My sheet music of the song has "tales of gore" (1970 Superhype Publishing). I remember back in my cover band days I sang it as gore, but that doesn't prove anything other than that I had the book. There are other inaccurate words in that same songbook, but remember that what's published doesn't have to match what's sung.
I know this has been hashed about here before, but there is alot of folkiness to Led Zeppelin, they weren't just about blues-rock even so...um...my fave Zeppelin song is still Since I've Been Loving You, a decidedly minor blues-rock song.