Pinball Machine
Fall · Other Songs - Fall
[], I drove a big truck
Shot the pinball machine, but it brought me bad luck.
If oceans was whiskey and I was a duck
I'd dive into in and never come up.
I wish they'd outlaw them old pinball machines
For weeks they have caused me to live on sardines.
Last time I called my wife on the phone,
The first thing she said was "John, can you come home?
I got a lot of [lodgers] and they've got to go."
I said "I'll see you when I get back from the depot."
She said "John, you know I love you, I wish you wouldn't go
Send your babies some money. They're hungry and cold."
The last thing she said, and then she hung up, was
"John you gave up my loving to drive an old truck."
I made my trip up to the depot
I was gone two months cause I shut up my door (?)
When I got home my family was gone
The best friend I had was on my telephone.
He said "John, I guess you wonder 'bout your babies and wife...
Pneumonia got your babies and your wife took her life."
I've lost all my friends, can't sleep for bad dreams
About a battered old truck and a pinball machine.
I never will forget the last words that old man said:
"Oh Lord, if I could live my life over,"
And then he fell dead, the victim of an old truck.
He was a clean-cut young man, eight- or nineteen,
But now he's in his grave,
The victim of an old truck
And a pinball machine.
Shot the pinball machine, but it brought me bad luck.
If oceans was whiskey and I was a duck
I'd dive into in and never come up.
I wish they'd outlaw them old pinball machines
For weeks they have caused me to live on sardines.
Last time I called my wife on the phone,
The first thing she said was "John, can you come home?
I got a lot of [lodgers] and they've got to go."
I said "I'll see you when I get back from the depot."
She said "John, you know I love you, I wish you wouldn't go
Send your babies some money. They're hungry and cold."
The last thing she said, and then she hung up, was
"John you gave up my loving to drive an old truck."
I made my trip up to the depot
I was gone two months cause I shut up my door (?)
When I got home my family was gone
The best friend I had was on my telephone.
He said "John, I guess you wonder 'bout your babies and wife...
Pneumonia got your babies and your wife took her life."
I've lost all my friends, can't sleep for bad dreams
About a battered old truck and a pinball machine.
I never will forget the last words that old man said:
"Oh Lord, if I could live my life over,"
And then he fell dead, the victim of an old truck.
He was a clean-cut young man, eight- or nineteen,
But now he's in his grave,
The victim of an old truck
And a pinball machine.
Pinball Machine - Fall
Released by the English post-punk band Fall, "Pinball Machine" stands as a defining track from their 1984 debut album, *This Is Not a Love Song*. The song exemplifies the group's signature blend of rhythmic intensity and melodic melancholy, characteristic of their work during the mid-1980s. With its driving bassline and distinctive vocal delivery, the recording captures the raw energy and atmospheric tension that made Fall a pivotal force in the post-punk revival. It remains a staple of their discography, often cited for its ability to convey complex emotional states through minimalistic yet powerful instrumentation.