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The Way It Goes

The Way It Goes has not been seen in 447 Phish shows.
It was last played: 2011-09-04.
It was played at 0.05% of live shows.
It has been performed live 1 time(s).

Music/Lyrics: Gillian Welch, David Rawlings

Original Artist: Gillian Welch

Original Album: The Harrow & The Harvest (2011)

Vocals: Mike (lead), Page, Trey (backing)

Debut: 2011-09-04

Historian: Dan Mielcarz (ColForbin)

In the afternoon of 9/4/11 prior to the show, the soundcheck started to circulate through social media.  These 33 minutes of music contained some great jamming on “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover” as well as several attempts at playing “The Way it Goes” by Gillian Welch. A dark country-blues meditation on growing old and watching one’s friends die, move away, go to jail or worse - have children, “The Way it Goes” is one of the strongest tracks on Welch’s fifth album, The Harrow & The Harvest



Watch The Way It Goes on YouTube Gillian Welch, "The Way it Goes"



Fans wondered if the soundcheck attempts meant that Phish would play the tune at that night’s show at Dick’s, and indeed they did. Phish’s performance of “The Way it Goes” clocked in at about five minutes and was relatively faithful to the album version, with the most notable difference being the change in instrumentation from the two acoustic guitars in the Welch and Rawlings original. Of note is the care with which Trey and Mike begin the song, ensuring that the tempo was perfect (see the video below). The 9/4/11 version remains the only time Phish has played the song.



Watch The Way It Goes on YouTube “The Way it Goes” 9/4/11 Commerce City, CO



While “The Way it Goes” may have been destined to be a one-time cover by Phish, Mike was not ready to let go of the tune. It resurfaced during Mike’s fall tour on 11/13/11 in Lebanon, NH with a more jammed out and uptempo version. Scott Murawski is clearly more at home in the country-blues milieu than Trey and his playing adds a ton to the performance (not to mention he probably had the advantage of not learning the song four hours before attempting it on stage). A month later at The Egg in Albany on 12/11/11 Mike’s band took “The Way it Goes” to amazing new places. In a 12 minute version of the tune, Mike and his band take a long journey to the very edge of a Type II jam and back to the coda. If you like this tune, and you like Mike (who doesn’t, really?), this is an absolute must hear. This show is generally considered one of Mike’s best, and is available from LivePhish.com for free, so what are you waiting for? Grab a copy!



Watch The Way It Goes on YouTube Mike Gordon, “The Way it Goes” 12/11/11 Albany, NY


Albums: The Egg

Lyrics:

(Welch, Rawlings)
��3rd Revision (BMI)

Becky Johnson bought the farm
Put a needle in her arm
That's the way that it goes
That's the way

And her brother laid her down
In the cold Kentucky ground
That's the way that it goes
That's the way

[Chorus]
That's the way that it goes
Everybody's buying little baby clothes
That's the way that it ends
Though there was a time when she and I were friends

Well, Miranda ran away
Took her cat and left LA
That's the way that it goes
That's the way

She was busted, broke and flat
Had to sell that pussy cat
That's the way that it goes
That's the way

[Chorus]

See the brightest ones of all
Early in October fall
That's the way that it goes
That's the way

While the dark ones go to bed
With good whiskey in their head
That's the way that it goes
That's the way

[Chorus]

Now Billy Joe's back in the tank
You tell Musso, I'll tell Frank
That's the way that it goes
That's the way

Did he throw her down a well?
Did she leave him for that swell?
That's the way that it goes
That's the way

[Chorus]

When you lay me down to rest
Leave a pistol in my vest
That's the way that it goes
That's the way

Do you miss my gentle touch?
Did I hurt you very much?
That's the way that it goes
That's the way

[Chorus]

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