Vocals: Phoebe Lostroh, Michael Arsenault, KJ Braithwaite, Eddy Lieberman, Chet Lisiecki, and Zak Sloan; Randy Block, bass; Teddy Nazario, drums and percussion; Susan Nosal, accordion; David Siegel, violin; Amanda Udis-Kessler, piano
Lyrics
You hear them preach it all over this town:
Where you will land when you die.
Some will go up and most will go down:
So much for the sweet by-and-by
But I won’t be taken by claims I’m forsaken
For sins too outrageous to mention.
Not that I’m pure, but of this I am sure: Hell is a human invention.
Hell is a human invention.
Have you been sleepless with worry and fear
Pondering brimstone and flames?
Have you felt guilty without knowing why?
Have you been laden with shame?
Open your eyes and say your goodbyes to history’s cruelest contention.
Social control’s not good for your soul and hell is a human invention.
Hell is a human invention.
Hell, no! There is no hell
Except for the cruelty, the greed, and the fear we create for ourselves
And so we bid farewell
To the myth that has served us so poorly that we must dispel.
You hear them preach it all over the earth.
Go now and preach what you know:
Humans are beings of infinite worth. No torture is waiting below.
Our work lies ahead and it’s not when we’re dead
So cancel that misapprehension.
End violence and war, share wealth with the poor and then you’ll be sure
Love is creation’s intention
And hell is a human invention.