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)
The Ballad Of Chicken Soup
Carole King Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Chicken soup
This very ordinary day
Boiled up a pot of
Chicken soup
And swallowed it away
A-lack! A-day!
O-woe! Oy-vey!
Now listen to what I'm gonna say
A little bone, a bitty thing
No bigger than my pinky
He swallowed hot
From out that pot
In quicker than a winky
He gulped that soup
Let out a whoop!
And fell down croaking
On the stoop
And he choked!
And he sagged!
And he smothered!
And he gagged!
And he let out a scream!
And he let out a moan!
Then he cried
Cause he died
From choking on a bone
On such an ordinary day
Like today
A-lack! A-day!
O-woe! Oy-vey!
On an ordinary day
Chicken soup passed away!
The Ballad of Chicken Soup, by Carole King, is a humorous and playful song about a man, referred to as Chicken Soup, who tragically dies from choking on a bone in his soup. The lyrics describe the ordinary day when this event took place, setting the scene and creating a lighthearted tone. The first stanza introduces Chicken Soup as a friend, and explains how he made a pot of chicken soup and then consumed it. The following stanzas dramatize the moment when Chicken Soup accidentally swallowed a small bone that lodged in his throat. The descriptions are vivid and exaggerated, adding to the comical effect of the song.
While the lyrics may appear to be nothing more than a silly cautionary tale, they could also be interpreted as a commentary on the unexpected and unpredictable nature of life. The death of Chicken Soup comes suddenly, without warning, on an otherwise ordinary day. Death is portrayed as a natural and inevitable part of existence, but the abruptness of Chicken Soup's demise is also a reminder not to take anything for granted. The juxtaposition of tragedy and humor in the song creates a sense of absurdity that puts into perspective our own mortality.
Line by Line Meaning
Today our dear friend
On this ordinary day, our friend Chicken Soup existed.
Chicken soup
Our friend's name is Chicken Soup.
This very ordinary day
Just a normal, uneventful day.
Boiled up a pot of
Made himself a pot of soup by boiling.
Chicken soup
The soup was also made from chickens.
And swallowed it away
Chicken Soup ate the soup.
A-lack! A-day!
An expression of sadness and regret.
O-woe! Oy-vey!
An exclamation of sorrow or dismay.
He swallowed it away!
Chicken Soup finished eating the soup.
Now listen to what I'm gonna say
Pay attention, because this is important.
A little bone, a bitty thing
A small bone, hardly worth noticing.
No bigger than my pinky
The bone was tiny, as small as a finger.
He swallowed hot
Chicken Soup ate the soup while it was still hot.
From out that pot
The soup was from the pot that Chicken Soup had boiled it in.
In quicker than a winky
He ate it quickly.
He gulped that soup
Chicken Soup drank the soup in large gulps.
Let out a whoop!
He made a loud sound of excitement or enthusiasm.
And fell down croaking
He collapsed and began to make a deep, hoarse sound.
On the stoop
He fell on the porch outside.
And he choked!
He had trouble breathing.
And he sagged!
He lost energy and became weaker.
And he smothered!
He had difficulty breathing due to a lack of oxygen.
And he gagged!
He had trouble swallowing.
And he let out a scream!
He made a loud, panicked cry.
And he let out a moan!
He made a low, mournful sound.
Then he cried
He began to weep.
Cause he died
He died because of the bone he swallowed.
From choking on a bone
The soup bone got lodged in his throat.
On such an ordinary day
This tragic event happened on an otherwise normal day.
Like today
Just like any other day.
A-lack! A-day!
An expression of sadness and regret.
O-woe! Oy-vey!
An exclamation of sorrow or dismay.
On an ordinary day
The event that took place was unexpected and tragic.
Chicken soup passed away!
Chicken Soup died after choking on a bone.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: CAROLE KING, MAURICE SENDAK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind