Lyric in Elton John's "Someone Saved My Live Tonight?."

[Starving_Artist]

In the aforementioned song, there is a lyric that says:

“And I would have walked head on into the deep end of the river
Clinging to your stocks and bonds
**Paying your h.p. ** demands forever
They’re coming in the morning with a truck to take me home”

Does anyone know what “h.p.” means?

[MrVisible]

According to an Elton John FAQ site I found:

The line “Paying your H.P. demands forever” refers to installment payments. I’ve been told that the letters H.P. stand for Hire-Purchase or Hire-Pay. It means that he would have had to pay for her expenses all of their married life. He saw this marriage as a neverending chore.

[MrVisible]

On further investigation, Hire-Purchase seems to be a British way of saying rent-to-own:

Commercial Hire Purchase

  HOW IT WORKS
*   Commercial Hire Purchase provides you with immediate use of the equipment in exchange for making regular payments over an agreed term.
* During this period, the lender owns the equipment.
* When the final payment is made, ownership will automatically transfer to you. 

[Starving_Artist]

@MrVisible

On further investigation, Hire-Purchase seems to be a British way of saying rent-to-own:

Thank you, MrVisible. I’m doubly appreciative.