King's major success began in the 1960s when she and her first husband, Gerry Goffin, wrote more than two dozen chart hits, many of which have become standards, for numerous artists. She has continued writing for other artists since then. King's success as a performer in her own right did not come until the 1970s, when she sang her own songs, accompanying herself on the piano, in a series of albums and concerts. After experiencing commercial disappointment with her debut album Writer, King scored her breakthrough with the album Tapestry, which topped the U.S. album chart for 15 weeks in 1971 and remained on the charts for more than six years.
King has made 25 solo albums, the most successful being Tapestry, which held the record for most weeks at No. 1 by a female artist for more than 20 years. Her record sales were estimated at more than 75 million copies worldwide. She has won four Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. She has been inducted twice into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, as a performer and songwriter. She is the recipient of the 2013 Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, the first woman to be so honored. She is also a 2015 Kennedy Center Honoree.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carole_King
Studio albums
Writer (1970)
Tapestry (1971)
Music (1971)
Rhymes & Reasons (1972)
Fantasy (1973)
Wrap Around Joy (1974)
Thoroughbred (1976)
Simple Things (1977)
Welcome Home (1978)
Touch the Sky (1979)
Pearls: Songs of Goffin and King (1980)
One to One (1982)
Speeding Time (1983)
City Streets (1989)
Colour of Your Dreams (1993)
Love Makes the World (2001)
A Holiday Carole (2011)
Chicken Soup With Rice
Carole King Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
While slippin' on the slidin' ice
To sip hot chicken soup with rice
Sippin' once, sippin' twice
Sippin' chicken soup with rice
In February it will be
My snowman's anniversary
Happy once, happy twice
Happy chicken soup with rice
In March the wind blows down the door
And spills my soup upon the floor
It laps it up and roars for more
Blowin' once, blowin' twice
Blowin' chicken soup with rice
In April I will go away
To far off Spain or old Bombay
And dream about hot soup all day
Oh my once, oh my twice
Oh my chicken soup with rice
In May I truly think it best
To be a robin lightly dressed
Concocting soup in side my nest
Mix it once, mix it twice
Mix that chicken soup with rice
In June I saw a charming group
Of roses all begin to droop
I pepped them up with chicken soup
Sprinkle once, sprinkle twice
Sprinkle chicken soup with rice
In July I'll take a peep
Into the cool and fishy deep
Where chicken soup is selling cheap
Sellin' once, sellin' twice
Sellin' chicken soup with rice
In August it will be so hot
I will become a cooking pot
Cooking soup, of course why not?
Cookin' once, cookin' twice
Cookin' chicken soup with rice
In September for a while
I will ride a crocodile
Down the chicken soupy Nile
Paddle once, paddle twice
Paddle chicken soup with rice
In October I'll be host
To witches, goblins and a ghost
I'll serve them chicken soup on toast
Whoopy once, whoopy twice
Whoopy chicken soup with rice
In November's gusty gale
I will flop my flippy tail
And spout hot soup, I'll be a whale
Spoutin' once, spoutin' twice
Spoutin' chicken soup with rice
In December I will be
A baubled, bangled Christmas tree
With soup bowls draped all over me
Merry once, merry twice
Merry chicken soup with
Merry chicken soup with
Merry chicken soup with rice.
I told you once, I told you twice
All seasons of the year are nice
For eating chicken soup,
Eating chicken soup with rice
Chicken soup, chicken soup with rice.
Carole King's "Chicken Soup With Rice" is a song about the joy of sipping on warm chicken soup throughout the year. In the first verse, the song talks about enjoying chicken soup while slipping on ice in the month of January. In February, the song mentions a "snowman's anniversary," followed by March, where the wind blows open the door and spills the soup on the floor. April takes it to a far-off land where the singer dreams about having chicken soup in Spain or Bombay. May mentions becoming a robin who makes soup in a nest, while June shows the singer reviving a group of roses with chicken soup.
In July, the song takes an interesting turn, talking about the singer taking a peek into the "fishy deep" where chicken soup is being sold, while August mentions becoming a cooking pot because of the heat. September has the character riding on a crocodile, while October sees them serving witches with chicken soup. In November, they become a whale, spouting hot soup from their flippy tail, and in December, they become a Christmas tree, with soup bowls decorating the branches.
The song is playful, depicting every month as an opportunity to indulge in a warm bowl of chicken soup. It talks about the different adventures that the singer could have while consuming the soup, highlighting the fact that no matter the month, chicken soup with rice is always a good idea.
Line by Line Meaning
In January it's so nice,
The month of January is enjoyable
While slippin' on the slidin' ice
Despite the slippery ice on the ground
To sip hot chicken soup with rice
It's still comforting to drink hot chicken soup with rice
Sippin' once, sippin' twice
Taking multiple sips of the soup
Sippin' chicken soup with rice
Enjoying the warm, tasty soup with rice
In February it will be
The month of February is approaching
My snowman's anniversary
The time when I built a snowman last year
With cake for him and soup for me!
Celebrating with a cake for the snowman and hot soup for myself
Happy once, happy twice
Feeling joy on multiple occasions
Happy chicken soup with rice
The soup brings me happiness
In March the wind blows down the door
The winds in March are strong
And spills my soup upon the floor
Causing the soup to spill onto the ground
It laps it up and roars for more
The wind appears to be drinking the soup and wanting more
Blowin' once, blowin' twice
The wind is blowing hard multiple times
Blowin' chicken soup with rice
Even the wind seems to enjoy the chicken soup with rice
In April I will go away
Leaving for a journey in April
To far off Spain or old Bombay
Traveling to distant places like Spain or Bombay
And dream about hot soup all day
Thinking about the comfort of hot soup while away
Oh my once, oh my twice
Exclaiming with excitement
Oh my chicken soup with rice
The chicken soup with rice is dearly missed
In May I truly think it best
Believing that May is the best month
To be a robin lightly dressed
Identifying with a lightly-dressed robin
Concocting soup in side my nest
Making soup inside the nest
Mix it once, mix it twice
Stirring the soup multiple times
Mix that chicken soup with rice
Ensuring the rice is mixed in with the chicken soup
In June I saw a charming group
Discovering a group of charming roses in June
Of roses all begin to droop
Noting that the roses were beginning to wilt
I pepped them up with chicken soup
Reviving the roses with some chicken soup
Sprinkle once, sprinkle twice
Sprinkling the soup multiple times
Sprinkle chicken soup with rice
Adding rice to the soup to make it more filling
In July I'll take a peep
Looking forward to the month of July
Into the cool and fishy deep
Examining the depths of the ocean
Where chicken soup is selling cheap
Finding chicken soup being sold inexpensively
Sellin' once, sellin' twice
Selling chicken soup multiple times
Sellin' chicken soup with rice
Finding chicken soup with rice being sold cheaply
In August it will be so hot
Acknowledging the heat of the month of August
I will become a cooking pot
Feeling as hot as a cooking pot
Cooking soup, of course why not?
Cooking soup, which makes sense in this scorching weather
Cookin' once, cookin' twice
Cooking multiple times
Cookin' chicken soup with rice
Preparing chicken soup with rice
In September for a while
Looking forward to September
I will ride a crocodile
Enjoying a ride on a crocodile, which may be imaginary
Down the chicken soupy Nile
Traveling down the Nile River, the source of some soups
Paddle once, paddle twice
Paddling the crocodile multiple times
Paddle chicken soup with rice
Adding rice to the chicken soup is a thought while paddling
In October I'll be host
Playing the role of host in October
To witches, goblins and a ghost
Entertaining supernatural beings
I'll serve them chicken soup on toast
Offering chicken soup on toast to the guests
Whoopy once, whoopy twice
Excitedly making a noise
Whoopy chicken soup with rice
Celebrating the serving of chicken soup with rice
In November's gusty gale
Dealing with the strong winds of November
I will flop my flippy tail
Imagining having a tail
And spout hot soup, I'll be a whale
Spouting hot soup like a whale spouts water from its blowhole
Spoutin' once, spoutin' twice
Spouting soup multiple times
Spoutin' chicken soup with rice
Spouting chicken soup with rice seems like fun
In December I will be
Looking forward to December
A baubled, bangled Christmas tree
Imagining being a Christmas tree adorned with decorations
With soup bowls draped all over me
Having soup bowls hanging from the tree instead of decorations
Merry once, merry twice
Feeling merry more than once
Merry chicken soup with
Celebrating the joys of chicken soup with rice
Merry chicken soup with
Reiterating the merriment found in chicken soup with rice
Merry chicken soup with rice.
The song ends by insisting that chicken soup with rice is enjoyed in all seasons and singing praises for it.
I told you once, I told you twice
Reaffirming the appeal of chicken soup with rice
All seasons of the year are nice
Appreciating all seasons of the year
For eating chicken soup,
Acknowledging that chicken soup can be enjoyed in any season
Eating chicken soup with rice
Enjoying chicken soup with rice in any season
Chicken soup, chicken soup with rice.
Repeating the song's refrain one last time
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: CAROLE KING, MAURICE SENDAK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Lillibeth J.S.
This literally makes me cry…happy tears.
We (my mom, dad, big brother who’s 3 years older than me, and of course, me) had an old audio tape of all of us watching Really Rosie, which is where this song, among others, came from.
I was 2 years old (1976) and throughout some of the recording I can be heard whining.
I can be heard crying during the song with the lyrics “…and they cried, cuz he died, on such an ordinary day like today.”
Those are some pretty intense lyrics for a children’s song that wouldn’t go over well in this day and age.
I used to listen to that recording a lot when I was a kid. On B side of the tape were audio “letters” that my parents recorded and sent the tape back and forth to each other while my dad was in Vietnam before I was born. I can remember my mom scolding my brother and telling him, “MATTHEW, NO! DO NOT TOUCH THE PUSSY WILLOWS!”
I can also remember hearing my dad ranting about “Tricky Dick.” 😂
Stupid me, I recorded over most of it when I was about 14, when my best friend and I used to make recordings of ourselves just being silly. But if I could find that cassette tape today, we were actually recording ourselves as if we were speaking to our future children.
My son would love THAT!
Wendy
In second grade, my teacher would have us sing this song for each new month. I just remembered, and am so glad I was able to find the song!
Mentally Disturbed Science
When I was in second or third grade we performed this for our parents at school. I was born in january, but I chose to be a baubled bangled Christmas tree because my name is Mary. 😂
Sara Sorensen
Same for third grade.
Young2k
Same 😂
Demetris Moore
Yes this is very nostalgic. The innocence of elementary school.
Marcos Almonte Perez
Brings back so many memories!
scottieb1
To this day whenever someone mentions chicken soup I always sing "chicken soup, chicken soup with riii-hiiice". And most everyone looks at me like I'm crazy. Those select few that don't, those are my people.
Val
Yes
MyFly MkUltra
Only real niggas remember chicken soup with rice
Manu Ginobilis Bald Spot
Lmao I'd be there with ya lmao