Here's a quote I've heard from a reliable source:
Sample in a Jar is about a time Trey got really drunk at a bar. The
"Sample in a Jar" is Trey on the ride home from the bar as all his buddies
were taking car of him. The "binding belt enclosing me" is a seat belt.
"The glances and glares" probably refer to people being worried about him,
and to those who are angry at him. If anyone has ever taken care of an
extremely drunk friend it can be very annoying and frustrating. He speaks
of being "foggy, rather groggy," which probably describes being intoxicated.
All the other strange lines are about things he saw on the ride home,
staring out the window. "The marketplace unfolding with all their willies
and their ware" could mean the ride home took them through a main
strip/town square/strip mall/center of commerce. "Elihu," and "Leemor" and
other strange nonsense in the song refer to signs and stores he saw on the
ride home.
I think the most definitive lines are towards the end of the song:
"And I think of you unheeding
All the times I've raised my cup
It's now I know that you knew that
I'd soon end up end up."
Basically, this seems to say:
"I know you don't like drinking,
but I've been drunk a lot in my life.
I guess now I know you were right,
I did end up flat on my face."
The person to whom he is speaking could be someone who disapproves of
drinking, a friend, or Significant Other. Lastly, "The simple smiles and
good times seem all wrong," tells me that boozing can be a good time,
although sometimes drinking can make you miserable. Of course, if I am
wrong and this is a Marshall song, not an Anastasio song, then this whole
thing applies to Tom Marshall. However, I remember hearing that Trey
personally really liked the song, and that's why it why played so often in
'95, right after it was written.
First of all, you all claim to be Phish fans, and yet you don't give Tom Marshall credit for the lyrics.
First of all, you all claim to be Phish fans, and yet you don't give Tom Marshall credit for the lyrics.
Secondly, I'll take a stab at the meaning:
Secondly, I'll take a stab at the meaning:
It's about a guy who gets hammered and leaves a party angry (perhaps after watching his love interest flirt with other men) ((Dancing with Elihou. . .)). She helps him to the car, and he ends up crashed, trapped ((binding-(seat)belt enclosing me) upside-down ((end-up)), in his car, just thinking about how the night went wrong.
It's about a guy who gets hammered and leaves a party angry (perhaps after watching his love interest flirt with other men) ((Dancing with Elihou. . .)). She helps him to the car, and he ends up crashed, trapped ((binding-(seat)belt enclosing me) upside-down ((end-up)), in his car, just thinking about how the night went wrong.
And now he's still with this woman in a serious relationship, and he has to look...
e>And now he's still with this woman in a serious relationship, and he has to look at her and wonder how, if she loves him, she allowed this to happen to him so long ago.
Think of a frong suspended in formaldahyde, just stuck there without being able to move. . .waiting futilly for help. . .a Sample in a Jar.
This song hits home - and maybe someday I can tell how it does. RagTimeBlue's interpretation is about right - except I'm not with her anymore. But she sure did help me into that car - and I sure did end up end up. And I sure did wheel around feeling foggy as she went into a room with two guys. It's a sad sad story. I am a sample in a jar. Now I have panic attacks and the only thing that helps me through them is thinking about all the smiles and good times "we" had. Yuck...
This song hits home - and maybe someday I can tell how it does. RagTimeBlue's interpretation is about right - except I'm not with her anymore. But she sure did help me into that car - and I sure did end up end up. And I sure did wheel around feeling foggy as she went into a room with two guys. It's a sad sad story. I am a sample in a jar. Now I have panic attacks and the only thing that helps me through them is thinking about all the smiles and good times "we" had. Yuck
Thank you JarSample. There's nothing wrong with looking at the positive side OR the negative side. Some make for better songs, and some for a better night's sleep. Neither is more true than the other. In the end, memories exist only in our minds, and do not repeat in reality. I wish you improvement with the panic attacks. God bless you, and thank you again, Tom.
Thank you JarSample. There's nothing wrong with looking at the positive side OR the negative side. Some make for better songs, and some for a better night's sleep. Neither is more true than the other. In the end, memories exist only in our minds, and do not repeat in reality. I wish you improvement with the panic attacks. God bless you, and thank you again, Tom.
Here's a quote I've heard from a reliable source: Sample in a Jar is about a time Trey got really drunk at a bar. The "Sample in a Jar" is Trey on the ride home from the bar as all his buddies were taking car of him. The "binding belt enclosing me" is a seat belt. "The glances and glares" probably refer to people being worried about him, and to those who are angry at him. If anyone has ever taken care of an extremely drunk friend it can be very annoying and frustrating. He speaks of being "foggy, rather groggy," which probably describes being intoxicated. All the other strange lines are about things he saw on the ride home, staring out the window. "The marketplace unfolding with all their willies and their ware" could mean the ride home took them through a main strip/town square/strip mall/center of commerce. "Elihu," and "Leemor" and other strange nonsense in the song refer to signs and stores he saw on the ride home.
I think the most definitive lines are towards the end of the song: "And I think of you unheeding All the times I've raised my cup It's now I know that you knew that I'd soon end up end up."
Basically, this seems to say: "I know you don't like drinking, but I've been drunk a lot in my life. I guess now I know you were right, I did end up flat on my face."
The person to whom he is speaking could be someone who disapproves of drinking, a friend, or Significant Other. Lastly, "The simple smiles and good times seem all wrong," tells me that boozing can be a good time, although sometimes drinking can make you miserable. Of course, if I am wrong and this is a Marshall song, not an Anastasio song, then this whole thing applies to Tom Marshall. However, I remember hearing that Trey personally really liked the song, and that's why it why played so often in '95, right after it was written.
You know this is a cover of a little feat song, right?
You know this is a cover of a little feat song, right?
First of all, you all claim to be Phish fans, and yet you don't give Tom Marshall credit for the lyrics.
First of all, you all claim to be Phish fans, and yet you don't give Tom Marshall credit for the lyrics.
Secondly, I'll take a stab at the meaning:
Secondly, I'll take a stab at the meaning:
It's about a guy who gets hammered and leaves a party angry (perhaps after watching his love interest flirt with other men) ((Dancing with Elihou. . .)). She helps him to the car, and he ends up crashed, trapped ((binding-(seat)belt enclosing me) upside-down ((end-up)), in his car, just thinking about how the night went wrong.
It's about a guy who gets hammered and leaves a party angry (perhaps after watching his love interest flirt with other men) ((Dancing with Elihou. . .)). She helps him to the car, and he ends up crashed, trapped ((binding-(seat)belt enclosing me) upside-down ((end-up)), in his car, just thinking about how the night went wrong.
And now he's still with this woman in a serious relationship, and he has to look...
e>
And now he's still with this woman in a serious relationship, and he has to look at her and wonder how, if she loves him, she allowed this to happen to him so long ago.Think of a frong suspended in formaldahyde, just stuck there without being able to move. . .waiting futilly for help. . .a Sample in a Jar.
God Bless.
This song hits home - and maybe someday I can tell how it does. RagTimeBlue's interpretation is about right - except I'm not with her anymore. But she sure did help me into that car - and I sure did end up end up. And I sure did wheel around feeling foggy as she went into a room with two guys. It's a sad sad story. I am a sample in a jar. Now I have panic attacks and the only thing that helps me through them is thinking about all the smiles and good times "we" had. Yuck...
This song hits home - and maybe someday I can tell how it does. RagTimeBlue's interpretation is about right - except I'm not with her anymore. But she sure did help me into that car - and I sure did end up end up. And I sure did wheel around feeling foggy as she went into a room with two guys. It's a sad sad story. I am a sample in a jar. Now I have panic attacks and the only thing that helps me through them is thinking about all the smiles and good times "we" had. Yuck
Thank you JarSample. There's nothing wrong with looking at the positive side OR the negative side. Some make for better songs, and some for a better night's sleep. Neither is more true than the other. In the end, memories exist only in our minds, and do not repeat in reality. I wish you improvement with the panic attacks. God bless you, and thank you again, Tom.
Thank you JarSample. There's nothing wrong with looking at the positive side OR the negative side. Some make for better songs, and some for a better night's sleep. Neither is more true than the other. In the end, memories exist only in our minds, and do not repeat in reality. I wish you improvement with the panic attacks. God bless you, and thank you again, Tom.