Ancient Rome

R-R-R, Romulus  R-R-R, Remus (repeat)

The Tiber River's running through Rome (repeat)

Rome!

(Voice Of Augustus):

I'm "One who Commands"

Ruling all provinces in my empire

Build aquaducts and

Say my name's Augustus

It's the Pax Romana

Nah, walk into the forum through the arch made of marble rock

Grand Uncle Caesar joined up with Cleopatra

If he hadn't died on the Ides he'd see me

And he'd say "Man, that's how I beat Pompey"

Armies are obeying me

Goods are moving really free

Government's efficient

And there's pax (Latin word for peace)

No more of these Punic Wars

Fighting over Sicily

Hannibal crossed the Alps

Still Carthage couldn't beat

. . .Scipio Africanus. . 

And Hannibal had elephants!

We were a Republic

A government run

By elected ones

Who we call representatives

The branch that's called the Senate is

Controlled by nobles called patricians

But the poorer citizens and

Workers were called plebeians

Who chose the citizens' assembly

My name's on the calendar, my name's on the calendar

No for real, look at August, my name's on the calendar (Augustus!)

We got concrete to build arch bridges

We got baths where you read and talk business

Build the Colosseum, fill the Colosseum

Get some Gladiators, let the lions eat them

You know the Roman Empire's growing

Got to keep the conquered people from revolting

All of them should know the laws, plebeians and slaves will

See them in the forum and say "They're the 12 Tables."

I'm "One who Commands"

Ruling all provinces in my empire

Build aquaducts and

Say my name's Augustus

It's the Pax Romana

I'm "One who Commands"

Ruling all provinces in my empire

Build aquaducts and

Say my name's Augustus

It's the Pax Romana

Seven hills help protect us from invasion

Fertile farmland's in the plains of Latium

Volcanoes, they sometimes erupt like Mount Vesuvius

Pompeii was sad but their soil's rich

The Italian peninsula's on Mediterranean trade routes

You'll see that it's shaped like a boot

My non-citizen soldiers still defend us

Every 5 years we count the people with a census

Your servants, your slaves, your brothers, your babies

We're going to take a census so get ready 'cause we're counting up the numbers

We do it every 5 years, counting up the numbers

So register because we're counting up the numbers

People are like, "Oh, you were adopted by Caesar"

I'm like, "Careful, you're talking to an Emperor"

Caesar was no emperor

He got murdered by Senators

At most he was a dictator

With only a dictatorship

He gave land to his soldiers to appease them (dictatorship)

He had to hand free grain to his citizens

Yeah he governed Gaul

He crossed the Rubicon to start a civil war

But I've defeated generals

Why'd he make citizens of those not born in Rome?

Maybe he was scared there'd be a plebeian revolt . . . plebeian revolt

(Hey Caesar, were you reading Livy's books too much?)

I'm "One who Commands"

Ruling all provinces in my empire

Build aquaducts and

Say my name's Augustus

It's the Pax Romana

I wear a laurel and robe

It's called a toga though

I build those Roman Roads

And your taxes pay for those

Bad news for you consuls (that's right!)

Who made new laws for Rome (come on!)

All those I can veto (he's got the veto!)

The Republic's days are through

I'm "One who Commands"

Ruling all provinces in my empire

Build aquaducts and

Say my name's Augustus

It's the Pax Romana