Heathen Town Elvis Costello

They used to call it Sin City
Now it's gone way past that
Painting the town and then burning it down
Now even that's old hat
Now there's a choir of angels at the fall of Rome
Singing "Ave Maria" or "Home Sweet Home"

It's just a heathen town
I hear only evil as my tongue is tightened
I used to be God-fearing
Now I'm so frightened
'Cause the devil will drag you under
By the sharp tailfin of your checkered cab
And I can't sit down
I'm going overboard
In this heathen town

It starts as a flirtation
And ends up as an expensive habit
With one eye on a place in debtor's prison
And the other on a girl dressed as a rabbit
Now you can live forever
Endure fits and starts
But the only stake you cannot raise
Is the one driven through your heart