Flowers Are Red
Chapin Harry Lyrics

The little boy went first day of school
A young boy went to school for the first time

He got some crayons and started to draw
He got some crayons and started drawing

He put colors all over the paper
He used a lot of colors on the paper

For colors was what he saw
He saw lots of different colors

And the teacher said.. What you doin' young man
The teacher asked the boy what he was doing

I'm paintin' flowers he said
The boy said he was drawing flowers

It's not the time for art young man
The teacher told him it wasn't time to make art

And anyway flowers are green and red
The teacher said that flowers are only green and red

There's a time for everything young man
There is a time and place for everything

And a way it should be done
There is a correct way to do things

You've got to show concern for everyone else
You need to think about other people

For you're not the only one
You're not the only person in the world

Flowers are red young man
The teacher insisted that flowers are only red

Green leaves are green
The teacher stated that leaves are only green

There's no need to see flowers any other way
The teacher told him not to think outside the box

Than the way they always have been seen
The teacher wanted him to follow tradition

But the little boy said
The boy argued against the teacher

There are so many colors in the rainbow
He explained that there are many colors in the world

So many colors in the morning sun
There are also many colors in the morning sunlight

So many colors in the flower and I see every one
He sees all the colors in the flowers

You're sassy
The teacher reprimanded the boy for being insolent

There's ways that things should be
The teacher believed in a specific way of doing things

And you'll paint flowers the way they are
She insisted that he should only draw flowers the way they actually are

So repeat after me
She told him to repeat her words

The teacher put him in a corner
The boy was punished and put in the corner of the classroom

It's for your own good
The teacher explained that it was for his benefit

And you won't come out 'til you get it right
The boy could not leave until he painted the way he was told to

Well finally he got lonely
The boy became very lonely

Frightened thoughts filled his head
He grew scared and unsure

And he went up to the teacher
He approached the teacher

And this is what he said, and he said
This is what the boy said to the teacher

Time went by like it always does
Time passed normally

And they moved to another town
The boy and his family moved to another town

And the little boy went to another school
He started at a new school

And this is what he found
This is what he discovered

The teacher there was smilin'
The new teacher was happy and friendly

She said
The teacher said

Painting should be fun
Painting should be enjoyable

And there are so many colors in a flower
Flowers have many different colors

So let's use every one
We should use all the colors in our art

But that little boy painted flowers
The boy continued to draw flowers

In neat rows of green and red
He drew them in green and red, like before

And when the teacher asked him why
The teacher asked him why he chose to do that

This is what he said
This is how he explained himself

And he said
The boy said the following

Flowers are red, green leaves are green
Flowers are red and leaves are green

There's no need to see flowers any other way
There's no need to draw them any differently

Than the way they always have been seen
Just like they always have been.