Album: Living In The Past (1972)

License This Song 

• Well the dawn was coming
  Heard him ringing on my bell
  He said, my name's the teacher
  Oh that is what I call myself
  And I have a lesson
  That I must impart to you
  It's an old expression
  But I must insist it's true
  
  Jump up, look around
  Find yourself some fun
  No sense in sitting there hating everyone
  No man's an island and his castle isn't home
  The nest is for nothing when the bird has flown
  
  So I took a journey
  Threw my world into the sea
  With me went the teacher
  Who found fun instead of me
  
  Hey man, what's the plan, what was that you said?
  Sun-tanned, drink in hand, lying there in bed
  I try to socialize but I can't seem to find
  What I was looking for, got something on my mind
  
  Then the teacher told me
  It had been a lot of fun
  Thanked me for his ticket
  And all that I had done
  
  Hey man, what's the plan, what was that you said?
  Sun-tanned, drink in hand, lying there in bed
  I try to socialize but I can't seem to find
  What I was looking for, got something on my mind Writer/s: Ian Anderson
  Publisher: BMG Rights Management
  Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 8

• Reverend Lars from Los AngelesIan always plays games when talking about his songs...one minute he'll explain the meaning of Teacher in great detail, the next he'll say it was just a riffy throwaway that he doesn't like. Bottom line, it's a great song with wonderful, thoughtful lyrics. He should be proud of it.
• Brett from VaRolling Stone : "Interestingly, our manager is convinced to this day that this is actually a song I wrote about him and that he is the teacher, which is complete bollocks. In fact, what I was singing about was more those creepy guru figures that would mislead innocent young minds like those of the Beatles. They would suck in people and use the power of persuasion to bend their will and lead them on a spiritual path to enlightenment. And a lot of the time, of course, it was just about getting your money and driving around in a big, white Rolls Royce, which struck me as worthy of writing a song about. I wasn’t singing necessarily about spiritual leaders of a particular ethnic persuasion or a particular religious view, but just the idea of the teacher, the guru." Also mentioned the fact that there were 2 versions, UK and US, maybe the poppier one was for the US, where they were trying break into the charts.
• Deathrow Toll from Ohio I can get behind what IA says, it’s quite “riffy”, Aqualung (album) was fairly “riffy” and commercial too, I think that’s why he’s always so adamant that it’s not a “concept” album. I bought the cassette for Thick as a Brick and listened to it until I could hear both sides, it’s not commercial at all. The snippet that was carved out as a “single” is just part of 42 minute song.
• Jimmy Mac from PhiladelphiaFirst heard that song when I was 8, my sister loved Tull
• Jeff from Seattle, WaI still think the fluteless version (The UK version, not the original UK version) is better.
• Ghostoflectricity from IllinoisDon't know if this is true, but I vaguely remember in the misty, distant past that this song's narrator was a psychedelic spiritual seeker, the "trip" he was on involved LSD or another hallucinogen, and the con artist/teacher was Timothy Leary.
• Ray from Roseville, MiIt's definitely his poppiest with the flute. That sound I believe was reproduced by many New Wave groups in 80's.
  
• Krishen from Mount Laurel, NjSad to know he didn't think much of this song -- even for a "throwaway", the lyrics are still quite intelligent and it's a damn good rocker.

More Songfacts:

The DilemmaYou Me at Six

The You Me at Six song "The Dilemma" got its title from the Vince Vaughn movie of the same name.

Ziggy StardustDavid Bowie

David Bowie's "Ziggy Stardust" was likely based on various musicians in his ambit, including Iggy Pop (zIGGY), and Jimi Hendrix, who played guitar left-handed ("He played it left hand").

Don't Worry Be HappyBobby McFerrin

The song "Don't Worry Be Happy" doesn't use any instruments - it's all Bobby McFerrin using various parts of his body to make the sounds.

Cradle Of LoveBilly Idol

When singing "Cradle Of Love," Billy Idol typically changes a line to, "This song is so cheesy."

AllentownBilly Joel

Billy Joel's song "Allentown" was written as "Levittown," which is the town in Long Island where he grew up. He got the idea to change it after taking a trip to Pennsylvania.

Rolling In The DeepAdele

Adele got the title "Rolling In The Deep" from the British saying "Roll Deep," which means to look after someone. She was "rolling deep" with her boyfriend until he betrayed her.

Editor's Picks

Christopher CrossSongwriter Interviews

The man who created Yacht Rock with "Sailing" wrote one of his biggest hits while on acid.

Rufus WainwrightSongwriter Interviews

Rufus Wainwright on "Hallelujah," his album Unfollow The Rules, and getting into his "lyric trance" on 12-hour walks.

Jon Anderson of YesSongwriter Interviews

From the lake in "Roundabout" to Sister Bluebird in "Starship Trooper," Jon Anderson talks about how nature and spirituality play into his lyrics for Yes.

When Rock Belonged To MichelobSong Writing

Michelob commercials generated hits for Eric Clapton, Genesis and Steve Winwood in the '80s, even as some of these rockers were fighting alcoholism.

Charles FoxSongwriter Interviews

After studying in Paris with a famous composition teacher, Charles became the most successful writer of TV theme songs.

Wolfgang Van HalenSongwriter Interviews

Wolfgang Van Halen breaks down the songs on his debut album, Mammoth WVH, and names the definitive Van Halen songs from the Sammy and Dave eras.