"The Ocean" is a song by English rock band Led Zeppelin, from their 1973 album Houses of the Holy. The ocean is a metaphor for the "sea of heads" faced by lead singer Robert Plant "in the auditoriums", according to the group's biographer Dave Lewis.
Eddie Kramer, who was present during the recording of Houses of the Holy, commented on extraneous noises in the recording: "It's entirely possible. [The song was] done in a house [but] I don't remember there being [a phone ringing]." Jimmy Page remarked:
I'm thrilled the records are recorded in such a way that the hi-fi quality, even though it's tough … you can hear detail on it because that's what you're supposed to do. It was supposed to be something whereby you could hear everything that was going on.
Lyrics
"We've done four already but now we're steady
And then they went: One, two, three, four"
Singing in the sunshine, laughing in the rain
Hitting on the moonshine, rocking in the grain
Got no time to pack my bags, my foots outside the door
I got a date, I can't be late, for the high hopes hailla ball, uh uh, uh uh, yeah
Singing to an ocean, I can hear the ocean's roar
Play for free, I play for me and play a whole lot more, more!
Singing about the good things and the sun that lights the day
I used to sing on the mountains, has the ocean lost its way
I don't know, oh oh, yeah'
Ooh, yeah
Sitting round singing songs 'til the night turns into day
Used to sing about the mountains but the mountains washed away
Now I'm singing all my songs to the girl who won my heart
She is only three years old and it's a real fine way to start
Oh yeah!
It sure is fine!
Ah blow my mind!
When the tears are goin' down!
Yeah! Yeah, yeah
Oh so, oh so, oh so good! Oh so good!
Songwriters: John Bonham / John Paul Jones / Jimmy Page / Robert Plant The Ocean lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music International Ltd.