Flowers Are Red

song lyrics by Harry Chapin

This is a classic tale from Harry about how children learn from their teachers and how conformity can be taught in schools. The moral of the story is that we should let children express themselves, not try to make them conform to our own ideals of what things should be or look like.

The little boy went on the first day of school
He got some crayons and started to draw
He put colours all over the paper
For colours 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 colours in the rainbow
So many colours in the morning sun
So many colours 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 colours in the rainbow
So many colours in the morning sun
So many colours 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 colours 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

But there must be a way
To have our children say,
“There are so many colours in a rainbow
So many colours in the morning sun
So many colours in a flower
And I see every one.”