(no subject)
Ok, so I went on a strange internet ramble today, which resulted in me confirming a disturbing childhood memory. You know those events, places and people that lie just outside that foggy wall of what you know happened for a fact? I have a whole list of memories that I'm not sure actually happened to me when I was a kid, but for whatever reason, have stuck with me. It bothers me sometimes that I may not be able to verify, ever, that this-or-that image or experience or person that is taking up a piece of my brain, was actually real.
Anyway, in elementary school in Louisiana, we had some kind of music hour where we would learn some song and dance, or play instruments or something (see what I mean about the foggy wall?) One of the songs was "Chicken Soup with Rice," which is a Carole King song about this kid eating soup throughout the months of the year. I remember the lyrics and melody pretty well, and sometimes they still come to mind.
But, what I couldn't figure out was real, until today, was the epilogue, which basically details the kid dying. The only lyric I could remember from that, was something like "he died from choking on a bone, on just an ordinary day like today." The music was slow and dirge-like and I remember being EXTREMELY disturbed by this song, that detailed a kid like me, dying from eating a damn bowl of soup - to the point of tears in class. I've never been able to actually FIND this song, and googling "choking on a bone" has proven problematic in that the results turn up varying types of "bones." Well, I found it today, through a weird path that went from Edward Gorey to Maurice Sendak (who illustrated the Chicken Soup book and wrote the lyrics) to figuring out what the original Carole King album was (Really Rosie) to then just looking at the songs in the album and THERE IT WAS.
"The Ballad of Chicken Soup."
Holy crap, it exists and I didn't make it up, and who in their right MIND would play that for a second grade class?! I still find it disturbing. Jeez, Carole, you freaker. Thanks for all those nightmares. I'll check you off the list.
Anyway, in elementary school in Louisiana, we had some kind of music hour where we would learn some song and dance, or play instruments or something (see what I mean about the foggy wall?) One of the songs was "Chicken Soup with Rice," which is a Carole King song about this kid eating soup throughout the months of the year. I remember the lyrics and melody pretty well, and sometimes they still come to mind.
But, what I couldn't figure out was real, until today, was the epilogue, which basically details the kid dying. The only lyric I could remember from that, was something like "he died from choking on a bone, on just an ordinary day like today." The music was slow and dirge-like and I remember being EXTREMELY disturbed by this song, that detailed a kid like me, dying from eating a damn bowl of soup - to the point of tears in class. I've never been able to actually FIND this song, and googling "choking on a bone" has proven problematic in that the results turn up varying types of "bones." Well, I found it today, through a weird path that went from Edward Gorey to Maurice Sendak (who illustrated the Chicken Soup book and wrote the lyrics) to figuring out what the original Carole King album was (Really Rosie) to then just looking at the songs in the album and THERE IT WAS.
"The Ballad of Chicken Soup."
Holy crap, it exists and I didn't make it up, and who in their right MIND would play that for a second grade class?! I still find it disturbing. Jeez, Carole, you freaker. Thanks for all those nightmares. I'll check you off the list.