Sometime before this time of ours
When Rome and Carthage were the powers
They went to war (as powers do)
Before this time of me and you
And fought on dusty plains
And spilled each other's brains
In glorious campaigns

Back then they both were young and strong
And all the world was swept along
By Hannibal's impetuous plan
To wage his war on Roman land
The Alps he struggled across
With many an elephant's loss
Now Rome was in the sauce

Now I'll skip forward if I might
All Rome's been forced into the fight
The feeble old, the trembling young
Into the jaws of war are flung
And common slaves wield swords
To battle Hannibal's hordes
And await their just rewards

And so they fought, these common slaves
And all they bought were common graves
Fought for a land they could not own
Bought by the wealth of Rome

One night a grisly battle loomed
And as the slaves sat there consumed
With fear and sorrow for their fate
And nothing much to do but wait
A murmur rippled through
Their general stepped in view
To say a word or two

"My friends," he said, "Rome can't ignore
Your contributions to this war
Thought slaves, like freemen you have fought
And all the time with nary a thought
Of mutiny or flight
So I set a prize tonight
That's worthy of the fight

"Tomorrow on that dreadful field
No mercy give to those that yield
When you have struck your enemy dead
Bring back to me his severed head
Each slave who brings to me
A head will be set free
And join the citizenry"

At this a mighty shout they raise
And stirring martial music plays
And every slave is heard to cry
"I'll bring a head or die!"

The general sat upon a rise
And watched the fight through narrowed eyes
At first his Romans had the best
Their enemies were sorely pressed
The general beamed with pride
But now the Roman tide
Was turned as many died

A soldier ran up from the front
A common slave, a common grunt
Collapsing at his general's feet
Said, "Sir, our misery is complete
We've hacked so many a skull
Our blades are getting dull
And our fighting hands are full"

Alas, the soldier's words were true
As eager Romans paused to hew
Through lifeless necks, their living foe
Regrouped and struck a killing blow
With weapons tossed aside
And severed heads held high
The slaves as freemen died

Those precious heads they never dropped
Even after their own heads were lopped
With freedom's bounty in their grip
How could they let it slip?

Sometime before this time of ours
When Rome and Carthage were the powers
They went to war (as powers do)
Before this time of me and you
And fought on dusty plains
And spilled each other's brains
In glorious campaigns
In glorious campaigns