“The Ballad of the Missed Red Flags”
(Verse 1)
There once was a boy in a small southern town,
With troubles so big, they could bring the house down.
His father said, “Doctor, my son needs some care,”
But beyond the prescription, no one seemed to care.
(Chorus)
Oh, the red flags were waving, but nobody saw,
The teachers, the deputies, the keepers of law.
(Verse 2)
His stepmom wore a badge, kept a gun in her drawer,
She trained to protect, but at home she ignored
The signs in her stepson, the pain in his eyes,
While he learned to shoot straight and believe in the lies.
(Chorus)
Oh, the red flags were waving, but nobody saw,
The teachers, the deputies, the keepers of law.
He shouted his anger, he posted his hate,
But the grown-ups just yawned, “It’s probably fate.”
(Bridge)
He joined the police club, they welcomed him in,
No questions, no worries, “Let’s teach him to win!”
His classmates all whispered, “He’s angry and mean,”
But the system just shrugged, “He’s not on our screen.”
(Verse 3)
He ranted in classrooms, got kicked out of clubs,
While adults sipped their coffee and missed all the snubs.
“Just boys being boys,” said the wise and the old,
Ignoring the warnings in letters so bold.
–( The Children Saw)
The students all saw him, his hate on display,
Right-wing and racist, he’d rant every day.
How can the children see pain so profound,
While police and their programs just circle around?
Years in their care, but they never looked twice,
While classmates grew fearful and paid the price.
It’s a wonder the young were the first to believe
What the “trained” adults simply couldn’t perceive.
(Outro)
Now the headlines are screaming, the town’s full of pain,
And the folks who ignored him are shifting the blame.
If only, if only, someone had cared—
But the red flags were waving, and nobody dared.
(Spoken coda, Dylan-style):
So here’s to the system, asleep at the wheel,
Where the warnings are plenty, but action’s not real.
Responsibility’s missing, the lessons are clear—
Maybe next time, someone will hear.
DrummerDave26
