A In the fire blue forests, faded and
I crawled the cotton fields, picking for cotton D The sneered, his whipping was rotten A ecstasy. F#m Im child-like I tore out the tap roots Bm Cards of the lash were calling to suit E7 I dashed for the swamps, the hounds in hot 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 their nose in a cut of my cloths, now torn in shreds C#7 b And they never would leave until they believed I was dead E a But I'd never their names E a Oh, who am I to E a I know I'd do the B Endlessly. C#m And all the ladies F#m So and so true, B Have been handed to the E When in rome do as the do.
Frail and afraid in the mists of the The snakes and the spiders sadly performing The bark of the dogs up the warning the wood. Sweating and swearing I crawled the manger The highway appeared to take me from Is there here who would pick up a stranger? Oh I you could. Then someone replied "would you a ride? " "come in" he said. We drove for a while, he gave me a and a piece of bread The hammer was in the chrome of the car as I cracked his head Then we took off in a Oh I smashed his again Oh you my good friend, I so good. And all the ladies So and so true, Have been to the soldiers When in do as the romans do.
Late in the evening I came to the I fell to the sidewalks sighing for A diamond was dropped from the hands of the To be so kind. and corpses were busy competing The rhymes of the riots busy repeating I raced to the and sped(? ) from the speeding To my mind. and locks, companies of cops ran from the rain There was silk in the stores for the whims of the That with shame. I for a light from a priest in the night I fanned the flames. And the traffic all stood To see if someone had been I was to leave a thrill So far behind. And all the high-born So and so true, been handed to the soldiers When in rome do as the do.
A monk and his mother dancing so dandy A nun was handing out candy The beautiful broke out the brandy The we crave. They stuttered and stammered, would I feel like We fell to our knees, praying The in the salt-peter seemed to be saying Be brave, be brave. I reached for a robe, I preached and I probed And I the tune. And the greed for the was played to the hilt As I promised I toyed with their fears, until coins and filled the room Then I off down the road Laughing madly a toad God bless soulless soul That be saved. And all the ladies So and so true, Have been to the soldiers in rome do as the romans do.
A of children were passing the hours I joined in their fun and gave my flowers with kisses and showered with showers That repaid. and trusting, would I be their teacher? She so appealing, I wanted to touch her Just out of reach, to reach her Their hands raised. Charmed by the chalk, the were taught, inside the class They the rules of the samurai schools, they had to pass The room was adjourned, the lessons learned, I on the gas And I watched them their pleas They passed the test ease I gave them degrees, They the grade. And all the ladies So and so true, been handed to the soldiers When in rome do as the do.
my weakness, a coward for company I the ranks of the hot and hungry To teach what it means to love for your country We away. We our lives for the lines of a border We danced with the mothers, played with the We followed our fantasies, orders It was play. After the war the bullets were so we capped the game cynical smiles we put them on trial to place the blame Now what kind of would love such a feast Have you no So we hung the by the Oh, we them in the street Oh, the was sweet On day. And all the ladies So and so true, Have been to the soldiers When in do as the romans do.
The bread and the circuses to be nearing The or somebody must be appearing Pagans and pageants all disappearing my head. The stones on the were staring and stalling Caesar and cassius were cursing and The had risen and now it was falling Or so it seemed. The crown and the cross empty and lost in dark despair And luminous lies, death in disguise everywhere The canvas was cold, the was old, I said my prayers I crowned him on the head Oh, I blessed him as he Oh at last, the is dead God the queen. And all the ladies So and so true, Have been to the soldiers When in rome do as the do.
Now nothing for building or burning The losing of was all I was learning A for escape and a time for returning had come to me Back through the ashes and back through the Back through the roads and the I remembered My at my side I sadly surrendered Do as you please. The hero was home, proven and grown, I on the floor Mad with romance they started to dance, their was born I bled like the rain, exploded in pain, I screamed for more Oh, make me sublime Release me from my Oh, kill me one time And set me free. And all the ladies So and so true, Have been handed to the When in do as the romans do.