All I ask for all I pray/
Steady rollin’ woman gon’ come my way.

The lyrics for Zeppelin’s “Black Dog” are about as straightforward as you can get. He sees a hot girl, he hooks up with the girl, the girl screws him over. It pretty much has nothing to do with a black dog. The brilliance in the song is in the musicianship and the crazy vocal performance by Robert Plant. In fact, each of the musicians have one of their finest contributions they ever made to Zeppelin.

Let’s start with the drums. Bonham has one of his finest contributions. He performs in a non-standard time-signature for part of the song…which is difficult. But he really makes the drums come alive, more so than almost any song I can think of.

The guitar work is excellent. The guitar riff might be one of the most recognizable in rock…though I am not sure how many know the title everyone would know it is Zeppelin. There are several notable guitar solos that riff on that riff. Plant’s vocal is impassioned and strong—as always. He uses echo extensively. He sings a capella in several areas in the song. It is very difficult to sing a capella and sound good. Black Dog demonstrates Plant’s superior singing skills if anyone was in doubt.

Lyrics Black Dog

Hey, hey mama said the way you move
Gon’ make you sweat, gon’ make you groove
Ah ah child way ya shake that thing
Gon’ make you burn, gon’ make you sting
Hey, hey baby when you walk that way
Watch your honey drip, I can’t keep away

Oh yeah, oh yeah ah, ah, ah ah
Oh yeah, oh yeah ah, ah, ah ah
Oh yeah, oh yeah ah, ah, ah ah
Oh yeah, oh yeah ah, ah, ah ah

I gotta roll I can’t stand still
Got a flamin’ heart can’t get my fill
With eyes that shine, burnin’ red
Dreams of you all through my head

Ah ah ah ah ah ah
Ah ah ah ah ah ah ah

Hey baby, whoa my baby, my pretty baby
Darlin’ makes ’em do it now
Hey baby, oh my baby, my pretty baby
Move the way you’re doin’ now

Didn’t take too long ‘fore I found out
What people mean by down and out
Spent my money, took my car
Started tellin’ her friends she gon’ be a star
I don’t know but I been told
A big legged woman ain’t got no soul

Oh yeah, oh yeah ah, ah, ah ah
Oh yeah, oh yeah ah, ah, ah ah
Oh yeah, oh yeah ah, ah, ah ah
Oh yeah, oh yeah ah, ah, yeah

All I ask for all I pray
Steady rollin’ woman gon’ come my way
Need a woman gonna hold my hand
Won’t tell me no lies, make me a happy man

Ah ah ah ah ah ah
Ah ah ah ah ah ah, ah

Oh yeah
Darlin’ makes ’em do it now
Yeah-yeah. yeah-yeah. yeah-yeah
Darlin’ makes ’em do it now
Babe! babe!
Wooh, keep doin’ it babe

hey
(Busted) hey
(Busted) hey
(Busted) hey
hey, yeah
(Busted) hey, yeah
(Busted) hey, yeah
Oh, yeah
Oh-ah
(Well done)
Darlin’ makes ’em do it now
Darlin’ makes ’em do it now

Songwriters: James Patrick (jimmy) Page / Robert Anthony Plant / John Paul Jones