maybe it really was mostly about one particular person and the band felt a little guilt about the whole thing.
• Matt from London, EnglandJeeves, i don't think Page had any trouble playing this, he must dislike it for another reason. (in the solo just pick a dead note every other time)
• Jeeves from Dc, Dcits cuz this is fairly hard to play on guitar have you heard the solo he has to mute every other note its a tough pattern and robert hates stairway cuz its hard to sing get it
• Steve from Winnipeg, Canadagreat great song my bros fav song but i no best cause i have 71 led zeppelin songs
• Elaine from Spokane, WaMy favorite part is in the beginning when Plant just bursts out in song. Sorry, I can't think of another way to describe it. Anyway, I love the way his voice sounds.
• Memphisslim from Streamwood, IlThe 'She's Just a Woman' part is in reference to the sexual revolution of the time. It was an inadvertent commentary on the groupie scene (much like the movie "Groupie") that explored how girls were breaking the social mores of appropriate behavior by reverting to an almost Dark Ages type of status: i.e. being a group of sexual muses for the artists and nothing more. More than this song, Jimmy Page hated the popular media which tried to intellectualize Zeppelin's music (in turn, the standard media stance was to hate Zeppelin altogether). In one such (rare) interview, Jimmy Page stated that his band purposely "stays away from making any political statements" (unlike most of the other acts of the 60s and early 70s). After that, it was lights out for Zeppelin's reputation for promoting filth in their music...plus all the rumors and the sexual assault on reporter Ellen Sander didn't help either.
  Source: "Hammer of The Gods" by Stephen Davis
  
  As far as the alimony line goes, I've heard from people who were supposedly down with the rock scene at the time that it is a reference to a sarcastic joke made by John Paul Jones about how that certain aged groupie (whom everybody in the studio despised) was "probably PAYING alimony to her husband for being so wretched" (a gender role reversal which was more uncommon back in the 70s than it is now). The "purple umbrella and fifty cent hat" was Robert Plant's contribution to her physical description.
  
• Sara from Zuni, Vadefinitely about a notorious groupie who lived near the riot house...Justin's probably right about the alimony line, too
• David from Orlando, FlThis is actually my favorite song from 'Zeppelin II', so of course I had a chuckle reading the songfact about the 4 rock-gods never playing it live. Different strokes I suppose.
• Ryan from Lakewood, OhThis is a really fun riff to play on bass.
• Lysistrata from Bronx, NySal....from NY...i thought the same thing..i mean i looove the song to death, but for some reason when i hear the "shes just a woman" part i get affended somehow, i dont know why. If its a groupie then i dont mind..but it almost sounds like "the woman doesnt matter" but i looove this sound, i just took it the wrong way the first time i heard it
• Kika from Nyc, Nyi dont' really hear a beatley (i like that word by the way) type of guitar sound. if you like beatlely type guitar sounds you should listen to badfinger.
• Jeanette from Irvine, Cathis songs good. not the best but its fun and gets your adrenaline pumping. i really don't understand how its about a groupie or a wife/ex wife or anything really. so i'll take your word for it.
• Scott from Charlotte, NcAlimony Definition: "A means of livelihood; maintenance". Doesn't necessarily have to be the common definition referring to ex-spouses/court orders.
• Peter from Buenos Aires, ArgentinaA big, old kind of tape with 8 tracks on it. After cassettes came out, 8-tracks went out of fashion.
• Carter from Smithfield, NcWhat's an 8 track?
• Justin from Chicago, IlIt is about a groupie despite the line with 'alimony' because I imagine most groupies are either single or divorced. No arguing here. Zeppelin, awesome song. I love when it follows Heartbreaker on the radio. No two songs sound the same
• Mallory from Sarasota, Flits not the best, its not the worst...its just in between, a great song that makes me loved and free to be free. thank you led zeppelin!
• Rob from Santa Monica, CaOn the original 8-track tape of this album, this song and Heartbreaker are broken up onto different tape tracks.
• Zain from Richmond, Canadayou gotta admit its got a pretty sweet riff.
• Frankie from St. Louis, Moannoying groupie...isnt this song about a gold digger wife/ex wife, because you usually dont pay alimony to a groupie
• Matto from Time Bomb Town, IrelandNot one of Zeppelin's best songs, but its very catchy. A bit too poppy and radio-friendly for me, but I do kinda like the Beatley guitar sounds...
• Sal from Ny, Nyit's not the best, but it's fun to listen to, but something bothers me about the "she's just a woman" part, not that it's bad or anything, but i dunno. i love the song, but i've heard better from led zeppelin.
• Adrian from Wilmington, DeThe lyrics are great and the riff is infectious, the perfect way to follow "Heartbreaker." It's one of the first things I learned on the guitar.
• Jes from Canal Fulton, OhZeppelin didn't hate it Jimmy disliked it!!
• Kelly from Los Angeles, Calove the 'conscience' line.
• Conrad from Los Angeles, CaI love this song... Why does Zeppelin hate their best songs?

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