Music/Lyrics: Anastasio/Marshall/Herman
Albums: Hampton Comes Alive, Live in Brooklyn, At the Roxy, Live Phish 16, Sharin' in the Groove
Debut: 1992-11-19
Historian: Craig DeLucia; Mockingbird Staff
Ever wonder how many obscure terms for body parts made it into Phish songs? “Chalk Dust” has a slew, and “Heavy Things” has a few, but “Axilla” and its successor, “Axilla (Part II)” are the only songs named for one (with apologies, of course, to “My Left Toe,” which is not at all obscure). The axilla is the armpit, or, more specifically, the cavity between the forelimb and the body. Given the warrior-esque mythology of the lyrics, some speculated that the song was a piece of the Gamehendge saga. Page made reference to the connection in The Phish Book, noting that “Axilla” was the last Gamehendge song written. There’s a definite but obscure lyrical connection – “axiluh” is the ancient Aztec word for “the lizard.” But now we’re digging really deep, aren’t we?
So, what does the song have to do with the armpit? No one is quite sure. The lyrics tell the story of a battle with a witch; one singular line refers to a particularly stinky axilla that makes the narrator lose his/her appetite. The word is cool enough that it gets shouted over and over at the end of the song. Musically, it and its brother were the hardest, heaviest originals to see the light of day in the ten years between “Big Black Furry Creature from Mars” in 1987 and “Saw It Again” in 1997.
After its debut in 1992, “Axilla” was played regularly through the remainder of that year and into 1993. Given its heavy tones, it was often used as a set-opener to get the crowd moving. The appearance of the sequel, “Axilla (Part II),” doomed the original to the shelf, except for a lone appearance on 10/16/94. The sequel went in the can after 12/31/95, though, and the original entered re-runs. The band tagged the ending of “Part II” onto the original and often performs “Axilla” in this manner. It ceased to be a set-opener and, like “Part II” in its day, is likely to be heard just about anywhere in a set.
Most versions are fairly similar – straight ahead and rocking, balls to the wall. One notable exception is 11/16/96, where the lighting crew received a strange tribute from the band. During that same show, “Axilla” was teased during “Suzy Greenberg.”
"Axilla" 12/3/09 New York, NY
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I also think along with WkapgGruvr, that the lyrics here are referring to someone (perhaps The Sloth) roaming Gamehendge and a fight that ensues, not with a witch but rather with a pack of sheep (or mouflon as they are referred to in the first verse).
Another notable exception is the version from 12/28/97 where they shine that thing in your face HARD man. Trey kicks some loops in around 3:45, Page holds down the organ chord while Trey sludges it up for about a minute, at 5:15, Trey begins picking out some quite twisted variations on the Axilla Pt II theme, Page providing counterpoint with some alternately foreboding and acid-eyed piano runs. At 6:35 Trey gets a little more feisty with his riff and the band fully commits to jamming out this Axilla a little bit. Fish kicks in and Mike breaks free from his usual bassline as they go through a few runs of this altered Axilla. Trey loops some low-end riffs at 7:25 and Fishman seems to briefly consider a beat akin to many Millennial Pipers, Diseases and Rock & Rolls, Page throws out a few more awesome chords and Trey lets loose a few wails on the guitar before switching to some choppy but gauzy chords and ultimately pitch-shifting up and unleashing some trippy kaleidoscopic riffs at around 8:45. They meander for another minute or so before they kick into Simple.
Performances
Song History
Lyrics