For the price of a cup of tea
You’d get a line of coke
For the price of a night with me
You’d be the village joke
For the price of a pint of milk
I’ll tell you all I know
About the state of the world today
Sit down, enjoy the show

She had several hours to find a place to stay
Try the coffee shop, but somewhere on the way
She heard about a place, somewhere she could go
Walked a couple of blocks to her destination

For the price of a cup of tea
You’d get a seven inches
Soul black vinyl to stop your tears
You can use my stereo
You might be the village joke but
Don’t listen to the gossip of the other folk

She just wants to be accepted in this place
There’s something in her face
She will always seem exotic and aloof
If you want to know the truth
Her friend the stars dripping from the jewelled sky
When she was passing by
Would keep her calm
There was people that she knew, at least she thought she did
Be easy on the kid!

She took her winter coat from her plastic wrapper
Pushed back her fringe, see her birthmark
She can finally be the person she wanted to be



Lyrics submitted by madedge

Track duration: 03:19


For the Price of a Cup of Tea song meanings
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13 Comments

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  • +1
    General Comment:On the B&S site, Stuart Murdoch wrote:

    "the producer asked us to write a hit, and this is what we came up with. it's a very old song called "the olympian boy" crossed with a new chorus, set to a groove that bob came up with..

    i bought some tea in a posh tea shop, and bob said, 'jeez, you could get a line of coke for that!'

    actually, check this out..

    songmeanings.net/songs/view/3530822107858566021/

    i sometimes go to this site to find out what i meant when i wrote something..

    verity kindle and dancing till dawn have the best answers i think

    ; )

    Stuart - 09/12/09"
    Flag SleepingWillowon December 21, 2009   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:The lines "For the price of a cup of tea
    You'd get a line of coke"
    arn't random
    Coke was very cheap in the Glasgow area for a long time
    and this line probably represents
    that she could either have the cup of tea
    or choose the more risky option
    Flag dancingtilldawnon April 23, 2009   Link
  • +1
    Memory:This song reminds me of a foreign exchange student in my high school last year. She always seemed so lonely, so we'd talk on a occasion before and after school. I would on occasion have a cup of tea in hand and she would have whatever she brought and a book. We'd always talk about what one of us was reading or her home or life in America. I wish I had made a serious attempt to stay in touch.
    Flag TomwithOnionson January 09, 2009   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:Coming where it does on the album, I always like to think that the girl in the song is the same girl from "Acts of the Apostle Pts. 1 and 2." Which is possibly silly, but it adds an extra level of meaning to three songs that way! It's the "Soul black vinyl to stop your tears / You can use my stereo" that leads me to that theory...the theme of music as personal salvation that's so prominent in the AotA songs.

    Love, love, love this song, by the way. It was my introduction to B&S, it inspired me to seek out their entire body of work, and I cannot listen to it without singing and dancing. And there's just something so resonant about "She will finally be the person she wanted to be." Best thing on The Life Pursuit, for sure.
    Flag veritykindle85on August 28, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Swedish said what the cup of tea represents best. At least i think...

    but. Think of it this way.

    The girl would rather have a cup of tea, but to fit in with the people around her she should probaaaaably buy a line of coke. Maybe that's not what it is exactly. but i think it makes the "line of coke" not seem completely random and thrown in there. ya know?

    and this sticks with the theme of the song very well. so. ya know. heh.
    Flag blankson July 30, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:oh wait i dont' get how a cup of tea ties into this.. it must be a symbol for something hm? :D
    Flag xocouturecoutureon April 24, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:RIGHT when i heard this song i started dancing around in my room lollll this band is definitely magical and i JUST found out about the.. sad i've lived in bliss for such a short period of time.
    Flag xocouturecoutureon April 24, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I think of those people who are really down to earth but seem up in the clouds, and just want everyone to like them, but aren't accepted by society. But the singer is telling her to not listen to them and be herself.
    Flag laurelmon February 15, 2008   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:I think it's about a girl who is maybe starting a new part of her life after being kind of trapped for a while, and she's figuring out that she finally has options to do what she wants, and she is realizing she can be the same as she has been and make fake friends ("people that she knew, or she thought she did") or really try to be herself, and it's asking you to understand her instead of judging her (the village joke lines).
    It's my favorite song by B&S.
    Flag heylookloveon August 25, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:makes me want to dance everytime i hear it (:
    Flag barbshishon January 12, 2007   Link

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