Mound
Phish Lyrics


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The old man knows very well
Going down by the snowbank, there's a mound
A mound that an old man knows good
Look who raises his shoe all over this mound
Right over the world that's another rewind

And it's time, time, time for the last rewind
For a broken old man and a world unkind
He buried all his memories of home
In an icy clump that lies beneath the ground

No one knows how far he traveled
Oh! I heard he walked miles from the little mound
Can he find some shelter?
He doesn't know to behold what the cold frost can do
And at last till he realized he'd circled back around
Round a back circle, round a back realized

Ice is all he was made of
The bitter blue, and frozen through
He went over to the mound




Reclining down his final thoughts
Were drifting to the time this life had shined

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Phish's song Mound hint towards a story of an old man who is fully aware of the existence of a particular mound by the snowbank. The mound must have been of great significance and perhaps an important landmark to the old man, as he declares to 'know it well.' The following lines suggest that someone raises his shoe over the same mound, making it unclear as to why that person would do such a thing. The lyrics then switch to a more philosophical tone and speak of a 'last rewind' - this is typically associated with an ending or a final goodbye. The 'broken old man' seems to have lost himself in the world, and yet another enigmatic phrase emerges: 'he buried all his memories of home.'


The lyrics then take a rather ominous turn as it describes how the old man has made an 'icy clump' in the ground, which is his current resting place. The lyrics then suggest that no one knows how far he traveled, and yet rumors are abound, suggesting that he walked for miles before eventually succumbing to the cold. The old man seems to have been lost in his travels and was unable to find shelter from the harsh winter. The lyrics suggest that ice is all he was made of, and he reclined down his final thoughts, reflecting on his life.


Line by Line Meaning

The old man knows very well
The elderly man is knowledgeable and experienced.


Going down by the snowbank, there's a mound
Near the snowbank, there is a mound.


A mound that an old man knows good
The old man is familiar with the mound.


Look who raises his shoe all over this mound
An unidentified person is disrespecting the mound by stepping on it.


Right over the world that's another rewind
The actions of the person stepping on the mound are causing the world to regress.


And it's time, time, time for the last rewind
It is time for the final regression of the world.


For a broken old man and a world unkind
The world is cruel to the old man who is in a weakened state.


He buried all his memories of home
The old man has suppressed his memories of home.


In an icy clump that lies beneath the ground
The old man has buried his memories in the mound beneath the ground.


No one knows how far he traveled
It is unclear how far the old man has traveled.


Oh! I heard he walked miles from the little mound
There are rumors that the old man has traveled a long distance from the mound.


Can he find some shelter?
Will the old man be able to find a place of refuge?


He doesn't know to behold what the cold frost can do
The old man is unaware of the dangers of the freezing weather.


And at last till he realized he'd circled back around
The old man has inadvertently retraced his steps.


Round a back circle, round a back realized
He has completed a circular journey and realized he is back where he started.


Ice is all he was made of
The old man was fragile and weak, like ice.


The bitter blue, and frozen through
He was cold and frozen to the core.


He went over to the mound
The old man approached the mound.


Reclining down his final thoughts
The old man is settling down to die and is reflecting on his life.


Were drifting to the time this life had shined
His thoughts are returning to memories of his earlier, brighter days.




Lyrics © Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: MIKE GORDON

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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