This Is Hell

[Chorus]

This is hell, this is hell

I am sorry to tell you

It never gets better or worse

But you'll get used to it after a spell

For heaven is hell in reverse

[Verse 1]

The bruiser spun a hula hoop, all the barmen preen and pout

The neon "i" of "nightclub" flickers on and off and finally blew out

The irritating jingle of the belly-dancing, phony Turkish girls

The eerie glare of ultraviolet perfect dental work

[Chorus]

This is hell

I am sorry to tell you

It never gets better or worse

(It never gets better or worse)

But you'll get used to it after a spell

For heaven is hell in reverse

[Verse 2]

The failed Don Juan in the big bow tie is very sorry that he spoke

For he's mislaid his punchline more than halfway through a very tasteless joke

The fraulein caught him peeking down her gown, he's yelling in her ear

And all at once the music stopped as he was intimately bellowing, "My dear..."

[Chorus]

This is hell, this is hell

I am sorry to tell you

It never gets better or worse

(It never gets better or worse)

But you'll get used to it after a spell

For heaven is hell in reverse

[Bridge]

The shirt you wore with courage

And the violent nylon suit

Reappear upon your back

And undermine the polished line you try to shoot

It's not the torment of the flames

That finally sees your flesh corrupted

It's the small humiliations that your memory piles up

(This is hell) This is hell

(This is hell) This is hell

[Verse 3]

"My Favorite Things" are playing again and again

But it's by Julie Andrews and not by John Coltrane

Endless balmy breezes and perfect sunsets framed

Vintage wine for breakfast and naked starlets floating in champagne

All the passions of your youth are tranquillised and tamed

You may think it looks familiar, though you may know it by another name

[Chorus]

This is hell (This is hell)

This is hell (This is hell)

I am sorry to tell you

It never gets better or worse

(It never gets better or worse)

But you'll get used to it after a spell

For heaven is hell in reverse

This is hell, this is hell