Cover art for Caesar by Iggy Pop

Caesar

Producer

Sep. 19931 viewer

Caesar Lyrics

People of America, I bring you a great army
To preserve peace in our empire
Throw them to the lions

Darling, let us go to the banquet hall
There will be a great feast tonight
Who are these Christians?
What is this strange religion?
I've heard it said they turn the other cheek
Ha, ha, ha, ha!

Throw them to the lions, throw them to the lions
Throw them to the lions, thumbs down

10 pieces of gold for every man
Hail Caesar, hail Caesar
Grapes from Sicily, silks from Asia minor
All the tea in China

Throw them to the lions, throw them to the lions
Throw them to the lions, who are these Christians?
Turn the other cheek, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!
Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!

Two thumbs down, the Christians are restless
Why not let them worship their god?
No one believes in the old gods
How tiresome attending the rituals
Paying lip service to the portents
Burning incense at their shrine
No one believes in the old gods

Throw them to the lions, throw them to the lions
Throw them to the lions, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!
Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!

The roman empire the glory of Rome, hail, all hail
"Caesar, Caesar, beware beware the ides of march"
Who is this man? Caesar, he is but a soothsayer
He is old and his brain is addled, pay him no mind

Throw him to the lions! Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!
Hail Caesar! emperor of Rome hail Caesar!
Caesar, Caesar, beware the ides of march
Eh?! who is this man?
Caesar, he is but an old soothsayer
Addled in his brain, pay him no mind

Throw him to the lions! Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!
Throw him to the lions!
No one believes in the old gods
The empire is tired, Caesar will rest now
We depart for my chambers
Come darling, "yes, Caesar"
Caesar will rest now
Hail Rome, hail Caesar, hail
Put him in the fiery pit
Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!

(Uh, we got there, right? Okay, good. If I call for more numbers like that on the rec, I'll pick this record piece, yeah, all we got that.)

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Q&A

Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning

What did Iggy Pop say about "Caesar"?
Genius Answer

Iggy says the lyrics were ad-libbed, but “triggered off” by an article by Patrick Buchanan asking “Where is someone to bring order to this country?” (according to Pop). The lyrics of ‘Caesar’ deal with America being a “neo-Rome”, or “policemen to the world”. Iggy talks about it in this interview starting at 3:50 (he mentions the Buchanan editorial at 6:15 again):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-22R1BJFWuI

Credits
Producer
Vocals
Recording Engineer
Second Engineer
Mixing Engineer
Mastering Engineer
Release Date
September 1993
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