The band's sophomore effort, "After We Go", again produced by Wright, was released in February 2004, preceded by the single "Hey Now". Described as heavier than their first record, "After We Go" debuted at #56 on the Billboard 200. Unfortunately, the album did not match the success of their debut, in part due to the poor reception of follow-up singles (the title track "After We Go," and their cover of Fleetwood Mac's "The Chain"). Nevertheless, Tantric soldiered on, touring with Three Doors Down and Shinedown for much of 2004.
In 2005, it was announced that Jesse Vest had left the band to spend time with his family. He was replaced by Bruce LaFrance. For much of that year, Tantric worked on their third record. Some of the songs tracked for the record include "Letting Go", "People", "Worth Waiting For", "Fall Down", "The One", "July", "Locked Out", and "Stay With You". Todd Whitener recorded the bass guitar parts for the album, and also contributed lead vocals to a number of songs.
In January, 2006 Tantric traveled with hard rock group Drowning Pool to Seoul, South Korea to play several shows for U.S. troops currently stationed along the DMZ. Highly appreciative of this, the troops gave members of the band a plaque with actual barbed wire from the 38th parallel barrier.
In March, 2006, Tantric was dropped from Maverick Records, which was collapsing. In 2007, Matt Taul was arrested on drug-related charges, which would further complicate the band's obtaining a new label. Finally, on May 8, 2007, the release of three songs from Tantric III on the band's MySpace was largely overshadowed by Todd Whitener's farewell announcement on the band's website, which cited a feeling of stagnation that caused him to grow tired of the band's struggle to succeed. Ferreira later said in interviews that Whitener, as well as other members of the band had grown frustrated with the band's record label complications. Taul was sent to prison in later months, but has since been released. Bruce LaFrance was replaced.
Hugo Ferreira began searching for a new band, enlisting former Fuel drummer Kevin Miller, Joe Pessia (guitarist Dramagods) through mutual friend Nuno Bettencourt, Erik Leonhardt (bassist), and Marcus Ratzenboeck (electric violin) as new members of the band. Shortly thereafter, Tantric announced their deal with the Silent Majority Group record label, and their new management company, JHMP.
Because Ferreira remained the only original member of Tantric, Tantric III has been shelved for the time being. Ferreira has said the reasoning for this, other than the logical label complications, was he did not want to produce an album under the Tantric name that was partially written by Whitener and Taul. However, in recent interviews, Ferreira's comments increased the likelihood of Tantric III's release. He has stated that although he did not plan to release it in grand style he would have liked to leak it out to the fans as a potential Christmas 2008 gift for their support. With the indefinite shelving of "T3," Ferreira and his new mates recorded 10 new songs, in addition to a totally revamped version of "The One," featuring Kevin Martin of Candlebox, and finally released the band's third album, The End Begins, on April 22, 2008.
On March 9 2009, Tantric announced through MySpace that their new album will be entitled Mind Control and that the band were in the process of recording the album. Produced by Brett Hestla (Creed), they announced a release date of August 4, and it was released in stores, as well as all digital retailers.
Why Don't You
Tantric Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Trying to find another place where I belong
Well, what you want to be, what you can never see
'Cause you're making mistakes, you really take
And there's nothing left for me
(On and on, on and on again)
I've been waiting all along
Trying to find a place that's home
(On and on, on and on again)
I'll lay it out for you to see
(On and on, on and on again)
Is this what you really need?
Why don't you make mistakes like I do?
Why don't you
(Why don't you)
Make mistakes like I do?
I, I don't wanna die
I've been doing this all by myself
Trying to put all of our problems on the shelf
But what I have to see, is this can never be
So I'm making my way, through everyday
And I'm taking what I need, yeah
(On and on, on and on again)
I've been waiting all along
(On and on, on and on again)
Trying to find a place that's home
(On and on, on and on again)
I'll lay it out for you to see
(On and on, on and on again)
Is this what you really need?
Why don't you make mistakes like I do?
Why don't you
(Why don't you)
Make mistakes like I do?
I, I don't wanna die
My precious time, you don't deserve
Your perfect world, has gone blind
Why don't you make mistakes like I do?
Why don't you
(Why don't you)
Make mistakes like do?
I, I don't wanna die
Why don't you make mistakes like I do?
Why don't you
(Why don't you)
Make mistakes like I do?
I, I don't wanna die
In Tantric's song "Why Don't You," the lyrics express a sense of frustration towards someone who seems to have it all together and never makes mistakes. The singer has been waiting for a long time to find a place where they belong and seems to be struggling to keep up with the person they are addressing. They express that this person may be making mistakes without realizing it and that there's nothing left for the singer.
The chorus repeats the phrase "Why don't you make mistakes like I do?" emphasizing the singer's inability to accept that they cannot always be perfect. They don't want to die, which could represent a fear of being forgotten or unimportant. The singer acknowledges that they have been trying to solve their problems alone and cannot continue this way as it is not sustainable. The verse ends with a sense of empowerment as the singer begins to take what they need.
The bridge conveys anger at the person they are addressing, saying that they don't deserve the singer's precious time and that their world has gone blind. The song ends with a repetition of the chorus, once again emphasizing the frustrated plea for the other person to become more vulnerable and make mistakes.
Overall, the lyrics of "Why Don't You" express a sense of frustration and desperation towards perfectionism and the pressures of maintaining an image of having it all together.
Line by Line Meaning
I've been waiting here for so long
I have been waiting for a very long time
Trying to find another place where I belong
I have been searching for a place where I fit in
Well, what you want to be, what you can never see
Your aspirations are beyond what you can envision for yourself
'Cause you're making mistakes, you really take
Because you continue to make mistakes and take things for granted
And there's nothing left for me
I have nothing left to gain from this situation
(On and on, on and on again)
Repetition of the previous lines
I've been waiting all along
I have been waiting for a very long time
Trying to find a place that's home
I have been searching for a place of comfort and belonging
I'll lay it out for you to see
I will be straightforward with you
Is this what you really need?
Is this truly what you require?
Why don't you make mistakes like I do?
Why don't you fail as I have?
I, I don't wanna die
I wish to continue living
I've been doing this all by myself
I have been dealing with this alone
Trying to put all of our problems on the shelf
Attempting to ignore or avoid our issues
But what I have to see, is this can never be
I have come to realize that this situation is untenable
So I'm making my way, through everyday
I am traversing each day
And I'm taking what I need, yeah
I am taking only what is essential
My precious time, you don't deserve
You are not worthy of my precious time
Your perfect world, has gone blind
Your ideal world has become misguided
Why don't you make mistakes like I do?
Why don't you fail as I have?
(Why don't you)
Repetition of the previous line
I, I don't wanna die
I wish to continue living
Lyrics © Songtrust Ave, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: ERIK LEONHARDT, HUGO FERREIRA, JOSEPH M PESSIA, KEVIN RICHARD MILLER, MARCUS RATZENBOECK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind