Walls of the Cave

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Walls of the Cave is a Phish song written by Trey Anastasio and Tom Marshall, released on the 2002 album, Round Room.

Phish American rock band

Phish is an American rock band that was founded at the University of Vermont in Burlington, Vermont in 1983. The band is known for musical improvisation, extended jams, blending of genres, and a dedicated fan base. The band consists of guitarist Trey Anastasio, bassist Mike Gordon, drummer Jon Fishman, and keyboardist Page McConnell, all of whom perform vocals, with Anastasio being the primary lead vocalist. The band was formed by Anastasio, Gordon, Fishman and guitarist Jeff Holdsworth, who were joined by McConnell in 1985. Holdsworth departed the band in 1986, and the quartet lineup has remained in place since then.

Trey Anastasio American guitarist, composer, and vocalist

Ernest Joseph "Trey" Anastasio III is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and composer best known as the lead vocalist and guitarist for the rock band Phish, which he co-founded in 1983. He is credited by name as composer of 152 Phish original songs, 141 of them as a solo credit, in addition to 41 credits attributed to the band as a whole.

Tom Marshall (singer) singer-songwriter

Tom Marshall is an American lyricist, keyboardist and singer-songwriter best known for his association with Trey Anastasio and the rock band Phish. He has been the primary external lyricist for Phish during their career, with songwriting credits for more than 95 originals. In addition to his songwriting work, Marshall also fronts the rock band Amfibian and hosts the Phish podcast Under the Scales. Marshall is the co-founder of Osiris, a podcast network co-operated by Relix.

"Walls of the Cave" made its public debut on AOL, as the Round Room track was available as a streaming file for subscribers. It made its concert debut in the first show back from hiatus, closing the show. Since then, it has made many appearances, mostly as a set closer, though it did open the first day of the 2004 Phish festival, Coventry.

AOL software company

AOL is an American web portal and online service provider based in New York City. It is a brand marketed by Verizon Media.

"Walls of the Cave" has been known amongst fans to possibly have multiple meanings, the most obvious being Platos timeless philosophical Allegory of the Cave. In an interview Phish songwriter, Tom Marshall said that Walls of the Cave was written as a message, as if he were singing to his son after his death.[ citation needed ] He also conceded the possibility of a sub-conscious meaning of the song related to the September 11th attacks which occurred shortly before the creation of the song.[citation needed] The initials form WoTC, equal to the World Trade Center. As well, the lyrics could be construed to relate to the event: "I know you heard the question but you didn't make a sound. And when it fell you caught my heart before it hit the ground."

Allegory of the Cave allegory

The Allegory of the Cave, or Plato's Cave, was presented by the Greek philosopher Plato in his work Republic (514a–520a) to compare "the effect of education (παιδεία) and the lack of it on our nature". It is written as a dialogue between Plato's brother Glaucon and his mentor Socrates, narrated by the latter. The allegory is presented after the analogy of the sun (508b–509c) and the analogy of the divided line (509d–511e). All three are characterized in relation to dialectic at the end of Books VII and VIII (531d–534e).

Song Length on Album: 09:59

Times played live

Date = Date Played, Venue = Venue song performed, City = City performed in, Set = Set the song was performed in, POS = Position in set the song was played

DateVenueCitySetPOS
12/31/02 Madison Square Garden New York City38/8
2/14/03 Great Western Forum Inglewood, California 22/8
2/18/03 Pepsi Center Denver 110/10
2/22/03 U.S. Bank Arena Cincinnati 110/10
2/25/03 First Union Spectrum Philadelphia 18/8
2/28/03 Nassau Coliseum Uniondale, New York 18/8
7/7/03 Cricket Wireless Pavilion Phoenix, Arizona 27/8
7/15/03 USANA Amphitheatre West Valley City, Utah 210/12
7/22/03 Verizon Wireless Music Center Noblesville, Indiana 25/5
7/30/03 Tweeter Center Camden, New Jersey 24/4
11/28/03 Nassau Coliseum Uniondale, New York 24/9
6/19/04 Saratoga Performing Arts Center Saratoga Springs, New York 16/7
6/24/04 Verizon Wireless Music Center Noblesville, Indiana 27/7
8/9/04 Hampton Coliseum Hampton, Virginia 14/5
8/14/04 Newport State Airport Coventry, Vermont 11/9
8/13/10 Verizon Wireless Music Center Noblesville, Indiana 16/13
10/26/10 Verizon Wireless Arena Manchester, New Hampshire 114/14
1/1/11 Madison Square Garden New York City111/11
6/19/11 nTelos Pavilion Portsmouth, Virginia 12/9
8/9/11 Harveys Outdoor Arena Stateline, Nevada 28/8
8/16/11 UIC Pavilion Chicago 15/13
9/4/11 Dick's Sporting Goods Park Commerce City, Colorado 210/10
6/17/12 Bader Field Atlantic City, New Jersey 110/11
7/7/13 Saratoga Performing Arts Center Saratoga Springs, New York 19/9
7/27/13 The Gorge Amphitheatre George, Washington 26/8
8/23/18 Verizon Amphitheatre Alpharetta, Georgia 110/10