When In Rome

        G
In the fire blue forests faded and 
forgotten

I crawled through the cotton fields,
 picking for cotton
      C
The overseer sneered, his whipping 
was rotten
       G
With ecstasy
        Em
In child-like terror I tore out the 
tap roots
      Am
The cards of the lash were calling 
to follow suit
     D7
I dashed for the swamps, the hounds 
in hot pursuit
C       G
Jealously
B7
All through the night a figure of 
fright
     Em
As I hid my head
       B7
And they buried their nose in a cut 
of my clothes
    Em
Now torn in shreds
      B7
And they never would leave until 
they believed
     Em
That I was dead
          D                 G
But I'd never curse their names
     D             G
Oh, who am I to blame?
    D              G
I know I'd do the same
    A
Endlessly


[Chorus]
     Bm
And all the high-born ladies
                  Em
So lovely and so true
           A
Have been handed to the soldiers
                            D
When in Rome do as the Romans do


[Verse 2]
G
Frail and afraid in the mists of the
 morning

The snakes and the spiders were 
sadly performing
     C
The bark of the dogs kept up the 
warning
             G
Inside the wood
    Em
Sweating and swearing I crawled from
 the manger
      Am
The highway appeared to take me from
 danger
           D7
Is there anyone here who would pick 
up a stranger?
C               G
Oh I wish you could
   B7
Then someone replied "Would you like
 a ride?"
Em
"Come in" he said
 B7
We drove for a while, he gave me a 
smile
Em
And a piece of bread
    B7
The hammer was hard in the chrome of
 the car
Em
As I cracked his head
          D            G
Then we took off in a spin
        D                G
Oh I smashed his skull again
         D              G
Oh thank you my good friend
            A
I feel so good


[Chorus]
     Bm
And all the high-born ladies
                  Em
So lovely and so true
           A
Have been handed to the soldiers
                            D
When in Rome do as the Romans do


[Verse 3]
            G
Late in the evening I came to the 
city

I fell to the sidewalks sighing for 
pity
     C
A diamond was dropped from the hands
 of the pretty
      G
To be so kind
   Em
Cowards and corpses were busy 
competing
     Am
The rhymes of the riots were busy 
repeating
     D7
I raced to the corner and sped from 
the speeding
   C        G
To save my mind
B7
Latches and locks, companies of cops
Em
Ran from the rain
B7
There was silk in the stores for the
 whims of the whores
      Em
That shone with shame
    B7
I asked for a light from a priest in
 the night
     Em
Then I fanned the flames
         D                  G
And the traffic all stood still
    D                        G
To see if someone had been killed
       D                G
I was glad to leave a thrill
Continúa después del anuncio
    A
So far behind


[Chorus]
     Bm
And all the high-born ladies
                  Em
So lovely and so true
           A
Have been handed to the soldiers
                            D
When in Rome do as the Romans do


[Verse 4]
   G
A monk and his mother were dancing 
so dandy

The topless nun was handing out 
candy
        C
The beautiful bishop broke out the 
brandy
              G
The kiss we crave
        Em
They stuttered and stammered, would 
I feel like staying
    Am
We fell to our knees, feverishly 
praying
    D7
The salt in the saltpeter seemed to 
be saying
   C           G
Be brave, be brave
B7
I reached for a robe, I preached and
 I probed
      Em
And I taught the tomb
 B7
And the greed for the guilt was 
played to the hilt
     Em
As I promised doom
  B7
I toyed with their fears 'til coins 
and tears
  Em
Filled the room
        D                 G
Then I took off down the road
    D                  G
Laughing madly like a toad
    D                     G
God bless every soulless soul
              A
That would be saved


[Chorus]
     Bm
And all the high-born ladies
                  Em
So lovely and so true
           A
Have been handed to the soldiers
                            D
When in Rome do as the Romans do


[Verse 5]
    G
A chorus of children were passing 
the hours

I joined in their fun and gave them 
my flowers
   C
Covered with kisses and showered 
with showers
       G
That they repaid
  Em
Taken and trusting, would I be their
 teacher?
     Am
She looked so appealing, I wanted to
 touch her
 D7
Just out of reach, unable to reach 
her
  C               G
Their hands were raised
   B7
Charmed by the chalk, the lessons 
were taught
  Em
Inside the class
  B7
They studied the rules of the 
Samurai schools
 Em
They had to pass
     B7
The room was adjourned, the lessons 
were learned
   Em
I turned on the gas
       D                        G
And I watched them make their pleas
       D                   G
They passed the test with ease
     D               G
I gave them their degrees
      A
They made the grade


[Chorus]
     Bm
And all the high-born ladies
                  Em
So lovely and so true
           A
Have been handed to the soldiers
                            D
When in Rome do as the Romans do


[Verse 6]
   G
Feeling my weakness, a coward for 
company

I joined the ranks of the hot and 
hungry
     C
To teach what it means to have love 
for your country
      G
We marched away
     Em
We lowered our lives for the lines 
of a border
     Am
We danced with the mothers, played 
with the daughters
   D7
We followed our fantasies following 
orders
       C        G
It was child's play
B7
After the war the bullets were bored
   Em
So we kept the game
B7
With cynical smiles we put them on 
trial
   Em
To place the blame
B7
Now what kind of beast would love 
such a feast
     Em
Have you no shame?
      D                 G
So we hung them by the feet
       D                 G
Oh, we shot them in the street
        D           G
Oh, the victory was sweet
           A
On victory day


[Chorus]
     Bm
And all the high-born ladies
                  Em
So lovely and so true
           A
Have been handed to the soldiers
                            D
When in Rome do as the Romans do


[Verse 7]
    G
The bread and the circuses came to 
be nearing

The Savior or somebody must be 
appearing
  C
Pagans and pageants were all 
disappearing
       G
Inside my head
      Em
The stones on the statues were 
staring and stalling
   Am
Caesar and Cassius were cursing and 
calling
     D7
The empire had risen and now it was 
falling
   C      G
Or so it seemed
     B7
The crown and the cross seemed empty
 and lost
    Em
In dark despair
     B7
And luminous lies, and death in 
disguise
Em
Were everywhere
     B7
The canvas was cold, the story was 
old
Em
I said my prayer
       D                  G
Then I crowned him on the head
       D                 G
Oh, I blessed him as he bled
      D                  G
Oh at last, the King is dead
              A
God save the Queen


[Chorus]
     Bm
And all the high-born ladies
                  Em
So lovely and so true
           A
Have been handed to the soldiers
                            D
When in Rome do as the Romans do


[Verse 8]
     G
Now nothing remains for building or 
burning

The losing of lovers was all I was 
learning
   C
A time to escape and a time for 
returning
     G
Had come to me
Em
Back through the ashes and back 
through the embers
Am
Back through the roads and the ruins
 I remembered
    D7
My hands at my side I sadly 
surrendered
C          G
Do as you please
    B7
The hero was home, proven and grown
Em
I fell on the floor
B7
Mad with romance they started to 
dance
   Em
Their star was born
 B7
I bled like the rain, exploded in 
pain
    Em
Then I screamed for more
   D                G
Oh, make me feel sublime
     D              G
Release me from my mind
     D                G
Oh, kill me one more time
     A
And set me free


[Chorus]
     Bm
And all the high-born ladies
                  Em
So lovely and so true
           A
Have been handed to the soldiers
                            D
When in Rome do as the Romans do