Thanksgiving
| Originally Performed By | Phish |
| Appears On |
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| Music/Lyrics | Anastasio/Fishman/Gordon/Mcconnell |
| Vocals | All (lead); All (backing) |
| Historian | Jay Boda (FinallyMeetAtLast) |
| Last Update | 2025-10-13 |
History
Ah, Thanksgiving. A time for family gatherings, traditional foods, and bloody remorse. Wait—er…is it possible this song title got confused somewhere? “Thanksgiving,” played live only once through December of 2025 at its Halloween 2021 Sci-Fi Soldier debut, doesn’t seem particularly concerned with giving thanks.
“It’s a shame about the blood,” we hear repeated more than any other words—but whose blood and why is it a shame?
The Sci-Fi Soldier comic book Phishbill doesn’t offer nearly as many clues about this song as it does about others on the album. It lacks even one clear mention of blood.
Could this be what the hungry welcoming committee squeezed from their knee-brains: “a pressed, fermented, mind-expanding liquid”?
If so, it seems more appropriate to give thanks for its ability to reveal Holy Blankenstein than to feel any regret over this brainy knee juice.
The official Get More Down by Sci-Fi Soldier album version doesn’t offer any more clues. In fact, it almost contracts our understanding with its lyrical paucity. At 49 seconds, it has Fishman repeating that key through-line and little else. At least the live version includes the full set of lyrics shared here on Phish.net.
Phish has been known to change lyrics over time through live experimentation (e.g. “Carini”), but with only two versions of “Thanksgiving”—one featuring 19 unique lines and the other just one—we have to wonder, what’s official?
There are a handful of lyrical groupings found in “Thanksgiving.” The first are repeats or tight references to existing Phish lyrics, like those recalling “Sleeping Monkey” and “Guyute.” Another group incorporates the larger Sci-Fi Soldier story line—the P.O.N.T.O.S. and tardigrade lines, for example. The last cluster are new ideas or, typical of Phish, seemingly random. One line, though, invites deeper reflection.
“You can choose what to do but not what to want.”
Our sphere of control is shockingly limited—yet wildly sufficient. We control our attitudes, choices, and actions. As Phish tells us here, in line with ancient Stoic thought, we can choose what we do. But our wants, well, those are harder to hold onto. While not fully within our grasp, they aren’t entirely beyond it either. Epictetus, the first-century-slave-turned-Stoic, argues that happiness and mental tranquility arise when we conform our will to reality—when we always wanted it that way and always hoped it would be that way. Can we choose our wants? Perhaps not initially. But with practice, we can align them more closely with reality. And that is something for which we ought to give thanks.
It seems possible that there could be some fluidity to the lyrics—an openness to what else might fit the rhythm, cadence, and mood of the song. Some lines that didn’t land could easily be swapped out if we ever get another live version. Even Trey seemed to shrug them off, yelling just before the four-minute mark—before they’re even finished—“Now is the time in Sci-Fi Soldier where we jam.”
Since those words aren’t part of the lyrics, we might wonder: did he forget the rest, or just decide to lean into it? The song feels primed to go full-on, but before it gets the chance, it’s wrapped up in just over five minutes. Will we ever get more? For some fans, hopefully not is the honest answer. Others would happily nick the jugular and let it flow. It’s a shame about the blood.
Last significant update: 9/28/25
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