Genre Folk rock, music hall Label RCA | Length 3:45 Writer(s) Ray Davies | |
Released 24 November 1971 (USA), 26 November 1971 (UK) Recorded August–September 1971 at Morgan Studios, Willesden, London | ||
"Have a Cuppa Tea" is a song written by Ray Davies and performed by The Kinks on their 1971 album Muswell Hillbillies.
Like many Kinks songs, it is stylistically influenced by the British Music Hall. It also has a slight country influence—with the mesh of these two styles being a hallmark of the album.
The lyrics simply celebrate, in a joyously humorous way, the British custom of drinking tea, and the civility that comes with it. Some absurd claims are made of the drink in a tongue-in-cheek fashion, such as "It's a cure for tonsilitis and for water on the knee."
Yet the song also wittily observes
"Whatever the situation, whatever the race or creed, Tea knows no segregation, no class nor pedigree It knows no motivation, no sect nor organisation, It knows no one religion, Nor political belief."The lyrics also feature a clever parody/homage to the McGuire Sisters' 1958 hit song "Sugartime":
"Tea in the morning, tea in the evening, tea at supper time! You get tea when it's raining, tea when it's snowing, Tea when the weather's fine!"Though it was never a single in either the United Kingdom or the United States, it does remain a fan favourite.
The song was covered by Great Big Sea for their 2010 album Safe Upon the Shore.