The Box Lyrics & Chords By John Denver

Once upon a time in the land of hushabye
in the woundrous days of yore
They came upon this kind of box
All bound with chains and locked with locks
And labelled "kindly do not Touch, it's WAR"
Decree was issued round about
All with a flourish and a shout
And gayley colored mascots trippling lightly on the fore
"do not tamper with this deadly box"
"Don"t break the chains or pick the locks"
"Please don't ever play about with war"
Well the children understood
children happen to be good
And they were just as around the time of yore
they didn't try to break the chains or pick the locks
they didn't play about with war
Mommies didn't either
sisters aunts grannies neither
They were quiet and sweet and pretty in those wondrous days of yore
Fairley much the same as now
Not the ones to blame somehow
for opning up that deadly box of war.
But someone did,
Someone battered in the lid
and spilled the insides out across the floor
A Kind of bouncy bumpy ball, filled with guns and flags and all the tears and
horror and death, that goes with war.
It bounced right out and went crashing all about
And bumping into everything in store
and what was sad and most unfair
Is that it didn't really seem to care much who it bumped
Or why, or what, or for.
It bumped the children mainly
And I'll tell you this quite plainly
It bumps them evry day and more, and more
And leaves them dead and burned and dying
Thousands of them sick and crying
cos when it bumps
its really very sore
Now theres a way to stop the ball
it isn't difficult at all
all it takes is wisdom
and I'm absolutley sure
We can get the ball back in the box
And bind the chains
And lock the locks
no one seems to want to save the children any more
Well thats the way it all appears
that balls been bouncing round for years and years
in spite of all the wisdom whiz since those wondrous days of yore
when they came upon this kind of box
all bound with chains and locked with locks
and labelled "Kindly do not touch"
"ITS WAR"