D G
Russell Roman took his brand new bride
A7 D
Across the threshold to their brand new life
G
With very little money in his jeans
A7 D
And a hundred million dollars worth of dreams
D G
He took a job a the Congress Union Bank
A7 D
Worked hard to get ahead but drew a blank
G
One day they paid him off and sent him home
A7 D
Then he swore he'd build an empire of his own
G A7 D
Through the years he worked and dreamed of a Roman empire
G A7 D
And he left his pretty young wife all alone
G A7 D
She didn't share his dreams of a Roman empire
G A7 D
All she dreamed of was a family and a home
D G
Hard work and patience brought him wealth and fame
A7 D
And he thought he was a winner in life's game
G
Their empire stretched from Maine to Mexico
A7 D
She had everything but what she needed most
D G
When at last her loneliness had run it's coarse
A7 D
The judge granted Mrs. Roman her divorce
G
Now Russell Roman's empire seemed so small
A7 D
And as lifeless as the Rembrandts on the wall
G A7 D
The rise and the fall of the Roman empire
G A7 D
Is a lesson for the likes of you and me
G A7 D
The rise and the fall of the Roman empire
G A7 D
Is just another page in history
D G
Russell Roman took the same sweet bride
A7 D
Across the threshold for the second time
G
With very little money in his jeans
A7 D
And not one single dollar in his dreams
G A7 D
That's the fall and the rise of the Roman empire
G A7 D
He gave their fortune to an orphans home
G A7 D
The fall and the rise of the Roman empire
G A7 D
Now his empire is his family and his home