Mountains in the Mist
Performances Song History Discussion

Mountains in the Mist

Also Known As: Mist, Bake and Boil

Music/Lyrics: Anastasio/Marshall

Original Artist: Trey Anastasio

Vocals: Trey (lead), All (backing)

Debut: 1999-07-03

Historian: Erik Swain, Elayne Best

This mellow ballad with strong harmonies and a guitar line similar to “Lifeboy” reminds some fans of the Grateful Dead, in particular a “slow Jerry tune.” It’s not much to write home about musically, and fans often use its appearance at a show as an excuse for a bathroom break. Its most impressive facet is Tom Marshall’s lyrics, which concern in some way the tug-of-war between the conscious and the unconscious.

It began life in the acoustic sets of Trey’s 1999 solo tour. Trey initially called it “Bake and Boil” but soon changed it to “Mountains in the Mist,” making it one of two “Mist” songs debuted on that tour. The other, “Kissed by Mist,” a song dedicated to Julia Butterfly Hill, who lived in an old-growth Redwood tree for two years to protest logging, has to date not made it into a Phish set.

“Mountains in the Mist” was one of the first songs from that tour to make it into the Phish repertoire, debuting in the second set of 7/3/99 in Atlanta as a breather between “Moma Dance” and “Antelope.” Most subsequent versions were deployed similarly. For typical examples, see 7/10/99 (officially released on Live Phish 08), 9/16/99, 3/1/03 and 8/3/03. Its most notable placement came on 1/4/03 in Hampton, when it unexpectedly occupied the coveted slot between “Mike’s Song” and “Weekapaug Groove.” A unique version of the song was offered at Trey’s performance on 8/3/01 at Jones Beach, a duet with Trey on acoustic guitar and Mike on bass, opening the encore.

While it did not make the final cut of Farmhouse, it did show up as a bonus track on the Japanese edition of the album, with its title shortened to “Mist.” (On Live Phish 08, it is credited with the full title.) This version is, believe it or not, even slower than the concert versions, though the studio setting provides an intimacy that is well suited to the song.

Surprisingly, the studio version is missing the song’s final verse, which sums up the whole consciousness theme: “Woven in the fairy tales/We fabricate each day/Are bits of gold and strands of truth/That glimmer in the light/The colorful material/You hold a certain way/Can keep us from the cold/And help to get us through the night.”

Oddly, given the album placement and the mountainous terrain in Japan, the band did not play “Mountains in the Mist” on its June 2000 tour there. In fact, the song was not played at all in 2000, leading fans to wonder whether the band had dropped it from the rotation for good. But Phish revived it after the hiatus, breaking it out on 1/4/03 and playing it five more times that year. 

On 7/6/08 at Rothbury, the lyric "till I'm released awaken beasts, I'm on the road again" seemed quite appropriate as Trey had bantered about his arrest before launching into the song. Trey also played "Mountains in the Mist" at the 9/18/08 Newport Folk Festival.

It seemed that the time could have been right for this song to reemerge at the 6/9/09 Asheville show as the Blue Ridge Mountains correlate nicely with the lyrics, but alas it was not in the master plan. It was a delightful pleasure when Phish chose to perform this during the special acoustic set at Festival 8 on 11/1/09. The version was played well, and although the audience had been asked reluctantly to 'sit down' and enjoy the music, many fans arose to their feet to feel the flow of this beautiful tune once again.

Albums: Farmhouse, Live Phish 08

Lyrics:

(Anastasio/Marshall)
ｩ by Who Is She? Music, Inc (BMI)

several times unconsciously I致e stumbled on the path
and seen a mountain in the mist
rain falls on my shoulders, sun rises in the east
I知 worn and bruised but I am here at least

I guess I知 just an obstacle a thing to overcome
If I can sneak around myself again I値l know I致e won
The moment seems to hand and float before me with no end
奏il I知 released awaken beasts I知 on the road again

and now I知 soaring far too high
a fleck of dust up in the sky
where tiny clouds go sailing by
pull me down today