1 Little Boy (Song)


from the ABC set Lyrics

There once was a little boy
who liked to play with his toys.
Each day he would declare war,
sitting on his bedroom floor.

But then something odd occurred;
game and reality blurred.
Each time one of his toys fell;
real soldiers would die as well.

Through some strange synchronicity,
his hands controlled the destiny
of soldiers fighting far away.
As the boy played real men were slayed.

He was playing games with human life.
What a power for a child to wield.
Plastic has no cares; no child; no wife
like those men upon the battlefield.

He was playing games with human life.
What a power for a child to wield.
Plastic has no cares; no child; no wife
like those men upon the battlefield.

His mouth made the sound effects
of falling bombs and booming guns;
the crackle of the flaming wrecks
and screaming soldiers just for fun.

But, far off in foreign lands,
men burned and bled and cried in pain,
their futures poured away like sand,
their only purpose, to be slain.

Through some strange synchronicity,
his hands controlled the destiny
of soldiers fighting far away.
As the boy played real men were slayed.

He was playing games with human life.
What a power for a child to wield.
Plastic has no cares; no child; no wife
like those men upon the battlefield.

He was playing games with human life.
What a power for a child to wield.
Plastic has no cares; no child; no wife
like those men upon the battlefield.

But then the boy heard a knock
knock upon his bedroom door;
his mother standing there in shock
with her tears falling to the floor.

You see, the boy’s father had died;
fighting a war across the sea.
That is when the boy realized
that war is just a tragedy.

Bridge:
Isn’t it time to put away
such childish things,
when we’re aware of all the grief
and pain they bring?
And all the kids that hold the
future in their hands;
isn’t it time that we taught
them to understand?

Discuss this piece in the abctales forum


Comments

pinda | March 25, 2011 - 18:47

The message behind this song in my opinion is profound. It flowed with perfection and I could hear the melody in my head as I was singing this (not a lot of people can write songs that generate a melody in the listeners mind). I definitely love reading your songs because they have a tendency to be thought-provoking yet simple.

'But, far off in foreign lands,
men burned and bled and cried in pain,
their futures poured away like sand,
their only purpose, to be slain.'

I felt the whole concept of children deciding their fathers fate worked well. Not because of the connotations to 'voodoo dolls' but because of the mere fact that the children are in control of the war due to their fathers 'love and devotion' towards them.

Don't know if you just understood what I said, and I'm sorry about the essay :)

Nevertheless, a great piece of writing Well-Wisher

X
Pinda

well-wisher | March 26, 2011 - 12:29

Thankyou, Pinda. I think I understand what you mean.
I'm glad you liked it.