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."
Limb by Limb
Phish Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But when I'm done freezing I want to be alone
Never want my hand cut off
Never want a hacking cough
Never need a cliffside push
Never turn my brain to mush
Always take the best parts back
Always recognize your fate
Always just a moment late
Left is where I always turn
Left is how I'm forced to learn
Left the route my walking takes
Left alone with my mistakes
Up against the person who
Up 'til now I never knew
Up from hell the answer blew
Up or down it's up to you
Drop me off the Chinese wall
And peel my fingers off the rim
I come unglued while in midair and land to reform
Limb by limb
And I am taken far away
Lingering slowly melting away
Tossed with the salad and baled with the hay
Pooling the water that drips from above
Trampled by lambs pecked by the dove
Phish's Limb by Limb opens with the singer admitting to having leaned on a shoulder that was carved out of stone. A possible interpretation of this is that the person they leaned on was unemotional, unfeeling and therefore unresponsive. They then say that they want to be alone after being frozen, which could mean that they seek solitude after dealing with a difficult situation or feeling overwhelmed by emotions.
The lyrics go on to list things that the singer never wants to experience. They mention not wanting to have their hand cut off, not wanting to have a hacking cough, not needing a cliffside push, and not wanting to turn their brain to mush. These lines suggest that the character desires stability and safety in their life. They also express a need for agency and control over their own thoughts and body. The lyrics then transition to expressing gratitude for the things that the singer does have in their life. They appreciate receiving what they lack and recognize how good it feels to have the best parts of their life returned to them.
The song then shifts to discussing the concept of direction, a recurring motif throughout the song. The singer always turns left, which forces them to learn from their mistakes. They walk a certain route, one that takes them where they need to go but leaves them alone with their regrets. The lyrics then mention the idea of "up" and "down," suggesting that life is full of choices and while the answer may seem to lie in the underworld or the heavens, it's ultimately up to the singer to decide.
The chorus that follows includes the line "Drop me off the Chinese wall/And peel my fingers off the rim." This is a reference to the Great Wall of China and could mean that the singer desires to be placed in a difficult situation from which they would have to dig themselves out. The final lines of the song talk about being taken far away and then feeling as though they are melting away. These final lyrics illustrate a sense of surrender or acceptance of their fate.
Line by Line Meaning
The shoulder that I leaned on was carved out of stone
I took advice from someone who was really strong and unbending.
But when I'm done freezing I want to be alone
When I feel comfortable again I want to be independent.
Never want my hand cut off
I don't want to lose my ability to act.
Never want a hacking cough
I don't want anything to slow me down.
Never need a cliffside push
I don't want anyone to force me to make tough decisions.
Never turn my brain to mush
I don't want my mind to deteriorate.
Always give me what I lack
I want to receive what I'm missing.
Always take the best parts back
Even if something's taken away from me, I want to hold on to what was good about it.
Always recognize your fate
I want to acknowledge what's meant to happen.
Always just a moment late
No matter how hard I try, I always arrive too late.
Left is where I always turn
I tend to go in the direction that's less popular or off the beaten path.
Left is how I'm forced to learn
I learn best when I'm challenged or when I'm outside my comfort zone.
Left the route my walking takes
I don't follow the traditional path.
Left alone with my mistakes
When I make mistakes, I tend not to confide in others.
Up against the person who
I'm in a confrontation with the one who
Up 'til now I never knew
I was unaware of them until now.
Up from hell the answer blew
The solution came unexpectedly or from a negative situation.
Up or down it's up to you
The decision is yours, regardless of the risk.
Drop me off the Chinese wall
Put me in a difficult or precarious situation.
And peel my fingers off the rim
With great difficulty, let go of the last thing I'm holding onto.
I come unglued while in midair and land to reform
I fall apart while trying to make a change and then reconstruct myself.
Limb by limb
Gradually and piece by piece.
And I am taken far away
I am transported somewhere else.
Lingering slowly melting away
I am disappearing slowly but surely.
Tossed with the salad and baled with the hay
I am nothing special and just part of the mix.
Pooling the water that drips from above
I am collecting the small things and trying to make something out of them.
Trampled by lambs pecked by the dove
Despite my vulnerability, people still take advantage of me.
Lyrics © Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: JON FISHMAN, SCOTT HERMAN, TREY ANASTASIO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@tahuano
Fish drumming in this video is best ever. Deserves hall of fame. Deserves an oscar. a grammy. a hug from all of us. Fish is the greatest drummer alive.
@stephanlarsen8169
Heck let's. Throw in a couple virgins of nubile nubian descent Jah herb Jah Jerry Jah love Jah rastafari Tucson Arizona Sonoran desert 🏜
@stephansteohanlarsen7457
Library of Congress 🍄🐟🌁🌁🍄🔥🍄🌍🍄
@nicklangmusic
Man, I remember hearing this song for the first time, and going “how is he even playing that drum beat?!?” This video definitely helped to figure it out, but then it made ask “wait, how the heck is he even playing that beat AND singing backing vocals?!?”
Jon Fishman is so damned good.
@SnowTheJamMan
Fish's drumming on this track never ceases to amaze me
@max_mittler
fish 😂
@devinpalmer617
@@max_mittler yep
@user-jo6gk7uq7c
Zappa
@matthewriggi2149
Good God that is one of the most amazing things I have ever seen. All 4 members just absolutely crushing it during that entire version. Pure magic!
@markranfone6393
music at its highest form