Teka was from Ruatahuna in the Ureweras (1937), and had a musical childhood… Read Full Bio ↴Teka was from Ruatahuna in the Ureweras (1937), and had a musical childhood. His mother played mouth organ and clarinet, and his father was a saxophonist with a bush band. After learning guitar and saxophone at woolshed dances with teenage bands, Teka moved to Sydney and began a six-year stand with the Maori Volcanics showband on the Japan and Pacific circuit. The 'Prince' title was adopted when Teka joined the Maori Troubadours: 'In those days Elvis was the king of rock'n'roll so we thought up New Zealand's prince of entertainment.'
In the 1970s Teka performed solo in Sydney and southeast Asian clubs, his extravagant stage wardrobe including rhinestone jackets and embroidered shirts cut for his one hundred and forty kilogram frame. His cabaret set was enlivened with downhome jokes: Nat King Cole ('I'm his half-brother Charcoal'). His over-sized choreography added to the fun, as Teka found later when he dieted down forty kilograms on medical advice: "I had no stomach to wiggle."

By 1981 he had returned to Tokomaru Bay ('I began to feel homesick') and became a household name during the next year with E Ipo, and two albums with Teka originals including Real Love and Oh Mum.

Prince Tui teka passed away in 1985 after heart difficulties.

Out In The Cold
Prince Tui Teka Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

As I sit by the ambers
of a dying fire
and the night wind blows cold across the plane
I remember how you loved me
until he made his claim
Now I'm out in the cold again
Oh I'm out in the cold and I'm lonesome
I'm out in the cold and I'm bloom

When I sleep my dreams unfold
You come to me in visions of gold

but when I wake
I'm out in the cold without you

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Prince Tui Teka's song Out In The Cold speak of heartbreak and longing. The song opens with the persona sitting by a dying fire on a cold night, reminiscing on a love lost. The persona remembers how their lover loved them until someone else laid claim to them, leaving the persona out in the cold. The use of the phrase "out in the cold" suggests being left out, being excluded, and being abandoned.

The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "out in the cold" three times, emphasizing the persona's loneliness, isolation, and sorrow. Despite being out in the cold, the persona still dreams of their lover in visions of gold but wakes up to the reality that they are still alone and longing for their lover's return. The song speaks to the universal experience of heartbreak and the struggle to move on from love lost.

Overall, the lyrics to Prince Tui Teka's song Out In The Cold are a poignant depiction of love, loss, and heartbreak. The song captures the emotions of longing, loneliness, and despair that come with a lost love.

Line by Line Meaning

As I sit by the ambers
As I sit next to the fading embers of a fire

of a dying fire
of a fire that has almost burned out

and the night wind blows cold across the plane
and the chilly wind blows through the plain

I remember how you loved me
I recall how you used to love me

until he made his claim
until he took you away from me

Now I'm out in the cold again
Now I'm left alone and abandoned again

Oh I'm out in the cold and I'm lonesome
Oh, I'm left to freeze and be lonely

I'm out in the cold and I'm bloom
I'm out in the cold and I'm sad

When I sleep my dreams unfold
When I sleep, my dreams of you take shape

You come to me in visions of gold
You appear to me in glorious visions

but when I wake
but when I open my eyes