"That's the Way"

The eighth track off of Led Zeppelin III is another acoustic song titled "That's the Way. As with many songs off their third album, this track had its genesis in the small cabin in Wales named Bron Yr-Aur as Jimmy Page was to recall, ""That's the Way" was written in Wales. It was one of those days after a long walk and we were setting back to the cottage. We had a guitar with us. It was a tiring walk coming down a ravine and we stopped and sat down. I played the tune and Robert sang the first verse straight off. We had a tape recorder with us and we got the tune down." He would later add, "I can still remember exactly where we were when we wrote That's the Way. Robert was seriously affected by the situation and being able to write it down and make a statement was great. That wouldn't have happened if we hadn't been there.

The song was originally titled "The Boy Next Door" derived from the song's opening lyric, " I don't know how I'm gonna tell you, I can't play with you no more, I don't know how I'm gonna do what mama told me, My friend, the boy next door."According to Stephen Davis, author of the book "Hammer of the Gods", the song's meaning is derivative of lead singer Robert Plant's views on the environment. A portion of the song is also about the treatment the less than warm reception the band received for their appearance in America, especially in the south. The specific lyric in question goes, "I can't believe what people saying, You're gonna let your hair hang down, I'm satisfied to sit here working all day long, You're in the darker side of town.

"That's the Way" was included in the band's setlist from 1970 until 1972, and was once again inserted into the lineup for the group's series of concerts at Earl's Court in London in 1975. The song proved to be a key part of the band's nightly acoustic mini-sets during this time.

An interesting anecdote about this song was revealed by Jimmy Page about the special place this song holds for him while on the "Unledded" tour with Robert Plant in 1994. Page revealed to the audience that the his daughter Scarlet was conceived about half an hour after the song was written. Page had taken his then girlfriend Charlotte Martin with him on his trek with Plant and his wife Maureen and their child Carmen to Bron Yr-Aur in Wales. 

Jimmy Page & Charlotte Martin