Origins: Stone Soup

Subject: Stone Soup Origins
From: Susan A-R
Date: 10 Aug 99 - 11:06 PM

I learned a song called Stone Soup some years back, which tells the classic stone soup story. I don't know who wrote it, and would like to. The song as I recall it goes

The Story begins in a poor little town
With a couple of soldiers hangin' around
Tired and hungry goin' door to door
Beggin for food. They say "We got no more."
So they built a little fire in the middle of the square
Set a pot full of water and some rocks right there
Sat back, rolling up a couple of cigarettes
Lookin' like they hadn't a care
Lookin' like they hadn't a care.

Any idea whose it is??

Subject: RE: Stone Soup Origins
From: Ana
Date: 11 Aug 99 - 03:02 AM

No - no idea at all either!...but it's the old story of "you know when a Pukeko's (native NZ swamp bird) ready to eat by throwing a couple of stones into the boiling water and - yip, when they're tender the Pukeko's ready to eat. Guess every country's got that one!

Subject: RE: Stone Soup Origins
From:
Date: 11 Aug 99 - 04:55 AM

Stone Soup is a delightful story I first heard read on Captain Kangaroo as a little girl.

THey've recently republished the little book, exactly as it was then, and it's being sold at chain bookstores.

Just search for it at Amazon.com or at your local bookstore. It's an enchanting story, delightfully told.

Or e-mail me, I'll try to remember to check for the title and author.

Michelle

Subject: RE: Stone Soup Origins
From: Helen
Date: 11 Aug 99 - 05:51 AM

Hi, it's the wonderful Michelle from peoplemag! Fancy seeing you here and not just on the harplist.

Welcome to Mudcat. I think you'll like it here - the people are friendly, they know everything there is to know about everything, but what they don't know....well, never let the truth get in the way of a good story. They're good at thread creep too - which I'm probably guilty of here - talking about things which don't actually relate to the thread.

So, I hope we see lots more of you here.

Kind regards Helen, in Australia

Subject: RE: Stone Soup Origins
From: Dave
Date: 11 Aug 99 - 08:10 AM

Pete Seeger may be associated with Stone Soup in some way, perhaps with the lyric. I know that the soup itself has been a popular feature of every Hudson River Sloop Clearwater Pumpkin Sail for the last 30 years.

Subject: RE: Stone Soup Origins
From: Bert
Date: 11 Aug 99 - 12:32 PM

Hi 'chelle, Welcome aboard.

Bert.

Subject: RE: Stone Soup Origins
From: Barbara
Date: 11 Aug 99 - 02:53 PM

There's a song, Stone Soup, by Shel Silverstein, but it's not that one, and it seems to me like there's another -- also not that one -- by Malvina Reynolds, or maybe Raffi??
Blessings,
Barbara

Subject: RE: Stone Soup Origins
From: Lorne Brown
Date: 11 Aug 99 - 04:19 PM

A great rewriting of the tale has been published by Kids Can press in Toronto (1995) by Toronto storyteller Aubrey Davis. He calls it "Bone Button Borsch" and it's well worth the getting (or the hearing if you come across Aubrey).

Subject: RE: Stone Soup Origins
From: Philippa
Date: 15 Aug 99 - 06:56 PM

Yeats (I think, or Lady Gregory?)had a play based on the stone soup story, so I thought it was an Irish legend? It would be nice to learn the song version/s if anyone can supply lyrics and tunes.

Subject: RE: Stone Soup Origins
From: Philippa
Date: 15 Aug 99 - 06:59 PM

Yeats and Gregory co-authored "A Pot of Broth" (1902)

Subject: RE: Stone Soup Origins
From: Shimbo
Date: 20 Aug 99 - 11:46 AM

Dr. Hook put out an excellent song called
"The Wonderful Soup Stone", or something like that

Incidentally, Ana, in Australia we throw a stone in when
cooking a galah. But, after three days of cooking,
we throw out the galah, and eat the stone!

Subject: RE: Stone Soup Origins
From: JedMarum
Date: 20 Aug 99 - 12:57 PM

Interesting thread .. but no recipes??

Subject: RE: Stone Soup Origins
From: MMario
Date: 20 Aug 99 - 01:16 PM

the recipe is simple....

1 stone - washed well (polishing optional)

water - sufficient unto the day

other things as whim dictates

place water in pot. add stone. heat to a simmer. add other things a whim. fancy and time allow. simmer until smells tempting and any garnish is done. serve. reserve stone for next batch.

I want the lyrics and tune!

Subject: RE: Stone Soup Origins
From: Barbara
Date: 20 Aug 99 - 02:46 PM

I can do you Shel Silverstein's, (and I suspect that's the Dr Hook one since they also recorded such Silverstein classics as Sylvia's Mother) but that isn't the one Susan asked for.
Blessings,
Barbara

Subject: RE: Stone Soup Origins
From: Dick Wisan
Date: 20 Aug 99 - 11:27 PM

Didn't know it was a song. I heard the story with a Russian provenance. Only it was nail soup. Beggar claims to be onetime cook to the Tsar, fallen on hard times. Begs a little water and use of the fire, offering to teach lady how to make soup from a nail. He has the nail, but it's better if you put a bit of cabbage in. The Tsar particularly liked it that way. Then the Tsarina liked it with a bit of onion and potato. And, the Tsarevich liked a little meat in it...

I take it, this is the same story.

Subject: RE: Stone Soup Origins
From: Anne
Date: 20 Aug 99 - 11:37 PM

And there is the Stone Soup Coffeeouse in Providence RI...

Anne

Subject: RE: Stone Soup Origins
From: Susan A-R
Date: 22 Aug 99 - 10:35 PM

Hmmm, here are the lyrics as I remember them.

Story begins with a poor little town
With a couple of soldiers hanging around
Tired and hungry, going door to door
Begging for food. they say "we got no more."
So they built a little fire in the middle of the square
Got a pot full of water, and a rock right there
Sat back, rolling up a couple of cigarettes
Looking like they hadn't a care (2x)

Now the street was quiet in the afternoon,
'cept for one of the soldiers was a humming a tune
But from every window, underneath the drape
There was an eyeball peeping and a mouth agape
And a chorus of whispers rising up in the air
"say whatcha think the're cooking in the middle of the square?
Somebody maybe ought to help them out
They might be willing to share (2x)

"It was your idea, why don't you go scout?"
"You're tha man of the nouse, now go find out."
Finally a kid pipes up from the stoop
"Say what you fellows cooking?" and they say "Stone soup."
"Stone soup, we've never heard of that. Tell us where'd you get the recipe at"
They say "Trust us, it's great, and there's plenty for you,
But we sure could use a potato or two"

Now the kid pipes up "We've got spuds in the bin."
"Bring em out, bring em out and you guys are in."
"How 'bout some onions" comes a voice down the street.
"Bring em out, bring em out and there'll be plenty to eat."
???
One had a bottle and an old guitar,


Now some people really didn't have any food,
But one of them had a load of firewood.
And the soup was good and the wine was strong
And everybody learned the soldier's song
And they partied all night in the middle of the square
til the sun came rising up

There's more, but that's about all I have in my memory banks.

Susan

Subject: RE: Stone Soup Origins
From: Philippa
Date: 23 Aug 99 - 08:44 AM

who composed the song from Susan A-R?
I wouldn't mind seeing the Silverstein/Dr Hook lyrics (and any others) as well

Subject: RE: Stone Soup Origins
From: Susan A-R
Date: 23 Aug 99 - 10:35 PM

Um, that was my original question. Whodunit????

Subject: RE: Stone Soup Origins
From: Matthew B.
Date: 23 Aug 99 - 10:53 PM

The oldest version of the Stone Soup story that I've encountered is from 17th century France, which I always assumed to be the "original" version (if there ever is such a thing in folklore). Surprisingly, that same version, nearly 400 years old by now, is virtually identical to the one still found today in children's story books.

Oh, and the latest version I've encountered was the Disney version, "Button Soup" -- with Donald Duck's uncle as the old miser who keeps bringing out the soup's ingredients from hiding places in his mansion.

I liked the French version better.

Subject: Lyr Add: A LITTLE A THIS 'N' THAT (Pete Seeger)
From: MMario
Date: 30 Nov 99 - 04:50 PM

Found this today....

A LITTLE A THIS ‘N’ THAT
Words and music by Pete Seeger

My grandma she can make a soup
With a little a this ‘n’ that
She can feed the whole sloop group
With a little a this ‘n’ that
Stone soup! You know the story
Stone soup! Who needs the glory?
But with grandma cookin' no need to worry!
Just a little a this ‘n’ that

Grandma likes to make a garden grow
With a little a this ‘n’ that
But she likes to have the ground just so
With a little a this ‘n’ that
Not too loose and not too firm
In the spring it s all got to be turned
In the fall lots of compost to feed the worms
With a little a this ‘n’ that

Grandma knows we can build a future
With a little a this ‘n’ that
And a few arguments never, never hurt ya
With a little a this ‘n’ that
True this world's in a hell of a fix
And some say oil and water don't mix
But they don't know a saladmaker's tricks
With a little a this ‘n’ that

The world to come may be like a song
With a little a this ‘n’ that
To make everybody want to sing along
With a little a this ‘n’ that
A little dissonance ain't no sin
A little skylarking to give us all a grin
Who knows
But God's got a plan for the people to win
With a little a this ‘n’ that

Repeat 1st verse

©1991 Sanga Music, Inc (BMI)
All Rights Reserved.

Subject: RE: Stone Soup Origins
From: M. Ted (inactive)
Date: 30 Nov 99 - 06:21 PM

I was going to say that the story is in the Grimm's Fairytales translation by Jack Zipes--which includes real translations of all the tales(as opposed to Disney-like rewrites)--but he also has a translation of the Perault's work from 1697, which was the first literary collection of folk tales, and French, to boot, so it will be there, as well..

I love this story, which is really an amazing commentary on people and distrust, soldiers, and community building--the first reaction is to laugh and say how cleverly the soldiers tricked the townspeople--and got a free meal, but in the end, but the soldiers really used a trick to organize the townspeople and get them to work together in a way that they couldn't do because of their mistrust for one another(as well as their suspicion of the soldiers)--

This sort of thing is what makes folk music and folk tales so appealing to me--the stories and songs, even the most familiar ones, just keep speaking to us--the more you look, the more you find--and the themes just keep popping up--

Subject: RE: Stone Soup Origins
From: Susan A-R
Date: 30 Nov 99 - 10:00 PM

I would still like to figure out who wrote the original song I posted, as I'd like to find out if I can use it in an article. Any ideas??

Subject: RE: Stone Soup Origins
From: M. Ted (inactive)
Date: 01 Dec 99 - 12:41 AM

There was a "Stone Soup" song on Tom Chapin's Mother Earth Album, but I am not sure if it was this one, or not--(sorry for the drift-it is so easy!)

Subject: RE: Stone Soup Origins
From: Susan A-R
Date: 01 Dec 99 - 10:05 PM

And fun, and interesting. I've enjoyed it too, but I wanna knoooowww