cat stevens - Longer Boats - Tea For The Tillerman

[88seanster]

...just a flower,...I can help along...

[bijougal]

Where DOES the parson go? Love you Cat - 43 years. I cherish having seen you in concert in 1974. Someday we WILL all be on that Peace Train :)



[Ryupaw]

peace



[leoretrosi]

music from the rock god;s cat is truly one of a kind, tea for the tiiler man is the most

under rated lp of the 70;s magic a classic the day he sang this , hey what a guy

thank you cat and of course peace.

[CHANCHOFACE]

This song is awesome!

[FrancisD]

It was always my fave Cat stevens song... still is I think....

[Poodlehag]

Respect.

[henrythecow100]

I love this song so much

[ih8ppl611]

i was 16 in '86,never served in a war or saw a beach but Tea for thr Tillerman was the first complete "album" i dug.The calm complexity of the melody and lyric is a fond memory of coming of age,so to speak.So is Lori n Candice n Josie,I'll never foreget u girls.Thank u Maria.Anybody want to burn one?

[niazi16]

To find out what the Cat is doing now, today visit:

wwwyusufislamcom

[niazi16]

I am a 20 year old in the 21century,...why can't we have this kinda music again! I hate the radio's music, the only thing I can lieten to now, today is Yusuf\Cat. I have all of his albums! God Bless You, Cat Stevens\Yusuf Islam.

To find out more about what the Cat is doing now...visit:

[markmahrenholz]

cat stevens is a genius who touched all of our lives back then, he nursed me through great depression whiie in the military in Denver, he has all my respect because he left the music biz before they corrupted his

soul. hats off to all my brothers

[niazi16]

To find out more about what the Cat is doing now...visit:

yusufislam

[niazi16]

To find out more about what the Cat is doing now...visit:

yusufislamcom

[time2act1001]

... delightful X 1M... thank you!!!

[ajl577]

In ancient Greek Myth all souls were taken across the river Styx to Erebus (Hades is Roman) by Charon the ferryman (that's what the coins on the eyes were for, to pay him). After spending "an age" wondering and contemplating one's past lives the soul would drink of Lethe's stream and forget them in order to be reborn. No long boats, no short boats, just Charon's ferry. The entrance to Hades was guarded by Charon's 3 headed dog Cerberus.

[tal1bkw3ll1]

so much memory thx for posting

[hodogetsmoney]

Lets see if ANYBODY can say what this song is about i dare you...

[inatizzy2]

@hodogetsmoney I have a pretty good idea. LOL But its such a diversified song, you can take it into many aspects of life. To each their own. :-)

[solitudinarian]

Ich bin gerade 25 Jahre jünger!!!! Die Vinyl hat leider meine Umzüge nicht überlebt. Schön hier alle songs des Albums wiederzutreffen!

[hodogetsmoney]

LONG______LIVE_______CAT______­_STEVENS

[koelnerwutzmann]

die lp hatte ich auch, schön das es hier ein Wiedersehn gibt.

[harirumrum]

I'd have to say that Cat Stevens is a close as I come to any religion.Just an amazing writer.My parents bought this album and music like this shaped the way I think,feel,and express myself.

[mattersinprobe]

@harirumrum look into his religion then. you might find sommat

[MrMrNeko]

The Saints are coming to win us.

[SadieStyx]

My mum owned about 3 albums total, and they were they only music I ever heard as a child (we lived up a mountain, a long way from any civilization, and had no radio) and this was one of the albums she had...I haven't heard this in so long. It's making me cry!!

[TilemanSD]

This song reminds me of your parents home L, and the wonderful times we had there.

[hodogetsmoney]

your brother couldnt be more wrong. This song is a story of greek mythology. In greek mythology when you die you spirt stands on the river bed waiting to be taken away two 1 of three final destinations of afterlife. The small boats are those that take the condemned to Hades. The "longer" or bigger boats are for those who are to live in the heavens. If you look up the lyrics it will all make sense. Maybe not. Cat Stevens was born in a very Greek family. Look into it. The furthest from drugs.

[cosybully]

You mentioned three final destinations, but you only specified Heaven and Hades; is the third destination some sort of limbo? I don't know much about the beliefs of the Greek Orthodox Church. Thanks.

[ZendeghiBahal]

@cosybully : not Greek orthodox, ancient greek mythology.

[dylancaprotti]

longer boats = starships

ask cat

[ZendeghiBahal]

@hodogetsmoney : I agree that it's not about drugs. i always thought it was a song about the strong picking on the weak in human history. With religion and war each empire spread it's influence. Thus he says he wants no God on his lawn. If the longer boats were coming to take them to heaven, why should they hold on to the shore? Such is art, though, open to interpretation. I wonder what Cat was really thinking on many songs, even though i find my own meaning.

[cosybully]

My brother just told me it's about drugs, but I guess it's open to interpretation.

[IgorTheClown]

Longer Boats (Live at Troubadour) on Tea For The Tillerman Deluxe Edition, before he starts singing he says something along the lines of: "This is a song called Longer Boats, and its about spaceships"

[cosybully]

Thank you for telling me. I don't have that album. :)

[cosybully]

Anyone know the meaning of this beautiful song? I've been listening to it since it came out, but I haven't been able to decipher it. Thanks.

[IgorTheClown]

It's 'bout spaceships silly

[londonbangkok]

@cosybully Comes from Greek Mythology - at least the Longer Boats do. They take the 'good' souls to an ancient Greek heaven. Not so sure about Mary and her dropping pants ..........

[sheogroth]

ha the vietnam guys story doesent add up but beautiful song

[JediMar1970]

how did you have a cassette player in vietnam? since the cassette was not invented till the mid 70's?

[ruzz3ii]

They had them in 1972 for sure, and the war did not end until 1975.

[londonbangkok]

@JediMar1970 . Sorry , I bought a 'mini' cassette player in '72 before serving abroad! About the size of a small shoebox and the 4 x U2 batteries lasted 6 hours without mains. VietNam finished in '75 as far as USA was concerned.

[idhecar]

123,

'T 4 the T'man' was also an influence in my life.... while you were in Vietnam, I was a 16 yr old kid who lost his virginity on a beach while listening to this track!

Last week I met that first person after 36 years and there is still a connection. Guess we are just aged hippies.

Strange how simple songs can mean so much.

Respect to you.

[PENNYWISE69696969]

@idhecar while 123 was off fighting the war and you were on a beach experiancing one of the best times in your life i wasnt even born yet.. then many years later i was born and brought up listening to cat stevens if i remember this was the first real musician and album i heard my mum an i used to blast this album on the stereo oh so many years ago and just sing the night away.. ill never forget those nights, great times and great music

[Katyusha5479]

@idhecar Dude that is AWESOME

[jsgehrke]

@idhecar Great story. People today don't understand what it meant to be a young person in 72. I was there. Colors were so bright.

[niazi16]

@idhecar I am a 20 year old in the 21century,...why can't we have this kinda music again! I hate the radio's music, the only thing I can lieten to now, today is Yusuf\Cat. I have all of his albums! God Bless You, Cat Stevens\Yusuf Islam.

[mshollyleeann]

@idhecar & 123akhetaten

What a great story!

[RhythmUniverse]

@idhecar I wore my record out. Funny thing too - my dad loved these songs too so he asked me to play it over again. :) Nice connection for us.

[123akhetaten]

as a 20 yrs soldier in Viet Nam During my precious free time betweem operations I would go to my bunker or hooch and get my littleportable cassette player and play "Tea for the Tillerman" and create just for those few moments a little peace and love that I believed helped me maintain ment

[koelnerwutzmann]

@123akhetaten , during my military service, I ve been often in Dachau, there were amarican Soldiers.

When they had to go to Vietnam, there was trouble in the air. MP was then busy.

This men were really good americans.

Later when america dont have the draft. a lot changed, I experienced some not honorable things against german weman.

[gazono2]

@123akhetaten Oh my word, and you lived to tell the tale and survived all that mayhem...and listened to Cat Stephens....thank god you survived xxx

[tyme4mike]

@123akhetaten What a masterful piece of work is Tea For The Tillerman, isn't it? How many times it rocked my muddled ptsd-infected psyche to sleep. Nearly 40 years after its release it still has the same power. Many times its musical art rescued my sanity from the Storm in the Desert. What's your favourite song from it? I'd lose myself in "Miles From Nowhere" while I waited for those "Longer Boats", know what I mean? Hope you're still able to find those "few moments of peace". A brother in arms.

[ferral97]

@123akhetaten did u know farquhar C if so lemme know

[time2act1001]

@123akhetaten... Thank you for the sacrafices you made for us, and I wih You and Yours the finest of the Holiday Season, Sincerely, Daniel Carroll, Sunset Beach CA

[cyberties]

@123akhetaten

Thanks you for your service, Man. I am glad you made it through.

Peace!

[mikey1829]

@123akhetaten God Bless you brother and THANK YOU for protecting my freedom

[MOSESCAT69]

@123akhetaten Complete respect to you. A brave, brave man. Cat's songs are timeless. Much respect from the UK x

[PlanTonto]

@123akhetaten Wow! Awesome! Thanks for your service to the country! That must have terrible but glad you found a way to "escape"....

[loveablemeggy]

@123akhetaten thats beautiful :)

[ILLUDICHRIS]

@123akhetaten There were 100 thousand others there with you my friend. We are all are linked when love and truth are the heart's foremost desire

When we all come together again on the other side we will all be children forever, free & filled with the wonder of youth's freshness

When death dies we'll all live an eternal life of songs sung in harmony's joy, the splendor of freedom from fear where love abounds & flows through each of us like the river we played in as kids when this song was new

[polmaccaba01]

@123akhetaten i was born in 1974, my Dad had all his albums, i learnt them. Glad to know that u survived, CCR...another band my Dad made me listen to.