Color Contrast
by Elizabeth West '16
We are born in color
Glorious, vibrant, technicolor
Red paints our cheeks
Gold, chestnut, and raven hair
Eyes of every color that flare
with the light of the promise of tomorrow
We have the right to paint the world with our colors
The greens, the yellows, the blues
To be our colors, let them fill us
Why would we have them if they weren't to use?
They put us into institutions
Telling us we'll find solutions
And we're buying
But they're lying.
They're lying and they tell us
Fade into the background
And forget the sweet sound
Of the music inside your head
You have to let your dreams die
Buy into a sweet lie
Because imagination, they forbade.
You have to let your colors fade
Let your colors fade
And in this world of black and white
We believe this wrong is right
We're brainwashed to believe what we have been told
We pass the sentiment on when we're old
Color is different, so unusual and unknown
So the seed of fear is sewn
Fear of color, fear of being unique
They plug up our mouth so we don't leak
And we don't remove it, though it's holding us hostage
Because we're used to being in bondage
Because
They put us into institutions
Telling us we'll find solutions
And we're not buying
Because we know they're lying.
They're lying and they tell us
Fade into the background
And forget the sweet sound
Of the music inside your head
You have to let your dreams die
Buy into a sweet lie
Because imagination, they forbade.
You have to let your colors fade
Let your colors fade
So what will your path be?
Will you be black and white or creatively free?
Will your colors never wash out?
Will you be free to express and flout?
Because creativity is a great mystery
but that's what makes it beautiful you see.
You don't believe the lies, and the doctrine
And you know that someday creativity will win
You didn't let your colors fade
and you hope others will do the same.
Even though
They put you into institutions
Telling you you'd find solutions
But you're not buying
Because we know they're lying.
They're lying and they told you
Fade into the background
And forget the sweet sound
Of the music inside your head
You have to let your dreams die
Buy into a sweet lie
Because imagination, they forbade.
But you didn't let your colors fade
And you're beautiful
Glorious, vibrant, technicolor
Red paints our cheeks
Gold, chestnut, and raven hair
Eyes of every color that flare
with the light of the promise of tomorrow
We have the right to paint the world with our colors
The greens, the yellows, the blues
To be our colors, let them fill us
Why would we have them if they weren't to use?
They put us into institutions
Telling us we'll find solutions
And we're buying
But they're lying.
They're lying and they tell us
Fade into the background
And forget the sweet sound
Of the music inside your head
You have to let your dreams die
Buy into a sweet lie
Because imagination, they forbade.
You have to let your colors fade
Let your colors fade
And in this world of black and white
We believe this wrong is right
We're brainwashed to believe what we have been told
We pass the sentiment on when we're old
Color is different, so unusual and unknown
So the seed of fear is sewn
Fear of color, fear of being unique
They plug up our mouth so we don't leak
And we don't remove it, though it's holding us hostage
Because we're used to being in bondage
Because
They put us into institutions
Telling us we'll find solutions
And we're not buying
Because we know they're lying.
They're lying and they tell us
Fade into the background
And forget the sweet sound
Of the music inside your head
You have to let your dreams die
Buy into a sweet lie
Because imagination, they forbade.
You have to let your colors fade
Let your colors fade
So what will your path be?
Will you be black and white or creatively free?
Will your colors never wash out?
Will you be free to express and flout?
Because creativity is a great mystery
but that's what makes it beautiful you see.
You don't believe the lies, and the doctrine
And you know that someday creativity will win
You didn't let your colors fade
and you hope others will do the same.
Even though
They put you into institutions
Telling you you'd find solutions
But you're not buying
Because we know they're lying.
They're lying and they told you
Fade into the background
And forget the sweet sound
Of the music inside your head
You have to let your dreams die
Buy into a sweet lie
Because imagination, they forbade.
But you didn't let your colors fade
And you're beautiful
