Well there was no way of telling on the first day in town
How far it was from the Greyhoud station to midnight and always
He checked into a room at the Entella hotel
Got used to the gloom and the smell
And the thrill of the sight of the old men laying in hallways
So you go up Broadway where the sailors all rome
And the girls give themselves names like Lola, Estelle, and Nicole
They work at a place called The Garden of Earthly Delights
And the tourists come in from all over to take in the sights
In the sweet summer heat, Nick the cop walks the beat
You can hear him coming from way down the street
Drawing lines in the dirt with his feet
Daring kids to cross it
Now all the same winos I still see in my dreams
Tighten up and start making scenes
And here comes nick on this wa*ker and the old ones are whispering “toss it.”
Nick picks it up and looks for who's needing it most
And the ones on the lamb are all getting ready to roast
And the afternoon goes on forever like some drunken bum
‘Til the sun finally drowns ‘neath the bridge and night has begun
Down by the bay, the ships horns are blasting the fog
And we stumble and mutter, run through the gutter like dogs
We've one card to play, we're dying to play it each night
In the back of a place called The Garden of Earthly Delights
High in your room, the mirror falls with a roar
Stating at pieces that lay broke on the floor
And there's a knock on the door and the guy says there's a call on the phone
You figure nobody knows your room or your name
Guess someone's just playing a game
So you answer it guarded expecting to still be alone
It's Nicole she says she's getting off early tonight
Her and the boss just had a terrible fight
And would you come down and meet her, would that be alright?
So you walk in the back door, and the first thing you hear is her song
At The Garden of Earthly Delights, the show must go on
You've got one card to play, and you're dying to play it each night
With your back to the bar at the Garden of Earthly Delights
You've got one card to play, and you're dying to play it each night
In the back of a place called the Garden of Earthly Delights