Songs that allude to or directly mention the Roman empire

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Two disparate examples:

"I'm 45th generation Roman, but I don't know 'em or care when I'm spitting" -The Streets (forget which track, is it "Turn the Page"?)

... Or how about the amazing "S.P.Q.R." by This Heat? "We are all romans, unconscious collective"

― fields of salmon (fieldsofsalmon), Tuesday, 1 April 2003 14:47 (twenty-one years ago) link

"...she prays like a Roman with her eyes on fire"

― Jody Beth Rosen (Jody Beth Rosen), Tuesday, 1 April 2003 14:52 (twenty-one years ago) link

"You And Whose Army" by Radiohead mentions the "Holy Roman Empire". That's the first thing that comes to mind for me...

― Matthew Perpetua (Matthew Perpetua), Tuesday, 1 April 2003 14:53 (twenty-one years ago) link

"Feelin' like a Christian/ Locked in a cage/ Thrown to the lions/On a second's rage" - AC/DC "If You Want Blood (You Got It)"

― dave q, Tuesday, 1 April 2003 14:55 (twenty-one years ago) link

Crowded House "Weather With You": "Julius Caesar / And the roman empire / couldn't conquer / the bluuuue skyyyyy..."

― teeny (teeny), Tuesday, 1 April 2003 14:55 (twenty-one years ago) link

does "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)" count

― dave q, Tuesday, 1 April 2003 14:56 (twenty-one years ago) link

Rooome if you want to, Rooooome around the world.

― g--ff c-nn-n (gcannon), Tuesday, 1 April 2003 14:56 (twenty-one years ago) link

"Simon Zealotes" from Jesus Christ Superstar--

"What more do you need to convince you
That you have made it and you're easily as strong
As the filth from Rome who raped our country
And who've terrorized our people for so long? "

"Keep them yelling their devotion
But add a touch of hate at Rome
You will rise to a greater power
We will win ourselves come home"

― Arthur (Arthur), Tuesday, 1 April 2003 14:59 (twenty-one years ago) link

The "Holy Roman Empire" has nothing to do with the Roman Empire, to be pedantic about it.

― Dadaismus, Tuesday, 1 April 2003 15:02 (twenty-one years ago) link

"Do the Jerk" by Rocket From the Crypt. "When in Rome / Do the Jerk"

― Famous Athlete, Tuesday, 1 April 2003 15:06 (twenty-one years ago) link

"Watch me throw a sentence in the air, say word up
That's just a phrase for my action, like a bum with a cup
And Rome wasn't built in a day but it fell in one
And you don't got half of a step but you walk like one"
--Cannibal Ox, "Real Earth"

Uh, sorry pal, but it didn't fall in one day either.

― oops (Oops), Tuesday, 1 April 2003 15:09 (twenty-one years ago) link

"Leave the Capitol"

― dave q, Tuesday, 1 April 2003 15:10 (twenty-one years ago) link

tear garden have a few songs that mention it
smog : julius caesar

im not awake yet, so i may be wrong

― kephm, Tuesday, 1 April 2003 15:20 (twenty-one years ago) link

Cole Porter (although I confess to only knowing The Divine Comedy's ... controversial ... cover version):

You know, if you have any mind at all,
Gibbon's divine "Decline And Fall"-
Well, it sounds pretty flimsy
No more than a whimsy ...
By way of contrast,
On Wednesday last
I went to a marvellous party

― Paul in Santa Cruz (Paul in Santa Cruz), Tuesday, 1 April 2003 15:30 (twenty-one years ago) link

does "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)" count

I'd say no dave, even though historically the Constantines (or, what were they, the Bizantines?) contributed heartily to the fall of the Roman Empire...the song itself doesn't really mention the relation between Bizantanbulstantinople and Rome. But it's a cool song though.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Tuesday, 1 April 2003 15:31 (twenty-one years ago) link

Sir Lord Baltimore - "Caesar LXXI"!

"2000 years goes back this story
a man who rose and paid for glory
Marius influenced his life since birth
then led him to leave his mark on Earth"

"Hail Caesar!"

― Mr. Diamond (diamond), Tuesday, 1 April 2003 15:55 (twenty-one years ago) link

An Italian journalist once famously asked Thom Yorke whether Paranoid Android was about the fall of the Roman Empire.

― dog latin (dog latin), Tuesday, 1 April 2003 15:59 (twenty-one years ago) link

Billy Joel - When in Rome

― MerkinMuffley (MerkinMuffley), Tuesday, 1 April 2003 16:00 (twenty-one years ago) link

Yes - Yours Is No Disgrace: "Caesar's palace, morning glory, silly human race"

― man, Tuesday, 1 April 2003 16:01 (twenty-one years ago) link

Lucky Like St. Sebastian

― Lynskey (Lynskey), Tuesday, 1 April 2003 16:01 (twenty-one years ago) link

I own this thread.

― Momus (Momus), Tuesday, 1 April 2003 16:02 (twenty-one years ago) link

Tom Waits, "In the Coliseum"

― Prude (Prude), Tuesday, 1 April 2003 16:03 (twenty-one years ago) link

The Smiths:

"As Anthony said to Cleopatra/ As he opened a crate of ale: Some girls are bigger than others."

― Brandon Gentry (Brandon Gentry), Tuesday, 1 April 2003 16:04 (twenty-one years ago) link

You own every thread Momus.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Tuesday, 1 April 2003 16:05 (twenty-one years ago) link

I can't remember the songs name, but there is a Mission of Burma track on The Horrible Truth About Burma that has a line about "the Roman Empire never ended, it became the Catholic Church".

― earlnash, Tuesday, 1 April 2003 16:54 (twenty-one years ago) link

Meatmen: "Centurions of Rome". Dickies: "Caligula".

― matt riedl (veal), Tuesday, 1 April 2003 17:00 (twenty-one years ago) link

Nova Mob's "Last Days of Pompeii"

― Paul Eater (eater), Tuesday, 1 April 2003 19:04 (twenty-one years ago) link

Pearls Before Swine, "I Shall Not Care" takes its name and some lyrics from grafitti found on Roman Tombs. The graffiti also dates to shortly after the tombs were constructed; it was not a significantly later addition.

― Ian Johnson (orion), Tuesday, 1 April 2003 19:07 (twenty-one years ago) link

Radiohead - "Paranoid Android," according to Thom Yorke. I don't hear it.

― Evan (Evan), Tuesday, 1 April 2003 19:13 (twenty-one years ago) link

on Transglobal Underground's International Times most certainly is a track "Holy Roman Empire"

― t\'\'t (t\'\'t), Tuesday, 1 April 2003 19:18 (twenty-one years ago) link

another one mentioning the empire that sounds Roman but isn't:

Robyn Hitchcock - Superman
"It took the Holy Roman Empire just to get you by my side..."

― mushrush (mushrush), Tuesday, 1 April 2003 19:28 (twenty-one years ago) link

Shriekback-"we feel like greeks we feel like romans centaurs and monkeys blah blah blah"

― SplendidMullet (iamamonkey), Tuesday, 1 April 2003 22:11 (twenty-one years ago) link

Sting - "All This Time":

The teacher told us, the Romans built this place
They built a wall and a temple, an edge of the empire
Garrison town,
They lived and they died, they prayed to their gods
But the stone gods did not make a sound
And their empire crumbled, 'til all that was left
Were the stones the workmen found

― J-rock (Julien Sandiford), Wednesday, 2 April 2003 01:38 (twenty-one years ago) link

"Cities in Dust" by Siouxsie and Banshees was about the destruction of Pompeii and Herculaneum back in the days of the Roman Empire.
No, really.

― Lord Custos Epsilon (Lord Custos Epsilon), Friday, 4 April 2003 18:20 (twenty-one years ago) link

hey, show a little love for john.

mountain goats - song for cleomenes

― brian badword (badwords), Saturday, 5 April 2003 04:09 (twenty-one years ago) link

"Fuck The Romans" by The Horror:

Fuck the Romans coming straight from this Celtic Briton.
Their Caesars, armies, roads, I wish Id never seen 'em.
I was doing well in a tribal society;
I didn't want their "order" and their hierarchy.
Fuck the Romans, Silures, Trivobantes,
Fuck the Romans, Votadini, Brigante.
Fuck the Romans, Dumnonii, Iceni.
Fuck the Romans, fuck 'em.
[...]

― Dave Fischer, Saturday, 5 April 2003 05:37 (twenty-one years ago) link

romans & barbarians by jonathan fire eater

― sammy, Saturday, 5 April 2003 21:32 (twenty-one years ago) link

"death of a mighty caesar" by thee mighty caesars

― duane, Saturday, 5 April 2003 22:14 (twenty-one years ago) link

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