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.
Walking Wounded
The Tea Party Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And erase all that's been
And all that's been between
Is it gone tell me what went wrong
'cause baby i'm not that strong
And i'm walking wounded
All alone, all alone
Are you comfortable and numb
Did they all succumb to all those lies
Does it satisfy the greed
Is it all you need
Is it all you want
'cause baby i'm not that strong
And I'm walking wounded
All alone
And baby i'm not that strong
And i'm walking wounded a
All alone , all alone
How does it feel
How does it feel
How does it feel
How does it feel
If your memories do stray
Then they betray all that's past
And all that's been between
Is it gone tell me what went wrong
'cause baby i'm not that strong
And i'm walking wounded
All alone,
And baby i'm not that strong
And i'm walking wounded
All alone , alll alone
How does it feel
How does it feel
How does it feel
How does it feel
How does it feel
How does it feel
How does it feel
How does it feel, baby now
The Tea Party's song Walking Wounded is a reflective piece that seems to be about the emotional scars that the singer has accumulated over time. The opening line asks a poignant question - is it safe to retrospect, and try to erase all the things that have transpired, leaving only the present, untainted moment. The lyrics dive deeper as they ask to reveal what went wrong, indicating that something went awry in their life that has led them to become 'walking wounded.' The chorus repeats this phrase, where the singer declares themselves to be all alone; it is unclear whether they are physically or emotionally alone.
The second stanza addresses the listener, as they ask if they are at peace, or if they have become comfortable in their numbness. The lyrics continue to ask if the listener has become a slave to the greed that they mention in passing, as if it is a powerful force that is all-consuming. The final few lines are a repeat of the first verse, where the singer again asks what went wrong and that they are not strong enough to face whatever it is that has caused them such pain.
Line by Line Meaning
Is it safe to look within
The singer questions if it's safe for them to introspect and confront their own feelings and past experiences.
And erase all that's been
The singer wonders if it is possible to forget or let go of all their past experiences and memories.
And all that's been between
The singer refers to the experiences, relationships, and events that have shaped and impacted their life so far.
Is it gone tell me what went wrong
The singer seeks answers and understanding for why things turned out the way they did and caused them pain.
'cause baby i'm not that strong
The singer acknowledges their vulnerability and confesses that they may not be able to handle or cope with the past on their own.
And i'm walking wounded
The singer expresses that they are damaged, hurt, and carrying emotional scars from their past.
All alone, all alone
The singer feels isolated and unsupported, as they deal with their emotional pain and struggles by themselves.
Are you comfortable and numb
The singer questions if others are complacent and desensitized to their own pain and emotions, as a way to cope with the world around them.
Did they all succumb to all those lies
The singer suggests that others have given in to falsehoods, illusions, and deception that prevent them from seeing the truth and feeling fully.
Does it satisfy the greed
The singer wonders if the pursuit of money, power, and success has become more important than genuine human connection, integrity, and well-being.
Is it all you need
The singer asks if the superficial and external aspects of life are enough to fulfill someone's deepest needs and desires.
Is it all you want
The singer wonders if people are settling for less than what they truly want and deserve in life, due to fear, doubt, or apathy.
How does it feel
The singer repeats this phrase multiple times, emphasizing their curiosity about how others are experiencing life and how they themselves feel.
If your memories do stray
The singer acknowledges that sometimes memories can be intrusive and unpredictable, causing discomfort and pain when they surface unexpectedly.
Then they betray all that's past
The singer suggests that memories can be a source of hurt and betrayal because they reveal the truth and pain of past experiences.
And all that's been between
The singer refers again to the people, relationships, and experiences that have defined and influenced their past.
And baby i'm not that strong
The singer emphasizes again that they are not equipped to deal with the past and the pain that comes with it on their own.
And i'm walking wounded
The singer repeats this line to reinforce that they are still in pain and struggling despite their desire to heal and move on.
All alone , alll alone
The singer again emphasizes that they feel isolated and unsupported as they continue to navigate their emotional pain and trauma.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@colinmcmahon5829
I have to live this ME, you think you fought for reserves rights to live MY ME.
That failed by Al Jolson, who a prairie idiot had to deliver the lines for, as she was sleeping late
Right
And woke up the same child, dead
Me.
Sorry for your training, RoyalA ru
Of Itterqnces
@alanburns4734
These guys are fantastic live, Jeff Martin is so underrated its scary, I met people at their concert who have seen them 10x or more, he's always bang on with vocals, plays all guitar parts himself
@mikemarona5069
I saw Tea Party in concert in 1996 for the first time...you think you know Jeff Martins voice?....Please
@mikemarona5069
Go back to old Tea Party
@AnnaLVajda
Yeah the get compared to The Doors but that is only a 3 piece band and Morrison did not play guitar. They use more exotic instruments sometimes too.
@kmacgregor6361
@@AnnaLVajda So much better than The Doors.
@tlyoung14
Jeff has perfect pitch.
@celeste1092
They're too underrated!
@joshuabranigan6369
No Doubt <3
@federiconiche6012
Best kept secret of Rock and Roll.
@staygold902
You shouldn't keep secrets this big