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