You'd heard of their empire
The panic preceded them
That is, before it came
Behold the great flood
Refugees and defeated men
All cascading down
Followed by a great beast
Composed of many spears
And men in armor
The path washed out
So they linger in fear
The enemy was powerful
And in perfect order they marched
There see the perfected violence of men
The flesh safely hidden by armor
The cascade happens again
By use of military power
They've conquered
And now
You watch as they parade about
You want to shout but
You remain silent and then
Realize
They've crushed your spirit
With their dominance comes order
You cringe perhaps even smiling
As you salute them on parade
They smile, as they march, knowingly
You've acknowledged them
Confirmed their ascendancy
And by saluting them
You give them legitimacy
They are above you
This is your country
You have lost your voice, every choice
Now it strikes you that you know
How it feels to be the defeated
And now and then
You remember what it felt
To breathe freely
Standing on free soil
Believing whatever you believe
But you haven't the courage
To defy them or defend your land
You have fear in your heart
100 elephants couldn't move you
Every rebel wants to fight back
You say to yourself I could be a rebel
How you wish to be defiant
You long to resist but do not
You conform instead
For every defeated rebel is dead
Including your countrymen
This isn't a compromise
There are only two choices
You may agree or disagree
With or without warning
They know where you stand
Every time you smile and wave
Shouting Hail Caesar
You have made them the master
And now in your homeland
You are without a voice
And oh how you wish to scream
They took your voice with them
And conquered more than land
They conquered your heart
And you can't begin to imagine
What would need to happen
To once again be free
Some resist
You watched the approach
Of a massive human wave
And instead of fighting it
You chose to swim
For to resist would mean death
So you were swept away
With nothing left
No courage, No hope, No life
What could you expect
Rome did this across the span
Of a sea and three continents
No you couldn't stop them
But some willing to die
Remind the invader
This exalted army
A conquering master
Just what it means
To have a heart beating free
To never stop fighting
For a rebel's heart never lies
It beats until the very end
In complete refusal
Of the comforts found
In surrender
