Big Red Goes Green For New Songs
Trey Anastasio unveiled two new songs, Burn That Bridge and Sailboat Man, with his Classic TAB ensemble at last weekend’s Hangout Festival. Sailboat Man was written by Anastasio with longtime writing partner Tom Marshall especially for the event, while Burn That Bridge marks the debut of Trey’s songwriting partnership with songwriter/performer Amanda Green.
Green cut her teeth on the cabaret circuit before moving to Nashville to write and perform country music. The daughter of a Broadway actress (Phyllis Newman) and a famed Broadway lyricist/playwright (Adolph Green), Amanda embraced her theatrical roots writing the lyrics for the musical stage adaptation of High Fidelity in 2006 and multiple other musicals. In 2003, Green put out a CD called Put a Little Love in Your Mouth that garnered praise from the likes of Stephen Sondheim who sent her a fan letter.
Now, Amanda Green enters a completely different dimension of the music industry as the latest songwriting partner for fellow Manhattan resident Trey Anastasio. The pair have penned a few more songs that Anastasio plans to debut this summer with his other band, Phish. You can also expect to hear a number of new Anastasio/Marshall tunes on Phish Summer Tour.
READ ON for a brief history of Trey’s non-Tom songwriting partners and for more on the songs Classic TAB debuted at the Hangout Festival…
While Tom Marshall has been Trey’s main songwriting partner since the early days of Phish, Anastasio has worked with other writers in the past. Back in the late ’80s, Trey created the music for Bathtub Gin around Susannah Goodman’s lyrics. More recently, Shine producer Brendan O”Brien contributed to the title track from that LP as well as Invisible, Sleep Again and Spin. Old friend Steve “The Dude of Life” Pollak teamed up with Big Red to write Show of Life, which was debuted on February’s Classic TAB tour. Furthermore, “Captain Kevin” Hoffman lent a hand for A Case of Ice and Snow.
We’ve shared audio of Burn That Bridge and Sailboat Man from taperhead’s recording of Trey Anastasio and Classic TAB at the Hangout Festival and we took a shot at transcribing the lyrics to each song…
Burn That Bridge (Anastasio/Green)
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Trouble seems to follow me
like a lost and lonely dog
I can’t shake it no matter how I run
And you know and I know
You coming home with me
And there’ll be lives to save
And hell to pay
Before the day is done
But I’ll burn that bridge when I get to it
Find a fire I can set to it
Trouble’s coming but the spark is lit
And I’ll burn that bridge when I get to it.
The sunlight in your smile
Pierces me clean through
I been on this earth a while
I met no one like you
And you know I’m a sinner
But something tells me you are too
And I’ll pay tomorrow for what I pray
We’re about to do
But I’ll burn that bridge when I get to it
Find a fire I can set to it
Trouble’s coming but the spark is lit
And I’ll burn that bridge when I get to it.
Sometimes you gotta break the rules
And throw away the book
Torch the candle at both ends
And leap before you look
You maybe a little crazy
And God knows I’m no great catch
But you supply the gasoline
And I’ll supply the match
And I’ll burn that bridge when I get to it
I know we shouldn’t but the spark is lit
If this is trouble I don’t mind a bit
And I’ll burn that bridge when I get to it.
Burn that bridge when I get to it
Find a fire I can set to it
Trouble’s coming but the spark is lit
And I’ll burn that bridge when I get to it
Burn that bridge
Burn that bridge
Burn that bridge (repeat)
Sailboat Man (Anastasio/Marshall)
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Sailboat man come pick us up
Sailboat man come pick us up
Sailboat man come pick us up
Because I see a boat
Sailboat man come pick us up
Sailboat man come pick us up
Sailboat man come pick us up
Because I see a boat
Oh, Sailboat man come pick us up
Sailboat man come pick us up
Sailboat man come pick us up
Because I see a boat
Oh, Sailboat man come pick us up
Sailboat man come pick us up
Sailboat man come pick us up
Because I see a boat
In the morning when I rise
Sunlight on the water glistens in my eyes
And I listen to the laughing sounds
The golden hues aborted are flowing all around
And I say, Sailboat man come pick us up
Sailboat man come pick us up
Sailboat man come pick us up
Because I see a boat
Oh, Sailboat man come pick us up
Sailboat man come pick us up
Sailboat man come pick us up
Because I see a boat
A path leads to the water’s edge
Sitting on the dock I feel my feet hang off the ledge
So slowly, I see you drawing near
The snapping of the canvas is all that I can hear
And I said, Sailboat man come pick us up
Sailboat man come pick us up
Sailboat man come pick us up
Because I see a boat
Sailboat man come pick us up
Sailboat man come pick us up
Sailboat man come pick us up
Because I see a boat
Take me far away and carry me across to see the sunset over St. Tropez
The Mores and Sebastian Cay (?)
On the bounding we await to see the dark and then the lay (?)
Sailboat man come pick us up
Sailboat man come pick us up
Sailboat man come pick us up
Because I see a boat
Sailboat man come pick us up
Sailboat man come pick us up
Sailboat man come pick us up
Because I see a boat
Scott Bernstein
Scott Bernstein co-founded Hidden Track in October 2006 and was managing editor until taking over as EiC in January 2008. Scotty also writes for JamBase and curates YEMblog.com.
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Sailboat Man Pick Us Up may very well be the most complex and lyrically driven song in the history of forever….
Does she really have an album called Put a Little Love in Your Mouth? hahaaa
These songs are terrible. Come on Trey.
nans on “put a little love in your mouth.”
ser? put a little red in your mouth?
better than time turns craptastic?
TTe is a classic piece..if you dont like it you dont like phish!
Like burn that bridge, sailboat man is meh.
The golden hues OF MORNING are flowing all around
not bad songs per se but not interesting in any way.
burn that bridge needs to be drug out into the street and shot!
I absolutely love these songs! Those that know me, know I am a harsh critic but these are the best and most intiricate Tab/Phish songs I’ve heard in a real long time! I’m so excited for Phish this summer!
only heard sailboat man from the webcast, missed the other tune. looking forward to seeing what the boys bust out this summer!
i will wait until shawncarter reviews it to decide how meh it is.
It should be “quay” not “cay” in the lyrics.
Not one, but two new YEM status songs! The future is bright!
Can someone explain to me wtf is goin on?
Ok songs, but snooozephest.
True Rasta Tradition! Hear me now! Me Bredren! Sailboat Man…I and I praise most high!
Right when I heard Burn That Bridge on the webscast I found it very enjoyable, reminded me of a cool Randy Newman tune. After listening a second time, I only like it more.
When I first heard Sailboat Man I thought it was catchy but kind of ridiculous but after listening again its growing on me, Phish might be able to give it a better sound.
Key lyrics corrections in “Burn that Bridge”:
“lives to save” should be “lies to say”
“you coming home with me” should be “you’re coming home with me”
“I met no one like you” should be “I’ve never met no one like you”
This is embarrasing. Hope this isn’t the future of a “former” great band. Give me a f’n break!!!
Trey, good work brother. For those of us who understand that every thing can’t be a balls to wall 30 minute epic jam, the stuff you guys are doing now is wonderful. Party Time and Joy are two wonderful albums and I’m “personally” looking forward to the new stuff and collaborations that each band member will bring to the table we know as Phish. And if my bridge starts to burn, and I’m DRIFTING out at sea, I hope the sail boat man, comes and picks up me!
Peace and keep sharin’ in the groove,
Karmen
Two good songs… I’m interested to see what Phish will do with these, if anything. I think Burn that Bridge would be a nice mid first set song before/after a long jam. I can also see Sailboat Man segueing out of a longer jam that formed into a reggae-style jam. Like Makisupa does sometime, or similar to Tomorrow’s Song after Piper in Albany last fall (both are vocally driven). Definitely not the best of songs Trey has written, but Burn that Bridge is a decent pop song, and Sailboat Man is a catchy little reggae ditty. In my opinion, there’s nothing wrong with some light feel-good music dotting Phish setlists… in fact a lot of Phish is just that.
You may like Makisupa just ’cause it’s been around for so long… but if they just came out with that, would you berate it like many are Sailboat Man? I dunno, but they seem pretty analogous to me.
ALL I CAN SAY IS SAILBOATMAN COME PICK US UP…I LIKE THEM BOTH.bURN THAT BRIDGE KIND OF GIVES YOU THAT FEELING OF BENIG ON TOUR IN THE CAR DRIVING FOR HOURS ON END TO MAKE IT TO THE NEXT SHOW..AND YOU SUPPLY THE GASOLINE AND I’LL SUPPLY THE MATCH..WAHT EVER THATS REFERING TOO!!!GOOD SONGS AND DEFENTILY CAN’T WAIT TO SEE WHAT PHISH DOES WITH BOTH JAMS..THANKS TREY!!PEACE AND LOVE,CHRIS DEG1* SEE YOU IN CHICAGO AND ALPINE THIS SUMMER…!!!!
Nice, thank you. I like that Trey is teaming up with his neighbors. There’s an ever-flowing energy in creating music. Have a ball, Trey. I love you!