I passed by the elementary school playground today
It must have been luck, for the children were out to play
What a pleasant surprise, as I beheld a magnificent sight
They were running, playing, laughing and singing, not a single fight

White, Black, Hispanics and Asian, playing together, having fun
Oh, why do we adults find it necessary to keep each other on the run
These beautiful children, faces aglow in their innocence
It’s too bad they must be subjected to grownups’ utter nonsense

I walked across the street, the middle school is there
Things here were different, and it’s not just the length of the hair
Silly little social cliques had already begun to form
Picking on the smaller or less fortunate had become the norm

Small groups of children, laughing and pointing fingers
Laughs not just fun and innocence, still the memory lingers
I could see the targets of those humiliating, taunting jeers
I felt the deepening pain and saw tender faces flow with tears

Yes, the children are being taught, the lessons they learn well
Another twenty years or so, imagine the tales they will tell
On now, to the high school, prejudices are firmly set
Someone slightly different will have a tough row to hoe, I’ll bet

Cheerleaders, jocks, bookworms, nerds, lines of battle have been drawn
I look for the signs of innocence, but those are now long gone
Oh, we’ve taught really well, the tunes of unrest and discontent
But the energy to develop hatred of all, is horribly misspent

Still mere children, yet they carry guns and knives
The seed planted is now grown, playmates fear for their lives
As if someone declared the hunting season is open today
And the children die, floors run red, why must it be that way

Why must we learn to hate and despise, it does no good at all
Our Savior had no qualms, He loves us one and all

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