Harry Chapin

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Flowers Are Red

Flowers are Red was written after Harry heard a shocking story. "Your son marches to the beat of his own drum, but we'll break him of that."

 Shocked Harry had a disheartening new thoughts and feelings towards the school system. Flowers are Red was born.

It was the beat that originally attracted me to this song. It starts of with some fancy guitar picking and than Harry describes what I envision to be, the cutest little boy ever. "I'm paining flowers he said". The more I listen to this song the more that I have to thank Harry for addressing the problem. Do school squash the originality out from its students? I would hope not. As the older sister of an autistic child I hope that her imagination is allowed to flourish at her school. The teacher wants her to be "normal". I just hope Abbie doesn't come out a clone of the other children at her school. Abbie is a child that see the colors in the flower for sure.

Flowers are Red

The little boy went first day of school
He got some crayons and started to draw
He put colors all over the paper
For colors was what he saw
And the teacher said.. What you doin' young man
I'm paintin' flowers he said
She said... It's not the time for art young man
And anyway flowers are green and red
There's a time for everything young man
And a way it should be done
You've got to show concern for everyone else
For you're not the only one

And she said...
Flowers are red young man
Green leaves are green
There's no need to see flowers any other way
Than the way they always have been seen

But the little boy said...
There are so many colors in the rainbow
So many colors in the morning sun
So many colors in the flower and I see every one

Well the teacher said.. You're sassy
There's ways that things should be
And you'll paint flowers the way they are
So repeat after me.....

And she said...
Flowers are red young man
Green leaves are green
There's no need to see flowers any other way
Than the way they always have been seen

But the little boy said...
There are so many colors in the rainbow
So many colors in the morning sun
So many colors in the flower and I see every one

The teacher put him in a corner
She said.. It's for your own good..
And you won't come out 'til you get it right
And all responding like you should
Well finally he got lonely
Frightened thoughts filled his head
And he went up to the teacher
And this is what he said.. and he said

Flowers are red, green leaves are green
There's no need to see flowers any other way
Than the way they always have been seen

Time went by like it always does
And they moved to another town
And the little boy went to another school
And this is what he found
The teacher there was smilin'
She said...Painting should be fun
And there are so many colors in a flower
So let's use every one

But that little boy painted flowers
In neat rows of green and red
And when the teacher asked him why
This is what he said.. and he said

Flowers are red, green leaves are green
There's no need to see flowers any other way
Than the way they always have been seen. 
 

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