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."
Waves
Phish Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The waves that bring her words to me
For though unseen they drift around
They catch my breath and knock me down
I feel them quickly swirling by
As they withdraw with my reply
And slip into the dark of night
Instead I'm stranded on my knees
As words depart upon the breeze
That quickly drifts away from here
And possibly won't reach her ear
If we could see these many waves
That flow through clouds and sunken caves
She'd sense at least the words that sought her
On the wind and underwater
The lyrics of Phish's "Waves" can be interpreted in many ways, but to me, the song is about the intangible beauty of communication. The author marvels at how he can feel the waves that bring his lover's words to him, even though he can't see them. Although the words are ephemeral, he feels their impact and is knocked down by their force. The waves are swirling and unpredictable, and sometimes the author is left stranded on his knees when the words disappear, never reaching his lover's ear.
The author longs to be able to see these waves, to fully comprehend the beauty of communication. He knows that if he could sense how the waves flow through clouds and sunken caves, his lover would at least sense the words that he is trying to convey, whether they're on the wind or underwater. In short, the song is a celebration of language's beauty and power, even when it's elusive and difficult to pin down.
Line by Line Meaning
How is it I never see
I'm wondering why I can't see the waves that carry her message to me
The waves that bring her words to me
The invisible waves in the air and water carry her message to me
For though unseen they drift around
Although these waves are invisible, they still move around
They catch my breath and knock me down
The waves affect me deeply and make me feel overwhelmed
I feel them quickly swirling by
I can sense these waves moving quickly past me
As they withdraw with my reply
As I send my message back, the waves move away with it
And slip into the dark of night
The waves disappear into the darkness after carrying my message
As I attempt to stay upright
I try to keep steady, but the waves make it hard
Instead I'm stranded on my knees
The waves make me feel helpless and I fall to my knees
As words depart upon the breeze
My message is carried away by the wind
That quickly drifts away from here
The wind carries my message far away from me
And possibly won't reach her ear
My message may not even reach her after being lost in the wind and waves
If we could see these many waves
If we could see the invisible waves carrying messages
That flow through clouds and sunken caves
These waves flow through the air and water
She'd sense at least the words that sought her
She would at least know that someone is trying to send her a message
On the wind and underwater
These waves can carry messages both through the air and underwater
Lyrics © Downtown Music Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: TREY ANASTASIO, SCOTT HERMAN, TOM MARSHALL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Forrest George
How is it I never see
The waves that bring her words to me
For though unseen they drift around
They catch my breath and knock me down
I feel them quickly swirling by
As they withdraw with my reply
And slip into the dark of night
As I attempt to stay upright
Instead I'm stranded on my knees
As words depart upon the breeze
That quickly drifts away from here
And possibly won't reach her ear
If we could see these many waves
That flow through clouds and sunken caves
She'd sense at least the words that sought her
On the wind and underwater
elocrian
I've had the main riff and melidy of this song stuck in my head weeks!!! Love this!!
Forrest George
How is it I never see
The waves that bring her words to me
For though unseen they drift around
They catch my breath and knock me down
I feel them quickly swirling by
As they withdraw with my reply
And slip into the dark of night
As I attempt to stay upright
Instead I'm stranded on my knees
As words depart upon the breeze
That quickly drifts away from here
And possibly won't reach her ear
If we could see these many waves
That flow through clouds and sunken caves
She'd sense at least the words that sought her
On the wind and underwater
Starwind
So sick. I fucking love who they’ve grown to become. Proud of you boys!
2:40 on is magical soloing from Trey
Derek Beaucage
If by the end of this song, you cannot hear why Phish is amazing, then I have no hope for you...
Jess McWilliam
I don't get it man..... these guys are just incredible!!!! Thank you so very much!!!! Enjoy everyone
Scott Stevenson
One of my favorites. Love Waves! I always thought Baker's Dozen version was super special, but this evening on the beach was a wonderful and amazing experience. Thank you Phish!
LW
check out the Bethel 2011 Waves. Also great.
Cameron Mayfield
8 mins into waves and chill and fishman gives you these 16th notes ;)
Nea LLi
@DarvinJr Anderson bhajad.... what he say?...
Nea LLi
That's the subtle draw to the.... oh.. the?