The song "Tea for the Tillerman"

[shunra]

Hi,
Anyone wants to disscuss the meaning of this song? it is an enigma for me...

[Deleted]

From the Tillerman deluxe edition booklet:

"By the end of the record we learn to appreciate the bearded 'hero' of the earth, we sit down with him while he takes a well earned rest by the side of the path to enjoy a little refreshment - and listen to children play." Yusuf, 26th May 2008

[downunder72]

Maybe because he grew up in the heart of the city, he was just visualising and dreaming of the wonderful, the simple and carefree life of a peasant and his family in the countryside. Maybe it was an idea for another childrens book that he never completed.

[downunder72]

Now that you have written this Glaucus, taken from the booklet, I can see him now being that bearded 'hero' of the earth. It's strange that after so many years, his music still keeps unfolding before us, with a new meaning.

[shunra]

Hi ,
What you wrote helps to understand the song better,but
I still don't understand the meaning of the text itself... what does it mean "to bring ...steak to the sun" and what the woman who made the rain come stands for?

thanks,
Michal

[suncatcher]

Here’s another Tea for the Tillerman quote. It's from Yusuf’s interview on the Majikat DVD:

“The tillerman represented to me someone who was a hard worker – the kind of salt-of-the-earth – the kind of person we all need. My fans got deeply into my sort of little world, you know, the world that I created on those album covers . . .and I was in that world, too.”

[suncatcher]

For what it’s worth, here’s how I see this song:

Tea For The Tillerman

Bring tea for the Tillerman
Steak for the sun
Wine for the women who made the rain come

Seagulls sing your hearts away
'Cause while the sinners sin, the children play
Oh Lord how they play and play
For that happy day, for that happy day

The first three lines sound like what’s said in a restaurant, so they tell me that the song comes from Cat’s experience working in his father’s restaurant, the Moulin Rouge.

I used to think that Cat sounds drunk in this song, but then I realized he sounds more weary than drunk. So I think the Tillerman represents Cat, who has worked very hard – taking orders, serving customers, busting tables, washing dishes – and who needs a well-deserved cup of tea.

“Steak for the sun” represents giving his father his dinner.

“Wine for the women who made the rain come,” is for his mother, sister, and any other women in his life who made him feel sad.

So, the first three lines mean that he’s finished his work, had a cup of tea, and taken care of the people in his life.

Now he’s free, and the line “Seagulls sing your hearts away” represents his escape from the physical world – his flight to the heavens and to his heart’s greatest desire –music and song.

“’Cause while the sinners sin, the children play” is Cat’s way of disregarding the “wild world” around him and either watching the children play or maybe even going out and playing himself. This line reminds me of “When the cat’s away, the mice will play.”

“For that happy day, for that happy day” is like waiting for the last day of school and the happy days of summer – how great it feels to finally be free.

In a nutshell, it means take care of your responsibilities, say to hel* with everything else, and follow your heart.

But the way Cat performs the song is incredible - it’s like waiting on the runway, finally building up speed, taking off, and flying away with him. I love when we break through the clouds – it’s such a glorious song.

I know that songs mean something different to everyone - I’d love to hear someone else’s thoughts.

~Sun~

[shunra]

Thanks suncather ,

I think you have really interpreted the song beatifully and correctly and now it is really clear for me what it means...

love
Michal

[flemmishfangent]

Sorry but i think if he reads
Wine for the women who made the rain come,” is for his mother, sister, and any other women in his life who made him feel sad.his mother that he loved so much never maked him sad,he said in a interview(porchesterhall performance dvd)that he hardly not could speak about his mama'sdead because he missed her so much.

[suncatcher]

Dec 6, 2008 8:30:25 GMT -5 shunra said:

Thanks suncather ,

I think you have really interpreted the song beatifully and correctly and now it is really clear for me what it means...

love
Michal

Thanks, Michal. Of course, it could mean something totally different to someone else, and that's fine, too.
Peace,
~Sun~

[suncatcher]

Dec 6, 2008 12:53:14 GMT -5 flemmishfangent said:

Sorry but i think if he reads
Wine for the women who made the rain come,” is for his mother, sister, and any other women in his life who made him feel sad.his mother that he loved so much never maked him sad,he said in a interview(porchesterhall performance dvd)that he hardly not could speak about his mama'sdead because he missed her so much.

This is a great point, Regine. To clarify, I didn't mean that his mother made him feel sad by treating him badly, but that he would feel sad about any problems in her life because he loved her so much. I was thinking in particular about how Cat's parents divorced when he was eight years old, and he moved to Sweden with his mother. He must have felt so sorry for her.
Thanks,
~Sun~

[suncatcher]

Tea for the Tillerman
. . .
Oh Lord how they play and play
For that happy day, for that happy day

These two lines have been playing over and over in the back of my mind, except that "play and play" is switched to "pray and pray." I figured out why today - because they sound like the song Oh, Happy Day. Interestingly, it was sung by Aretha Franklin, one of Yusuf's favorite singers.

It's enlightening to listen to Sister Act 2 - Oh Happy Day and then listen to Tea for the Tillerman. Since Cat went to St. Josephs and the setting of the "Oh, Happy Day" video is a Catholic school, you can get the feel of how both Catholic school and gospel music may have influenced Cat.

~Sun~

P.S. I haven't seen Sister Act 2. Does anyone recommend it?

[valleycreeper]

Dec 12, 2008 18:52:32 GMT -5 suncatcher said:

. . .

[/b]Oh Lord how they play and play
For that happy day, for that happy day[/blockquote]These two lines have been playing over and over in the back of my mind, except that "play and play" is switched to "pray and pray."[/quote]

Maybe play is prayer. Sorry if that seems facetious.

I like YI's own remark very much, and Sun's comments, and even if those aren't literal meanings, it captures the spirit of it.

[suncatcher]

Dec 15, 2008 1:30:20 GMT -5 valleycreeper said:

Dec 12, 2008 18:52:32 GMT -5 suncatcher said:

. . .

[/b]Oh Lord how they play and play
For that happy day, for that happy day[/blockquote]These two lines have been playing over and over in the back of my mind, except that "play and play" is switched to "pray and pray."[/quote]

Maybe play is prayer. Sorry if that seems facetious.

I like YI's own remark very much, and Sun's comments, and even if those aren't literal meanings, it captures the spirit of it.

[/quote]
Thank you, valleycreeper. I think that prayer takes many forms - there is, of course, the kind of prayer where we verbally or mentally form words and "speak" to God.

But I can imagine an example of playing being prayer. For instance, when we listen to a song and it expresses what's in our heart and soul - I think it would have to be something moral - if we can just remember God at the time the song is playing, then playing becomes praying, because we make that connection between our souls and God.

I also think there's a silent kind of prayer - no, rather, it's wordless prayer - that actually can be loud in the sense that it's crying out to God directly from our heart - but again, there are no words. Just a direct offering of our soul's needs, or of someone else's needs, to God.

I'm trying to think of an example. . .

It's like when we see a sad story on the news, and we shake our heads, knowing we are helpless, and we just close our eyes and say, "Oh, God," and nothing more, but our hearts are full of a yearing for God to make it all right - for a miracle.

Sorry to go on - this one's hard to explain.

~Sun~

[georgeringo2]

Read the biography of St. Teresa of Avila. She speaks of thre distinct levels of prayer, the deepest one being the "prayer of silence."