A thousand graces, a thousand blessings
On your slums come pouring down.
God, give them a right good cleansing -
In holy waters, let them drown!

All the ulcers and disorders
Will be healed by life-giving showers.
Like the come back of feudal orders -
Or draining this swamp of ours.

All the vices, sins and scheming,
All the apathy and dispute
Will be cleansed by a dose of steaming
And like bullets from your pores they’ll shoot.

All your torments will soon vaporize
And swiftly to the heavens will rise
And you’ll be left entirely sanitized
As the steam ensures their demise.

Don’t rush to the shower until you’re ready;
Washing won’t make you pure!
Your soul must be whipped hard and steady2
And the stench must be steamed out for sure.

Don’t be shy - there’s no-one here nude.
Bare legs and bare arms disappear.
Like in Eden’s Garden, they’re all viewed.
Only the naked are permitted in here.

You leave your clothes behind at the door,
Then forget about being undressed.
The birch twigs whip us all til our skins raw -
No matter how far you puff out your chest.

There’s nothing between us in here;
We all learn to live with the heat.
In steam, all our differences disappear -
Freedom and equality find their feet.

Herd old and young to the bath
And bestow its baptismal rites.
Let the holy water find its true path,
And free us from barbaric fights!

A thousand graces, a thousand blessings
On your slums come pouring down.
God, give them a right good cleansing -
In holy waters, let them drown!