The band received some media criticism for Jeff Martin's Jim Morisson-like stage persona in some of its videos and their Led Zeppelin-esq riffs, although he seemed determined to be striving to create his own image and sound. His looks certainly do draw some comparison, however, to The Doors' late front man.
Their sound is hard to categorize as each album possessed different themes and influences. Splendor Solis (1993) was a more acoustic, blues-based record, while Edges of Twilight (1995) was much darker with strong Middle Eastern influences on several tracks. Transmission (1997) saw a dramatic change to a darker, more industrial-tinged sound, and it was distributed in the USA by Atlantic Records. The last three albums by the band featured various efforts to attract a wider commercial audience, with the single "Heaven Coming Down" reaching No.1 on the Canadian mainstream charts in 1999.
In 2000, Capitol Records finally released a retrospective compilation in the USA of their Canadian singles entitled Tangents after only releasing their first two albums south of the border.
The Tea Party released The Interzone Mantras in 2001, but it did not possess the singles of its predecessors.
In October 2005, a year after their final album Seven Circles was released, Jeff Martin left the band and embarked on a solo career, releasing an album in early 2006. Jeff Burrows (drummer) and Stuart Chatwood (bass/synthesiser) have also had post-Tea Party successes, the former in several projects and the latter in soundtrack composition. Burrows and Chatwood worked together on a new project called The Art Decay before Burrows joined Crash Karma in 2008.
On April 12th 2011, an official Facebook page was launched with a biography section that closed with "The band is scheduled to play a select number of dates in 2011. No other info was available at this time." The following day, the local radio station K106.3 announced the Sarnia Bayfest lineup including The Tea Party, which was later confirmed by drummer Jeff Burrows on his radio show on April 13th. Burrows further stated that a Canadian tour was also in the works.
The Tea Party performed at the Cisco Systems Bluesfest in Ottawa, Ontario on July 14th, 2011, and the band will be playing a Canadian tour commencing on November 15th, 2011 in Vancouver. The band's website and tour is called "THE TEA PARTY - No Politics... Just Rock and Roll". In September 2011, the band was reportedly approached to sell its website URL for over a million dollars by the extremely popular American political movement bearing the same name: www.teaparty.com.
Mantra
The Tea Party Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
within me softly burn
they burn the savage soul
that twisted what it learned
i feel this life slipping by
i can feel this life slipping by
desire is a state
it's ill prepared to cope
it's ill prepared to care
i feel this life slipping by
i can feel this life slipping by
time and time life's left me only
feeling sick and feeling scared
now love is strong
my love is strong
i'll go on and on and on and on and on
mercy is the cry of the soul that stirred
beneath the creeping vine
a flower tries to change
it tries to satisfy
it's thirst without the rains
i feel this change coming on
i can feel this change coming on
time and time life's left me only
feeling sick and feeling scared
now love is strong my love is strong
i'll go on and on and on and on and on
mercy is the cry of the soul that stirred
mercy is the cry and it's never heard
love is all we have
love is all we need
The Tea Party’s “Mantra” is a song about change, hope, and love. The song starts with the singer talking about a thousand dreams within that softly burn inside of him. These dreams burn the savage soul that twisted the lessons he learned in life. He then goes on to talk about how life is slipping by him, and that desire is a state of ill repair that is ill-prepared to cope and care. The singer is feeling like he is constantly afraid and sick, and time and time again, life has left him feeling that way.
However, he then talks about how his love is strong, and that he will go on and on and on. Mercy is the cry of the soul that stirred, which means that even though the singer has felt sick and scared many times, he can still show compassion and kindness to others. The last verse talks about change coming on, and how a flower tries to satisfy its thirst without rain. The singer can feel this change coming, which is filling him with hope. Overall, the song seems to be about recognizing how fleeting life is, and the importance of finding love, hope, and compassion in a world that often feels dark and scary.
Line by Line Meaning
a thousand dreams within
There are many desires, dreams, and aspirations within me.
within me softly burn
These dreams and desires are constantly present and affect me emotionally.
they burn the savage soul
These dreams help to purge and transform a negative part of me.
that twisted what it learned
This negative part of me was shaped by past experiences and influences.
i feel this life slipping by
I am aware that time is moving quickly, and my life is passing.
i can feel this life slipping by
I am becoming more aware of the passage of time.
desire is a state
Having deep desires is a natural state for humans.
a state of ill repair
But desiring things can also create problems and negative emotions.
it's ill prepared to cope
These desires often leave us feeling overwhelmed and unprepared.
it's ill prepared to care
Desires may distract us from important things, like taking care of ourselves and others.
i feel this life slipping by
I am aware that time is moving quickly, and my life is passing.
i can feel this life slipping by
I am becoming more aware of the passage of time.
time and time life's left me only
Throughout my life, I have often felt
feeling sick and feeling scared
overwhelmed and fearful.
now love is strong
But now, my love for life and others is powerful enough
my love is strong
to help me overcome these negative feelings.
i'll go on and on and on and on and on
I will persevere and continue to live with hope and love.
mercy is the cry of the soul that stirred
Showing mercy and compassion is important to the part of me that wants to be my best self.
beneath the creeping vine
Underneath all the distractions and negativity in life,
a flower tries to change
a part of us always tries to improve ourselves and our situations.
it tries to satisfy
This effort to improve is an attempt to find contentment and satisfaction.
it's thirst without the rains
But sometimes our circumstances don't allow us to reach this contentment.
i feel this change coming on
I am sensing that changes are happening in my life.
i can feel this change coming on
I am becoming more aware of these changes.
now love is strong my love is strong
But my love for life and others will remain strong through these changes.
i'll go on and on and on and on and on
I will keep living with love and hope, no matter what happens.
mercy is the cry of the soul that stirred
I feel that showing mercy and compassion is important to being our best selves.
mercy is the cry and it's never heard
However, even though it's important, it's often ignored and undervalued.
love is all we have
In the end, love is the most important thing we possess.
love is all we need
It is what we need to persevere and live a fulfilling life.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Nocsucal-BeatGod
Man I stumbled on 1 song, jaw dropping. Surely there’s no more. I mean they were out when I was growing up never heard of them. And then 20+ years later I find them and it’s song after song that’s just fkn incredible. Wth is wrong with people
@orderinchaos
It's amazing how each album by them is completely different. I still think this one, Splendor Solis and Edges of Twilight are the best (Correspondences and Walk With Me from the last of those in different ways have vibes similar to this song)
@stevespyder
20 years later people are just discovering arab/metal fusion. Tea Party was years ahead.
@lisacurrier7727
Love is all we have, love is all we need♥️
@donaldwynecoop1281
SO TRUE! THANK YOU!
@richhansen8874
Sweet!
@quintero363
Great!!!
@kateclark2999
this song is really well done. good one boys!
@anesta6432
love tthe teaparty :)
@klauspapadopoulos9781
perfect so just