You Enjoy Myself

A delicious multi-part composition by Trey Anastasio and played for years and years by the rock/jazz group Phish. Even though the "song" is 15 years old it sounds as fresh as good sushi. As such, I can't describe it, you'll just have to experience it yourself. There's a great version on their first live album, A Live One.

The lyrics to YEM are:

Boy.
Man.
God.
Shit.
Wash Uffizi, drive me to Firenze.

Trey will then sing:
Boy, man. Wash Uffizi, drive me to Firenze, or variations thereon.

It is something of a joke in the Phish community that newbies always ask the question: "what are they saying in You Enjoy Myself?" The question is common enough that it is referred to by the acronym WATSIYEM. Matters are not helped, for new listeners, by the fact that the infamous line is sung in a high falsetto.

Bassist Mike Gordon took to answering this question in his own Mikey (i.e. Genius) way by supplying the following lyrics:

"Wasohbf woeh ejwro jeeef je ei Fndsbid"
"Water you team, in a bee hive, I'm a-sent you"
"Washer/dryer freezer/fencing"
"Wanton in a key, I live, and me for horse-rent"
"Won't you please-e-drive me to Valensi"
"Won't you please-e-curve me from Valensi"
"Washington fences, please, say me"
"You know, we don't really say anything. There can be no understanding. It's worthless"
"I don't even know the lyrics. I just mumble."
"Watch out, fin, see? Dry-mean-topher-rent, see"
"Much of a good cheese, try me a friend's cheese"
"Wash your poop and cram it up"
"Wachusett Fiji is sun-hives too floor antsy"
"WWI choochoo's first, fizzle second"
"Cobo cobocobocobocobocobocobo cobocobocobocobocobocobo cobocobocobocobocobocobo"

The song usually ends with a "vocal jam"; an improvisatory a cappella joyride.

You Enjoy Myself was the last song played at the last Phish show before their hiatus (10/7/00 @ Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountain View, CA to 12/31/02 @ Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY). Trey Anastasio had this to say about it:

...we ended this last show in San Francisco, and we were doing "You Enjoy Myself," which was always, we felt, the song. It ends with a vocal improvisation, and it was just so emotional. I felt such a huge wave just to think that for seventeen years we were focused on this thing. It was overwhelming. And we just went backstage and sat there for hours.