Pinball Wizard
Donnie Kehr;Christian Hoff;Anthony Barrile Lyrics
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I've played the silver ball.
From Soho down to Brighton
I must have played them all.
But I ain't seen nothing like him
In any amusement hall,
That deaf dumb and blind kid
He stands like a statue,
Becomes part of the machine.
Feeling all the bumpers
Always playing clean.
He plays by intuition,
The digit counters fall.
That deaf dumb and blind kid
Sure plays a mean pinball!
He's a pinball wizard
There has got to be a twist.
A pin ball wizard,
Got such a supple wrist.
('How do you think he does it?)
I don't know!
(What makes him so good?')
Well, he ain't got no distractions
Can't hear those buzzers and bells,
Don't see lights a flashin'
Plays by sense of smell.
Always has a replay,
And never tilts at all
That deaf dumb and blind kid
Sure plays a mean pinball.
He can't beat me now
I've always been the champ
I know every trick
No freak's gonna beat my hand
Even on my usual table,
He can beat the best.
His disciples lead him in,
And he just does the rest.
He's got crazy flipper fingers,
I never seen him fall,
That deaf, dumb, blind kid,
Sure plays a mean pinball.
He's a pinball wizard,
There has to be a twist.
A pinball wizard,
Got such a supple wrist.
He's a pinball wizard,
His score's a trillion more.
A pinball wizard,
The world's new pinball lord.
He's scoring more!
He's scoring more!
More more more more!
I thought I was the Bally table king,
But I just handed my pinball crown to him.
To him!
To him!
The lyrics of Pinball Wizard by Donnie Kehr, Christian Hoff, and Anthony Barrile are about a deaf, dumb, and blind boy who is exceptionally skilled at playing pinball. The singer in the song describes himself as a seasoned pinball player and claims he has played on every machine from Soho to Brighton, but he has never seen anyone like this kid. The boy is so good that he beats the singer effortlessly every time, even on his own table. The song creates a sense of awe and amazement toward the boy, who is described as a "pinball wizard" with a "supple wrist" and "crazy flipper fingers."
The lyrics emphasize the boy's unique abilities, which arise from his lack of sensory distractions. He can't hear the buzzers and bells, doesn't see the lights flashing, and doesn't get distracted by anything else. He's a master of the game, playing by intuition and sensing the ball's movements through his sense of touch and smell. Even when he loses, he is granted a replay, and he never tilts the machine. The song ends with the singer acknowledging the boy's superiority and passing him the pinball crown.
Line by Line Meaning
Ever since I was a young boy,
From the time I was a young boy,
I've played the silver ball.
I have been playing pinball.
From Soho down to Brighton
From Soho to Brighton.
I must have played them all.
I have played all of the pinball machines in between.
But I ain't seen nothing like him
I have not seen anyone like him.
In any amusement hall,
In any amusement hall or arcade.
That deaf dumb and blind kid
The child who is deaf, dumb, and blind.
Sure plays a mean pinball!
Is an excellent pinball player!
He stands like a statue,
He stands still as a statue.
Becomes part of the machine.
He becomes a part of the pinball machine.
Feeling all the bumpers
He feels every bumper hit.
Always playing clean.
He always plays a clean game.
He plays by intuition,
He plays based on his instincts,
The digit counters fall.
And the digital counters register his winnings.
He's a pinball wizard
He is a skilled pinball player.
There has got to be a twist.
There must be some secret to his success.
Got such a supple wrist.
Has an agile wrist.
('How do you think he does it?)
('How do you think he does it?')
I don't know!
I don't know!
(What makes him so good?')
('What makes him so good?')
Well, he ain't got no distractions
He has no distractions.
Can't hear those buzzers and bells,
He can't hear the noise of the machine.
Don't see lights a flashin'
He doesn't see the flashing lights.
Plays by sense of smell.
He plays using his sense of smell.
Always has a replay,
He always gets another chance to play.
And never tilts at all
He never loses control of the machine.
He can't beat me now
I am certain that I can beat him now.
I've always been the champ
I have always been the champion.
I know every trick
I know all the tricks.
No freak's gonna beat my hand
No one can beat me.
Even on my usual table,
Even on the table that I normally play on,
He can beat the best.
He can beat the best players.
His disciples lead him in,
His followers direct him to the machine.
And he just does the rest.
And he does the rest perfectly.
He's got crazy flipper fingers,
He has fast flipper fingers.
I never seen him fall,
I have never seen him fail.
That deaf, dumb, blind kid,
That child who is deaf, dumb, and blind,
Sure plays a mean pinball.
Is an excellent pinball player!
His score's a trillion more.
His score is much higher than anyone else's.
The world's new pinball lord.
He is the new pinball champion.
He's scoring more!
He's getting more points!
He's scoring more!
He's getting more points!
More more more more!
He's getting even more points!
I thought I was the Bally table king,
I used to think I was the best pinball player,
But I just handed my pinball crown to him.
But now he has taken my place as the champion.
To him!
To him!
To him!
To him!
Lyrics © ABKCO MUSIC INC.
Written by: PETER TOWNSHEND
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind