The band is known for musical improvisation, extended jams, blending of genres, and a rigorous touring schedule that draws a famously dedicated fan base. Their music blends elements of a wide variety of genres, including funk, progressive rock, psychedelic rock, folk, country, jazz, blues, bluegrass, and pop. Phish were part of a movement of improvisational rock groups, inspired by the Grateful Dead and colloquially known as "jam bands", which gained considerable popularity as touring concert acts in the 1990s.
After 15 years of performing together, Phish went on hiatus in 2000. They resumed touring in December 2002, but disbanded in 2004 after a farewell performance at their Coventry Festival in Vermont. They reunited in March 2009 for a series of three consecutive concerts played in the Hampton Coliseum in Hampton, Virginia, and have since resumed performing regularly.
Although the group received little radio play or MTV exposure, Phish developed a large following by word of mouth during the 1990s, particularly through fan-record tapes of their concerts, which circulated for free online with the band's permission. While often compared to the Grateful Dead, Phish finds their roots in styles such as jazz, funk and alternative rock as opposed to the Dead, who were more influenced by folk, country and blues.
Each Phish concert is different in terms of the songs included and the order in which they appeared, and (for many songs) in the way in which they were performed. Also unique to Phish are their large summer festivals which draw upwards of 70K people to remote areas in Maine and New York State as well as close to 100K for their epic Millennium Show in the Everglades of South Florida.
Along with Bob Dylan and The Beatles, Phish were one of the first bands to have an Internet newsgroup - rec.music.phish - launched in 1991.
In regards to Phish, Rolling Stone magazine proclaimed "Given their sense of community, their ambition and their challenging, generous performances, Phish have become the most important band of the Nineties."
Crosseyed And Painless
Phish Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Trying to act casual!
Can't stop
I might end up in the hospital
I'm changing my shape
I feel like an accident
They're back!
To explain their experience
Isn't it weird
Looks too obscure to me
Wasting away
And that was their policy
I'm ready to leave
I push the fact in front of me
Facts lost
Facts are never what they seem to be
Nothing there!
No information left of any kind
Lifting my head
Looking for danger signs
There was a line
There was a formula
Sharp as a knife
Facts cut a hole in us
There was a line
There was a formula
Sharp as a knife
Facts cut a hole in us
I'm still waiting
I'm still waiting
I'm still waiting
I'm still waiting
I'm still waiting
I'm still waiting
I'm still waiting
I'm still waiting
The feeling returns
Whenever we close out eyes
Lifting my head
looking around inside
The island of doubt
It's like the taste of medicine
Working by hindsight
Got the message from the oxygen
Making a list
Find the cost of opportunity
Doing it right
Facts are useless in emergencies
The feeling returns
Whenever we close out eyes
Lifting my head
Looking around inside.
Facts are simple and facts are straight
Facts are lazy and facts are late
Facts all come with points of view
Facts don't do what I want them to
Facts just twist the truth around
Facts are living turned inside out
Facts are getting the best of them
Facts are nothing on the face of things
Facts don't stain the furniture
Facts go out and slam the door
Facts are written all over your face
Facts continue to change their shape
I'm still waiting
I'm still waiting
I'm still waiting
I'm still waiting
I'm still waiting
I'm still waiting
I'm still waiting
I'm still waiting
The lyrics to Phish's song "Crosseyed and Painless" deal with the concept of the unreliability of facts and the search for meaning in a world with shifting truths. The singer declares that they have "lost my shape" and are "trying to act casual." They fear that they will end up in the hospital, indicating the physical and mental strain of trying to keep up appearances. The line "I feel like an accident" suggests a sense of disconnect and uncertainty.
The chorus refers to a group of people who have returned to explain their experience but seem too obscure and wasting away, with their policy being unclear. The singer pushes the facts in front of them, only to find that they are useless in emergencies. The song suggests a frustration with the limits of what we can know and how difficult it can be to make sense of the world.
The final lyrics deal with the complex nature of facts and their inability to capture the complete truth. Facts come with points of view and can twist the truth around, making them unreliable. The repeated refrain of "I'm still waiting" suggests a sense of longing and anticipation for something more.
Overall, the song is a commentary on the difficulty of finding meaning and truth in the world, suggesting that facts and information are only part of the picture.
Line by Line Meaning
Lost my shape
I feel like I have lost my identity
Trying to act casual!
I am trying to pretend like everything is fine
Can't stop
I cannot control myself
I might end up in the hospital
My behavior could lead to harmful consequences
I'm changing my shape
I am trying to transform myself
I feel like an accident
I feel like everything about me is a mistake
They're back!
I am revisiting past traumas
Isn't it weird
Isn't it strange how things have turned out?
Looks too obscure to me
It is difficult for me to understand
Wasting away
I am slowly deteriorating
And that was their policy
That was the plan they had all along
I'm ready to leave
I am ready to move on
I push the fact in front of me
I try to move forward by focusing on the truth
Facts lost
The truth is unclear
Facts are never what they seem to be
The truth can be deceiving
Nothing there!
There is no sense of direction
No information left of any kind
There is a lack of knowledge
Lifting my head
I am being observant
Looking for danger signs
I am searching for anything that could cause harm
There was a line
There was a clear boundary
There was a formula
There was a set of rules to follow
Sharp as a knife
The rules were strict
Facts cut a hole in us
The truth can be painful
I'm still waiting
I am still anticipating something to happen
The feeling returns
Past emotions resurface
Whenever we close out eyes
When we reflect on our thoughts
The island of doubt
A place where uncertainty lies
It's like the taste of medicine
Unpleasant, but necessary
Working by hindsight
Analyzing past events
Got the message from the oxygen
Received a sign from the environment
Making a list
Compiling information
Find the cost of opportunity
Evaluate the risks and rewards
Doing it right
Going about it in the correct way
Facts are useless in emergencies
The truth is not helpful in crisis situations
Facts are simple and facts are straight
The truth is straightforward
Facts are lazy and facts are late
The truth is often delayed
Facts all come with points of view
The truth can be subjective
Facts don't do what I want them to
The truth does not always align with our desires
Facts just twist the truth around
The truth can be distorted
Facts are living turned inside out
The truth can be difficult to understand
Facts are getting the best of them
The truth is overwhelming them
Facts are nothing on the face of things
The truth is not apparent
Facts don't stain the furniture
The truth is not permanent
Facts go out and slam the door
The truth can be harsh
Facts are written all over your face
The truth is evident
Facts continue to change their shape
The truth is always evolving
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DAVID BYRNE, CHRIS FRANTZ, TINA WEYMOUTH, JERRY HARRISON, BRIAN ENO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Michael Hicks
This was at 3 or 4 am...this was the real Y2K, will always be an epic life experience...thanks for preserving and posting 😎
vulera*
This is the first time I've ever seen Phish play anything. As a huge Talking Heads fan, this is insane!! They killed this. Love their guitar tones.
Tamar 4272
Talking heads super fan here , phish actually pull it off , quite well 🕺🏿🕺💃🏻💃🏿🎸⚡️❤️
Steven L
@David Burton listen that show all the time...so good
Julio Garcia
Smashed it
Tobias Tee
....still waiting.....for that official Big Cypress SBD release....12-31-99: best concert by any band, ever, and this song was the highlight, IMO (although there are many over that weekend, like the runner-up, Split Open and Melt).
Jamie Cook
Everything they played over these 2 days were best versions of the time... then the Radio City Ghost ......
Steven L
Incredible show...road tripped from MA to see it. One of the best overall experiences of my life!
Eri CZar
Thank you for this experience. Best concert experience ever! More then a concert. Incredible...honestly..
No words can capture what this was like.
Dan Mullen
This is my favorite Phish jam of all time.