A In the fire blue forests, and forgotten
I crawled the cotton fields, picking for cotton D The overseer sneered, his was rotten A ecstasy. F#m Im child-like terror I out the tap roots Bm Cards of the lash were calling to follow E7 I for the swamps, the hounds in hot pursuit D a Jealously. C#7 f#m All through the a figure of fright, as I hid my head C#7 f#m And the buried their in a cut of my cloths, now torn in shreds C#7 b And they never leave until they believed that I was dead E a But I'd curse their names E a Oh, who am I to E a I know I'd do the B Endlessly. C#m And all the high-born F#m So and so true, B Have been to the soldiers E in rome do as the romans do.
Frail and in the mists of the morning The snakes and the spiders were sadly The of the dogs kept up the warning the wood. Sweating and swearing I from the manger The highway appeared to take me from Is anyone here who would pick up a stranger? Oh I you could. Then someone replied "would you a ride? " "come in" he said. We for a while, he gave me a smile and a piece of bread The was hard in the chrome of the car as I cracked his head Then we off in a spin Oh I his skull again Oh you my good friend, I so good. And all the ladies So and so true, Have been to the soldiers in rome do as the romans do.
Late in the evening I to the city I fell to the sidewalks sighing for A diamond was dropped from the hands of the To be so kind. Cowards and corpses busy competing The rhymes of the riots busy repeating I raced to the corner and sped(? ) from the To my mind. Latches and locks, companies of cops ran from the There was in the stores for the whims of the whores That shone shame. I for a light from a priest in the night I fanned the flames. And the traffic all stood To see if had been killed I was to leave a thrill So far behind. And all the high-born So and so true, Have been to the soldiers in rome do as the romans do.
A monk and his were dancing so dandy A nun was handing out candy The beautiful bishop out the brandy The we crave. stuttered and stammered, would I feel like staying We fell to our knees, praying The salt in the salt-peter seemed to be Be brave, be brave. I reached for a robe, I preached and I probed And I the tune. And the greed for the gills was played to the As I doom I toyed with their fears, until coins and tears the room Then I took off down the Laughing like a toad God every soulless soul would be saved. And all the ladies So and so true, Have been to the soldiers When in rome do as the do.
A of children were passing the hours I joined in fun and gave them my flowers Covered with kisses and with showers That repaid. Taken and trusting, I be their teacher? She looked so appealing, I wanted to her Just out of reach, to reach her Their hands raised. by the chalk, the lessons were taught, inside the class They studied the rules of the schools, they had to pass The room was adjourned, the were learned, I on the gas And I watched them their pleas They passed the test with I them their degrees, made the grade. And all the ladies So and so true, Have been to the soldiers When in do as the romans do.
Feeling my weakness, a coward for I the ranks of the hot and hungry To teach what it means to have love for country We away. We lowered our for the lines of a border We with the mothers, played with the daughters We our fantasies, following orders It was play. the war the bullets were bored so we capped the game With cynical we put them on trial to place the blame Now what kind of would love such a feast Have you no So we the by the feet Oh, we them in the street Oh, the victory was On day. And all the ladies So and so true, Have been handed to the When in do as the romans do.
The bread and the circuses came to be The saviour or somebody be appearing Pagans and pageants were all my head. The on the statues were staring and stalling Caesar and cassius were and calling The had risen and now it was falling Or so it seemed. The crown and the seemed empty and lost in dark despair And luminous lies, in disguise were everywhere The canvas was cold, the story was old, I my prayers Then I crowned him on the Oh, I him as he bled Oh at last, the is dead God the queen. And all the high-born So and so true, Have been to the soldiers in rome do as the romans do.
Now nothing for building or burning The losing of was all I was learning A time for escape and a time for had come to me through the ashes and back through the embers Back through the and the ruins I remembered My hands at my I sadly surrendered Do as you please. The was home, proven and grown, I fell on the floor Mad with romance they started to dance, their star was I bled like the rain, exploded in pain, I screamed for more Oh, me feel sublime me from my mind Oh, me one more time And set me free. And all the ladies So and so true, Have been to the soldiers When in do as the romans do.