SOMEBODY'S COMING TO TEA

Words and music by Clay Smith, R.P. Weston & Bert Lee
Performed by Stanley Kirkby & Harry Hudson
Performed by Lee White (1886-1927)

Every one at home today is mighty busy
Polishing the knocker there's my old Aunt Lizzie
Father's on a ladder with a great big broom
Breaking up the spiders' homes in our best room
Mother's cleaning windows, and when passers by
Whisper, 'What's the matter, dearie?' I reply

CHORUS:
Somebody's coming to tea on Sunday
Somebody's coming to tea
Mother will bake a cake all for somebody's sake
Somebody dear to me
Somebody's coming to tea on Sunday
There'll be a jubilee
All of the girls are going to wear their Sunday blouses
Father intends to wear his pair of wedding cuff-links
Ma will have her hair in crackers all day Saturday
Somebody's coming to tea

Baby Fred agrees with little sister Mabel
Not to wipe his jammy fingers on the table
Mother's doing all she can to teach our Steve
To use his little handkerchief and not his sleeve
Billy drops his aitches worse than poor old mum
So he's agreed on Sunday to be deaf and dumb

CHORUS:
Somebody's coming to tea on Sunday
Somebody's coming to tea
Mother will bake a cake all for somebody's sake
Somebody dear to me
Somebody's coming to tea on Sunday
There'll be a jubilee
Mother's been roaming up and down the street to borrow
Cups that have handles on, and somehow by tomorrow
Father's going to get a pound of real lump sugar, 'cos
Somebody's coming to tea

Reggie's such a dear, I know they're sure to like him
But I kind of wonder how they're going to strike him
Guess they're rough and ready, tho' as true as steel
While Reggie has a serviette at every meal
Mother says, 'Don't worry, dear if he proves true
He'll be blind to all our failings, and see only you.'

CHORUS:
Somebody's coming to tea on Sunday
Somebody's coming to tea
Mother will bake a cake all for somebody's sake
Somebody dear to me
Somebody's coming to tea on Sunday
There'll be a jubilee
Father, he's going to look just like an Oxford Scholar
After he's had a shave he's going to turn his collar
He's going to call our mother 'dear' instead of other things
Somebody's coming to tea.