The song The Acid Queen is the ninth track on The Who's critically revered concept album Tommy, released in May 1969. Conceived and primarily written by Townshend, the rock opera chronicles the life of a deaf, dumb and bind boy, abused by his family, who becomes a pinball master and spiritual leader, but is ultimately deserted by his followers. The Acid Queen tells the story of Tommy's parents attempt to cure him by leaving him with a gypsy, an acid queen, who feeds him hallucinogenic drugs. Speaking with Rick Sanders and David Dalton for Rolling Stone, 12th July, 1969, Townshend explained The song's not about just acid; it's the whole drug thing, the drink thing, the sex thing, wrapped into one big ball. It's about how you get it laid on you that you haven't lived if you haven't fucked forty birds, taken sixty trips, drunk fourteen pints of beer – or whatever. Society – people – force you. She represents this force. On a number of occasions I've got this sinister, feline, sexual thing about acid, that it's inherently female. I don't know if I'm right . . . it's fickle enough.

Celebrated as one of the greatest and most visionary songwriters of the sixties, handwritten lyrics by Townshend are extremely rare - this is the first example to be sold through these rooms. Townshend donated this set of lyrics to to a benefit auction for Musicares in 2001.