FLOWERS ARE RED 4/4 (Harry Chapin, words as used by Iain MacKintosh)

(For Iain MacKintosh’s version use capo on 3rd fret, for Harry Chapin’s original on 4th)

 

Well a [Am]little boy went first day to school
He got his crayons and he started to draw.
He put colours all over the paper
Because colours were what he saw.
And the [G]teacher said “What you [Em]doing young man?”
”I'm painting [G]flowers”, he [Em]said.
She said “It's [G]not the time for [Em]art young man
And [G]anyway flowers are [Am]green and [G]red.
There's a [Am]time for everything young man
And a way things should be done
You've got to show concern for everyone else
Because you're not the only [G]one”, she said…

Chorus 1
[C]Flow[G]ers are [C]red, young man,

[C]green [G]leaves are [C]green
There's no need to [G]see flowers [C]any other way
Than the way they [G]always [C]have been seen

[C]But the little boy said...
There are [C]so many colours in the [F]rain[C]bow
So many colours in the [G]morning sun
[C]So many colours in the [F]flowers and [C]I see [G]every [C]one”

Well the [Am]teacher said “You're a nutty boy
There's ways that things should be
And you'll paint flowers the way they are
So repeat this after [G]me”, she said…

Repeat Chorus 1

Well the [Am]teacher put him in a corner
She said “It's for your own good.
And you don't come out until you get it right
And you responding like you should.”
[G]Finally he got [Em]lonely
Frightened [G]thoughts filled his [Em]head.
[G]He went to the [Em]teacher
And [G]this is [Am]what he [G]said…

Chorus 2
[C]Flow[G7]ers are [C]red,

[C]green [G7]leaves are [C]green
There's no need to [G7]see flowers [C]any other way
Than the way they [G7]always [C]have been seen

[Am]Time went by like it always does
They moved to another town
And the little boy went to another school
This is what he found
He found the [G]teacher there was [Em]smiling
She said [G]“Painting should be [Em]fun”
And there are [G]so many colours in the [Em]flowers
So [G]let's paint [Am]every [G]one
But the [Am]little boy painted flowers
In neat rows of green and red
And when the teacher asked him why
This is what he [G]said…

Repeat Chorus 2