"Heather Dale's songs express something that honors tradition, but in keeping with the best of traditions they break new ground." WDVR FM (USA)
Stone Soup
Heather Dale Lyrics
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The feasters in the hall.
A single lady slaving,
Would attempt to feed them all.
A family of newcomers
Saw her cooking on her own
Each one took a pot
(chorus)
The stone is in the kettle
The water's on the boil,
The work is always lighter,
When there's many hands to toil!
Next there came a countess,
Always giving, always kind.
She was set to chopping carrots,
And she bent to task assigned.
Around the corner peering
Came a shy and gentle man.
"Forgive me for intruding,
But I'll help with what I can."
The butcher's son declared
That he would brave both cold and heat
And spent the day outdoors
To turn and baste the roasting meat.
A mother said "I'd cook
But I've my little one to feed...
But we'd be happy to attend
To any errands that you need!"
So soon the fires were roaring up
To meet that feasts' demand!
And the single lady slaving
Had a dozen cooks at hand!
So though the work was frenzied
When the servers hit the hall,
The feast was bright and merry
With food enough for all.
The song "Stone Soup" by Heather Dale tells the story of a woman who is tasked with feeding a large group of people, but instead of being overwhelmed, she turns to her neighbors for help. The first verse sets the scene for the story - the cook is in the kitchen, while the feasters are in the hall. The single lady slaving away in the kitchen is attempting to feed them all on her own. However, a family of newcomers sees her struggling and each one takes a pot, vowing to help her so that she won't have to cook alone.
As the song continues, more and more people offer their assistance. A countess shows up to lend a hand with the chopping, a shy and gentle man offers his help, and even the butcher's son braves the elements to turn and baste the roasting meat. A mother expresses her willingness to help as well, but she is unable to cook as she has a little one to feed. However, she offers to attend to any errands that are needed.
The chorus of the song reiterates the message that "the work is always lighter, when there's many hands to toil." By the end of the song, the single lady slaving away in the kitchen has a dozen cooks helping her, and the feast is a success with food enough for all. The song celebrates the power of community and working together to achieve a common goal.
Line by Line Meaning
The cook was in the kitchen,
The person who was responsible for cooking the food was in the kitchen.
The feasters in the hall.
The people who were invited to the feast were in the hall.
A single lady slaving,
A lady was cooking alone.
Would attempt to feed them all.
She was going to try to cook enough food to feed everyone at the feast.
A family of newcomers
A family who was new to the area arrived at the feast.
Saw her cooking on her own
They noticed that she was cooking alone.
Each one took a pot
Each family member took a pot with them.
And swore she wouldn't cook alone!
And they promised to help her so that she wouldn't have to cook alone.
(chorus)
The stone is in the kettle
They put a stone in the kettle.
The water's on the boil,
They started boiling the water.
The work is always lighter,
They realized that the work was easier when everyone worked together.
When there's many hands to toil!
When many people help with the work!
Next there came a countess,
Then a countess arrived at the feast.
Always giving, always kind.
She was known for being generous and kind.
She was set to chopping carrots,
She started chopping carrots.
And she bent to task assigned.
She worked hard at the task that she was assigned.
Around the corner peering
A shy and gentle man was watching from around the corner.
Came a shy and gentle man.
The shy and gentle man came out of hiding.
"Forgive me for intruding,
He apologized for coming without being invited.
But I'll help with what I can."
But he offered to help with whatever he could.
The butcher's son declared
The butcher's son announced that he would help.
That he would brave both cold and heat
He was willing to work outside in the cold and heat.
And spent the day outdoors
He spent the whole day working outside.
To turn and baste the roasting meat.
He helped to cook the meat by turning it and basting it.
A mother said "I'd cook
A mother said that she would like to help, but she had to take care of her child.
But I've my little one to feed...
She was responsible for taking care of her child.
But we'd be happy to attend
But she and her child would be happy to help with anything else.
To any errands that you need!"
They were willing to run errands for the cooks.
So soon the fires were roaring up
Soon, the fires were burning brightly to cook the food.
To meet that feasts' demand!
To satisfy the demand for food at the feast!
And the single lady slaving
And the lady who was cooking alone
Had a dozen cooks at hand!
Now had a lot of help and support from other cooks!
So though the work was frenzied
Even though the work was busy and crazy
When the servers hit the hall,
When the food was served in the hall,
The feast was bright and merry
The feast was happy and cheerful.
With food enough for all.
Everyone had plenty of food to eat.
Contributed by Henry H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.