Video hit Led Zeppelin

Led Zeppelin - Babe I'm gonna leave you (live, 1968)

This song is a Folk standard. Led Zeppelin thought it was a traditional song, meaning no one could claim they wrote it, but they later found out it was written by an American Folk singer named Anne Bredon. She was not credited for the Led Zeppelin version until 1990, when her son brought it to the attention of the band.

Jimmy Page got the idea to cover this after hearing Joan Beaz' Folk version. He and Plant were both fans of Baez.

This was also recorded by Marianne Faithfull. Jimmy Page played on her version when he was a session musician.

In his 2012 Rolling Stone interview, Jimmy Page cited this song as one that showed the empathy he and Robert Plant had when working together. "I knew exactly how that was going to shape up," he said. "I set the mood with the acoustic guitar and that flamenco-like section. But Robert embraced it. He came up with an incredible, plaintive vocal."

At the 1:43 mark, you can hear a recording of Plant saying, "I can hear it calling me" just before he sings the line - as if he "hears it calling him." (thanks, Andrew - Brisbane, Australia)

Led Zeppelin only played this live on their 1969 tour, but Jimmy Page and Robert Plant brought it back for their 1998 tour in a 9-minute version. (thanks, Chris - Whitesboro, NY)

Asked what kind of acoustic guitar he used on this song, Jimmy Page explained to Guitar Player magazine in 1977: "That was a Gibson J-200, which wasn't mine; I borrowed it. It was a beautiful guitar, really great. I've never found a guitar of that quality anywhere since. I could play so easily on it, get a really thick sound; it had heavy-gauge strings on it, but it just didn't seem to feel like it."

Page recorded a version with Steve Winwood in 1968 that was never released.

The lyrics:

Babe baby baby I'm gonna leave you.

I said baby you know I'm gonna leave you.

I'll leave you when the summertime

Leave you when the summer comes a rollin'

Leave you when the summer comes along.

Baby baby I don't want to leave you

I ain't jokin' woman I got to ramble.

Oh yeah baby baby I believin'

We really got to ramble.

I can hear it callin' me the way it used to do

I can hear it callin' me back home!

Babe...I'm gonna leave you

Oh, baby, you know, I've really got to leave you

Oh I can hear it callin 'me

I said don't you hear it callin' me the way it used to do?

Ohhh

I know, I know

I know I never never never gonna leave your babe

But I got to go away from this place,

I've got to quit you, yeah

Ooh, baby...

Baby, ooh don't you hear it callin' me?

Woman, woman, I know, I know

It feels good to have you back again

And I know that one day baby, it's really gonna grow, yes it is.

We gonna go walkin' through the park every day.

Come what may, every day

Oooh, mama baby

I'm gonna leave you--go away

It was really, really good.

You made me happy every single day.

But now!

I've got to go away!

Baby, baby, baby, baby

That's when it's callin' me

I said that's when it's callin' me back home...