"Cousin Kevin" is a song by the rock band The Who. It appears on side two of the rock opera Tommy. It is about a sadistic young man who is left in charge of Tommy, a "deaf, dumb, and blind" boy and decides to torture him in various ways, including burning a cigarette on his arm, dunking his head in a bathtub filled with scalding water, and making him "stand in the rain and catch cold so [he] die[s]."
The song may have been intended to take plac...
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"Cousin Kevin" is a song by the rock band The Who. It appears on side two of the rock opera Tommy. It is about a sadistic young man who is left in charge of Tommy, a "deaf, dumb, and blind" boy and decides to torture him in various ways, including burning a cigarette on his arm, dunking his head in a bathtub filled with scalding water, and making him "stand in the rain and catch cold so [he] die[s]."
The song may have been intended to take place during or directly after the events of the song "Christmas," as it follows directly after it in the track listing. Cousin Kevin may have been visiting for Christmas, and whilst everyone else went off to enjoy festivities, he stayed behind to torment Tommy.
The song was written and sung by bassist John Entwistle upon request of guitarist Pete Townshend. Entwistle maintained that the song was inspired by the young boy who lived across the street from Entwistle. "Fiddle About," the other song on "Tommy" about child abuse (sexual, in this case)...
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