Phish is a rock band which formed in 1983 in Burlington, Vermont, United St… Read Full Bio ↴Phish is a rock band which formed in 1983 in Burlington, Vermont, United States. For most of their career, the group's lineup has consisted of Trey Anastasio (guitar, vocals), Page McConnell (keyboards, vocals), Mike Gordon (bass, vocals) and Jon Fishman (drums, vocals, vacuum cleaner).

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."

Encore
Phish Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Guyute was the ugly pig
Who walked on me and danced a jig
That he had learned when he was six
Then stopped and did some other tricks

Like pulling weapons from his coat
And holding them against my throat
He lectured me in a language strange

And scampered quickly out of range

I'm bouncing like a newborn elf
I can't remain inside myself
Guyute glances in my eyes
And manages to hypnotize

Me as I sleep the sleep of death
He suck from me my only breath

That I had breathed since I was ten
I hope this happens once again

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Phish's song Encore appear to narrate an encounter with a character named Guyute who has a peculiar and intimidating presence. The first few lines describe Guyute as an ugly pig who walks on the singer and dances a jig, a skill he apparently learned at age six. The situation quickly takes an ominous turn as Guyute pulls weapons from his coat and holds them to the singer's throat. In a language that is strange to the singer, Guyute lectures him before scurrying off.

The second half of the song takes a more surreal and dreamlike turn. The singer states that he is bouncing like a newborn elf and cannot stay inside himself. Guyute then looks into the singer's eyes and hypnotizes him. The final lines suggest that Guyute has taken the singer's breath and he hopes that it will happen again.

The meaning of the lyrics is not entirely clear, but the themes of intimidation, power, and vulnerability are recurring. The surreal imagery and psychedelic tone may hint at a more symbolic interpretation. Overall, Encore is an enigmatic and mysterious song that leaves much to the listeners' interpretation.

Line by Line Meaning

Guyute was the ugly pig
Guyute was someone unpleasant

Who walked on me and danced a jig
He figurately oppressed me and celebrated my defeat with his dance moves

That he had learned when he was six
He learned the mentioned ritual when he was young

Then stopped and did some other tricks
Then he did some other unpleasant things

Like pulling weapons from his coat
He threatened me with weapons

And holding them against my throat
He put weapons near my neck threateningly

He lectured me in a language strange
He spoke about issues I couldn't comprehend or understand

And scampered quickly out of range
He left the situation immediately

I'm bouncing like a newborn elf
I am feeling happy and joyful

I can't remain inside myself
I can't contain my joy and excitement

Guyute glances in my eyes
Guyute makes eye contact with me