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Song: How Many More Times
Album: Led Zeppelin [released Jan 12, 1969 (US) | Mar 28, 1969 (UK)]
Single: N/A
Credited to: Jimmy Page, John Bonham, John Paul Jones
Related Songs:
Smokestack Lightning - The Yardbirds (music)
?Beck's Bolero - Jeff Beck (music)
You Gonna Wreck My Life (No Place To Go) - Howlin' Wolf (lyrics)
No Place To Go - Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac (lyrics)
How Many More Years - Howlin' Wolf (lyrics)
The Hunter - Albert King (lyrics)
Traveling Riverside Blues - Robert Johnson
?Shapes of Things - The Yardbirds

Lyrics:

How many more times, treat me the way you wanna do
How many more times, treat me the way you wanna do
When I give you all my love, please, please be true

I give you all I've got to give, rings, pearls, and all
I give you all I've got to give, rings, pearls, and all
I got to get you together, baby, I'm sure, sure you're gonna call

Oh, wanna love some other man, too

(Guitar Solo)

I was a young man, I couldn't resist
Started thinkin' it over, just what I had missed
Got me a girl and I kissed her, and then, and then
Whoops, oh no, yeah, well I did it again
Now I've got ten children of my own
I got another child on the way, that makes eleven
But I'm in constant heaven
I know it's alright in my mind
'Cause I got a little schoolgirl and she's all mine
I can't get through to her 'cause it doesn't permit
But I'm gonna give her everything I've got to give

Oh, Rosie, oh, girl
Oh, Rosie, oh, girl
Steal away, now, steal away
Steal away, baby, steal away
Little Robert Anthony wants to come and play
Why don't you come with me, baby
Steal away, alright, alright

Well, they call me the hunter, that's my name
Call me the hunter, that's how I got my fame
Ain't no need to hide, ain't no need to run
'Cause I got you in the sights of my gun

How many more times, barrelhouse all night long, alright
How many more times, barrelhouse all night long
Well, I've got to get to you, baby, so, whoa, whoa, whoa, please come home
Why don't you listen to me, babe, why don't you please come home
Why don't you please come home, why don't you please come, oh

Personal notes: Another incredible song! The construction is magnificent! It starts out with a killer bass riff that you'll never forget for the rest of your life, and then Jimmy Page comes in on guitar. Not to mention Bonzo tappin' out the beat. It's like a light, funky version of Dazed and Confused. The guitar picks up on the bass line, then the vocals come in. Awesome use of cymbals. The main riff disappears, and we simultaneously get some excellent drum and guitar work. After some playing around, the rhythm line slowly builds the tension, then the guitar joins the count and the suspense climbs to a break, at which point it gets quiet. Then we have some slow drum beats, and Page comes in on his guitar with a bow for a hypnotic effect. Plant joins on the vocals to keep the song moving. The song begins building up tension once again, this time coming to a killer crescendo before it breaks into a bit of a stop and go section, which kicks into a rolling drum beat. Then the guitar picks up on a rolling riff. Plant goes into 'hunter' phase. By this time, you can't help rolling right along with the song. Plant lets out an extended howl, and the incredible main riff kicks back in, leading the song to its final conclusion. What an adventure!

Influences: A lot of Led Zeppelin's early songs, especially those performed live, are largely influenced by Jimmy Page's time playing with The Yardbirds, and the influences acquired there go farther back to before The Yardbirds had Jimmy Page. For example, Zeppelin's Dazed and Confused grew directly out of The Yardbirds sets when they played that song. Furthermore, How Many More Times may very well be the next evolution of The Yardbirds' cover of Smokestack Lightning. The immediately recognizable bass line for How Many More Times comes from The Yardbirds' version of Smokestack Lightning. If you listen to versions performed with Eric Clapton on guitar, you might not recognize it, but when Jeff Beck was with the band, the bass line became what we are familiar with from How Many More Times. In addition, the rumbling bass crescendo section is straight from The Yardbirds' Smokestack Lightning (and some people have suggested that this is also similar to the comparable section of the song Beck's Bolero, which shows up on Jeff Beck's solo debut album Truth). The guitar solo in How Many More Times (I'm assuming it's the solo after the first verse) is rumoured to be a slowed down version of the solo from The Yardbirds' Shapes of Things - it's believable, since Page was playing Shapes of Things with The Yardbirds just before forming Led Zeppelin, and there seem to be some subtle similarities, but I am as of yet unconvinced that it's intentional.

The lyrics to How Many More Times borrow from a number of songs. Although the title to Howlin' Wolf's How Many More Years is similar to the title How Many More Times, it's obvious that the lyrics to Zeppelin's song borrow more from Howlin' Wolf's You Gonna Wreck My Life, also known as No Place To Go. Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac covered the song No Place To Go for the band's self-titled album, released on Feb 24, 1968, and Led Zeppelin has mentioned that Fleetwood Mac were an inspiration to certain other songs Led Zeppelin recorded (see Black Dog and Rock and Roll on Zeppelin's fourth album). Other lyrics borrowed for this song were taken from songs such as Albert King's The Hunter ("they call me the hunter"), Robert Johnson's Traveling Riverside Blues ("barrelhouse all night long"), and more, which I will note as soon as I track them down.



You Gonna Wreck My Life (No Place To Go) - Howlin' Wolf

How many more years, are you gonna wreck my life
How many more years, are you gonna wreck my life
Well the way you done, you gonna wreck my life

How many times, you gonna treat me like you do
How many more times, you gonna treat me like you do
You took all of my money, and all of my love too

(Harmonica Solo)

Now I'm old and gray, got no place to go
Now I'm old and gray, got no place to go
You got yourself a young stud, and you can't stand me no more

I'm going to the stairs, I'm gonna beg ya for my clothes
I'm going to the stairs, I'm gonna beg ya for my clothes
For where I go nobody knows



How Many More Years - Howlin' Wolf

How many more years, have I got to let you dog me around
How many more years, have I got to let you dog me around
I'd soon rather be dead, sleepin' six feet in the ground

I'm gonna fall on my knees, I'm gonna raise up my right hand
I'm gonna fall on my knees, I'm gonna raise up my right hand
Say I'd feel much better, darling, if you'd just only understand

I'm goin' upstairs, I'm gonna bring back down my clothes
I'm goin' upstairs, I'm gonna bring back down my clothes, do them all
If anybody ask about me, just tell 'em I walked out the door



The Hunter - Albert King

They call me the hunter, that's my name
A pretty woman like you, is my only game
I bought me a love gun, just the other day
And I aim, to aim it your way

Ain't no use to hide, ain't no need to run
'Cause I've got you in the sights of my love gun

The first time I saw you, standing on the street
I says to myself, "Woo, ain't she sweet"
I've got my love gun loaded, with hugs and kisses
And when I pull the trigger, there will be no misses

Ain't no need to hide, ain't no use to run
'Cause I've got you in the sights of my love gun

(Guitar Solo)

Ain't no need to hide, ain't no need to run
'Cause I've got you in the sights of my love gun

I'm the big bad hunter, baby
How can I miss you when I've got dead aim



Traveling Riverside Blues - Robert Johnson

If your man get personal, want you to have your fun
If your man get personal, want you to have your fun
Best come on back to Friars Point, mama, and barrelhouse all night long

I got women's in Vicksburg, clean on into Tennessee
I got women's in Vicksburg, clean on into Tennessee
But my Friars Point rider, now, hops all over me

I ain't gon' to state no color but her, front teeth crowned with gold
I ain't gon' to state no color but her, front teeth is crowned with gold
She got a mortgage on my body, now, and a lien on my soul

Lord, I'm goin' to Rosedale, gon' take my rider by my side
Lord, I'm goin' to Rosedale, gon' take my rider by my side
We can still barrelhouse baby, on the riverside

Now you can squeeze my lemon 'til the juice run down my...
(spoken: 'til the juice rune down my leg, baby, you know what I'm talkin' about)
You can squeeze my lemon 'til the juice run down my leg
(spoken: That's what I'm talkin' 'bout, now)
But I'm goin' back to Friars Point, if I be rockin' to my head

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