THE CHILDREN DRAW GUNS

+1985 Mark Cohen



Morning in San Caralampio

Schoolchildren gather around

From Guatemala their families have fled to this Mexican town

A woman from north of the border

Opens a box on the floor

Gives them all crayons and paper, some never have seen

these before

Draw me a picture of home, she says

Anything you can recall

Use all the colors, then we'll put them up on the wall



CHORUS:



And the children draw guns, bullets and blood

Soldiers in uniform burning their houses

Trampling gardens to mud

The children of San Caralampio draw pictures of guns



Look at them quietly working

Drawing with care and with pride

Showing no sign of the terrible memories hidden inside

But where are the sun and the rainbows?

Where are the birds in the skies?

Where are the circles of children who dance with the stars

in their eyes?

Don't look for stars in the children's eyes

Don't look for sun in their sky

These are the children of war, who have watched their friends die



CHORUS



Some say they will not remember

Some say they can't understand

Look at the pictures and see that they know what was done

to their land

What have we done to these children?

What have we taken away?

Far from their homes, will they ever be free just to draw

and to play?

Some will be soldiers before too long

Carrying guns of their own

Turned into pictures by children who'll never come home



CHORUS



(tag) And the soldiers draw guns . . .

And the bullets draw blood





@political @war @children

filename[ CHILGUNS

MC

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