You've Got To Be Carefully Taught / Children Will Listen

You've got to be taught before it's too late Before you are six or seven or eight To hate all the people your relatives hate You've got to be carefully taught Careful the things you say, children will listen Careful the things you do, children will see and learn Children may not obey but children will listen Children will look to you for which way to turn To learn what to be, careful before you say Listen to me, children will listen How can you say to a child who's in flight 'Don't slip away', and, 'I won't hold so tight'? What can you say that no matter how slight Won't be misunderstood? What do you leave to your child when you're dead? Only whatever you put in its head Things that your mother and father had said Which were left to them too Careful what you say, children will listen Careful you do it too, children will see and learn Oh, guide them but step away, children will glisten Temper with what is true and children will turn If just to be free, careful before you say Listen to me, children will listen, children will listen Children, children will listen