This strip references a song from 1918, I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles.
It has depressing lyrics about crushed hopes and missed opportunities. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/I'm_Forever_Blowing_Bubbles#Lyrics
1919 recording of the song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mvpvbla3rWg
https://inv.nadeko.net/watch?v=Mvpvbla3rWg
edit: Today, it’s best known as the team anthem of English football team West Ham United FC.
Does it? The whole joke is about annoying, repetitive sounds being created near the fella who is being tormented. It seems like a coincidence far more than a reference. I would have expected a tell to draw attention to the reference, like maybe a castle, a butterfly, or a dawn to link back to the lyrics… you know, something besides just four words that happen to be in a song somewhere.
Blowing bubbles doesn’t seem like much of a punishment.
But the symbolism in the song of bubbles representing doomed hopes is torture.
It all depends on how much the symbolism mattered to the person blowing bubbles in the comic.
If you’ve never heard of the song, or it doesn’t mean much to you personally, then the devils would probably find something else for you.
It’s also the team anthem of Emglish football team West Ham United FC.
And a well-chosen anthem it is!
Makes me wonder of Gary Larson was a secret WHU supporter, or at least a Premier League fan.
I doubt that many people today, or in the 80s, would know of this song otherwise.
