Leaves

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Originally Performed By	Phish
Appears On
Music	Trey Anastasio
Lyrics By	Tom Marshall
Phish Debut	2017-07-14
Last Played	2025-09-16
Current Gap	4
Historian	serpent_deflector
Last Update	2025-10-04

History

When things get a bit heavy at a Phish show, sometimes you need a lullaby. “Leaves” sounds like a song made for a musical with its dynamics, polyphonic textures and call-and-response verses. Its melodies are unique in the band’s catalog. Grand and theatrical, yet soothing. Lyrically, like many Phish tunes, it’s open for interpretation. It contains subtle messages about the environment, politics and perhaps mental health. The variety in themes is, in part, due to the lyrics being lifted from two separate Tom Marshall poems.

“Leaves” was written and arranged by Tom and Trey in March 2017. Phish debuted it a few months later in the Summer tour opener in Chicago, IL on 7/14/17, one of four debuts made that night. It made two more appearances that tour:  “Maple” night at MSG and the tour closer at Dick’s. Then, the song vanished from rotation.

It was seemingly forgotten about until April 2020, when the band’s 15th studio album, Sigma Oasis, was released. This version features a string arrangement by Don Hart, starting in the second verse. The inclusion of “Leaves” on the album provided hope to fans of the song that it would soon return to the stage. Those hopes were paid off at the Gorge Amphitheater on 8/27/21, when it was busted out after a 103 show gap. Since then, “Leaves” has been played at least twice a year, as of 2025.

There is potential for versatility in the live setting for “Leaves”. It has appeared abundantly in both first and second sets. While it has some characteristics of a “cooldown” song, you would be wise not to label it as simply that. On occasion, it has shown the ability to stretch its exploratory legs. The most exemplary instance of this was at Jones Beach on 7/26/22, a ferocious 16-minute psychedelic excursion. 

So, whether we’re at a show or not, “Leaves” reminds us – especially when we’re feeling a bit anxious – to show some appreciation for the trees and breathe.

Last significant update: 10/4/2025

 

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