Tom Chapin - Stone Soup lyrics

In a threadbare town at the end of the war A hungry soldier knocked on a door: "Pardon me, Madam, I need some food... Rum dum diddle-ii food!" "I'm sorry sir, but we are hungry too There's no food left In the whole hungry village." So the soldier marched to the center of town "Hear ye! Hear ye! Gather 'round!" He picked up a stone and gave it a kiss "Let's make soup out of this!" "What? Soup from a stone?" "Sure... All you need is what you've got A tasty stone and water in a pot Takes some time but feeds a lot Stone soup tonight." "Stone soup? Stone soup? What is this fellow, a nincompoop?" But the kids brought stones Which he put in the pot Boiled the whole thing piping hot Then he hushed the crowd and, solemn-faced Took a rum dum diddle-ii taste "Oh, this is gonna be good!" "Please, Sir, please, can we have some?" "No, not yet. It's not quite done It needs a soup bone... for flavor." A little girl who'd brought a stone Said, "We've been saving a big hambone Shall I get it?" "That'd be nice." She was back in a trice! The soldier smiled "All you need is what you've got." He took that bone and threw it in the pot Some grown-ups started to see the light "Stone soup tonight." Then he took a taste, took a taste: "Oh, this is gonna be great!" "Now, Sir, now, can we have some?" "Not just yet. It's still not done It needs... a potato and... an onion." The kids jumped up and off they tore And brought the things that he'd asked for Not to mention turnip greens A carrot and some beans! The smell of soup began to float Into every nose and throat Calling people like a drum: Rum dum diddle-ii "Yum! Stone soup. Stone soup We want some of that tasty goop." "No. Not yet. I'm still not through It needs one thing from each of you... Whatever you can spare." So the villagers scattered to their root cellars Corn cribs and secret nooks And brought back everything From an eggplant to a pepperoni And that night the whole hungry village Feasted on soup made out of a stone! All we need is what we've got A tasty stone and water in a pot Little things become a lot Tiny gifts can fill the pot When they're shared and served up hot Stone soup. Stone soup Stone soup tonight!