Townshend originally wrote “Baba O’Riley” for his Lifehouse project, a rock opera that was to be the follow-up to the Who’s 1969 opera, Tommy. In Lifehouse, the song would be sung at the beginning by a Scottish farmer named Ray, as he gathers his wife Sally and his two children to begin their exodus to London. When Lifehouse was scrapped, eight of the songs were salvaged and recorded for the Who’s 1971 album Who’s Next, with “Baba O’Riley” as the lead-off track. Lifehouse was going to be about life in an apocalyptic future.
The “Baba O’Riley” title combines the names of Meher Baba and Terry Riley, two of Townshend’s philosophical and musical mentors.[5] The song is often mistakenly called “Teenage Wasteland”, after the phrase repeated in the song. “Teenage Wasteland” was in fact a working title for the song in its early incarnations as part of the Lifehouse project, but eventually became the title for a different but related song by Townshend, which is slower and features different lyrics
[Verse 1: Roger Daltrey]
Out here in the fields, I fight for my meals
I get my back into my living
I don’t need to fight to prove I’m right
I don’t need to be forgiven
[Interlude]
[Bridge: Pete Townshend]
Don’t cry, don’t raise your eye
It’s only teenage wasteland
[Verse 2: Roger Daltrey]
Sally, take my hand, we’ll travel south ‘cross land
Put out the fire and don’t look past my shoulder
The exodus is here, the happy ones are near
Let’s get together before we get much older
[Chorus: Roger Daltrey]
Teenage wasteland, it’s only teenage wasteland
Teenage wasteland, oh, yeah
Teenage wasteland
They’re all wasted!