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Phish — Chalkdust Torture
Album: A Picture of Nectar
Avg rating:
6.7

Your rating:
Total ratings: 2164









Released: 1992
Length: 4:32
Plays (last 30 days): 3
Come stumble my mirth beaten worker
I'm Jezmund the family berzerker
I'm bought for the price of a flagon of rice
The wind buffs the cabin
You speak of your life
Or more willingly Locust the Lurker

Confuse what you can of the ending
And revise your despise so impending
'Cause I soak on the wrath
That you didn't quite mask
I'm getting it clearly through alternate paths
Or mixed in with the signal you're sending

But who can unlearn all the facts that I've learned
As I sat in their chairs and my synapses burned
And the torture of chalk dust collects on my tongue
Thoughts follow my vision and dance in the sun
All my vasoconstrictors they come slowly undone
Can't this wait till im Old?
Can't I live while I'm young?

But no peace for Jezmund tonight
I plug the distress tube up tight
And watch what I say as it flutters away
And all this emotion is kept harmless at bay
Not to educate somebody's fright
Comments (184)add comment
 jimabegglen589 wrote:

Between Phish and The Dead I'm not sure which band I don't understand the appeal the most. Obviously something is there, but way over my head I guess.






I'm bought for the price of a flagon of rice
Produced by Dan Archer. A pretty awesome guitarist in his own right.
Between Phish and The Dead I'm not sure which band I don't understand the appeal the most. Obviously something is there, but way over my head I guess.
 Spalted wrote:

Is he chaneling Zappa?



My first thought!
GREAT TUNE!  Thanx RP!  
 timmus wrote:
There's an August 2003 live version of this song performed at the old Loring AFB in Maine that was used for that famous Shreds video.  Here's the shred:
 
 



Thank You for the info.
There's an August 2003 live version of this song performed at the old Loring AFB in Maine that was used for that famous Shreds video.  Here's the shred:
 
 
 porcupinemeat wrote:


Tweezer Reprise!  I second the motion.



And Split Open and Melt!
Best Trey Phish GIFs | Gfycat
Great guitar solo here. 
OoooOOOOO YES! PHISH! 
 eileenomurphy wrote:

Phish is hit or miss for me. This is a HIT!!



reminds me of something I'd have heard in late 80's New Orleans. Ergo, Good Stuff.
love this guitar sound  
 lizardking wrote:

Thanks for the reminder that Phish is/was worthy of playing till the 1s and 0s are worn out...and nice moniker there, ShortSharpShock

Long Live RP!!





To sit in solemn silence in a dull, dark dock,
In a pestilential prison, with a life-long lock,
Awaiting the sensation of a short, sharp shock,
From a cheap and chippy chopper on a big black block!
To sit in solemn silence in a dull, dark dock,
In a pestilential prison, with a life-long lock,
Awaiting the sensation of a short, sharp shock,
From a cheap and chippy chopper on a big black block!
A dull, dark dock, a life-long lock,
A short, sharp shock, a big black block!
To sit in solemn silence in a pestilential prison,
And awaiting the sensation
From a cheap and chippy chopper on a big black block!
Phish is hit or miss for me. This is a HIT!!
 MilesW wrote:

smokin' Phish!  Trey could always rip a guitar solo!



and some whaling piano from Page!
This....    just....    Rocks....
This is awesome. Live is more better!!


Photos/Video from MSG NYE Run: phish
smokin' Phish!  Trey could always rip a guitar solo!
Like it!
Is he chaneling Zappa?
 ShortSharpShock wrote:

Yes, I think lizardking has nailed it - at least that's what I always though it was about (confessing that I never looked up the lyrics, but got enough snippets to figure it out). And once you realize that it's about school, or being stuck in school when everything you'd rather be doing is going on somewhere beyond the classroom window, then Chalkdust Torture makes perfect sense. The lyrics are even more abstract than I anticipated, but how can you go wrong with names like Jezmund the family berzerker and Locust the Lurker?

Got this CD as a pre-release promo when I was working in a CD shop (what we used to call a record store) before I had even heard of Phish. Funny, nobody else in the store wanted it. But I jammed this album 'til I wore down the 1's and 0's, and several decades and many Phish concerts later, it still sounds as fresh today as it did then. What a prodigious talent that band was. It will be a long time before someone of that caliber comes along again. Sigh....

BTW - Tweezer Reprise also kicks ass and deserves some air time.
 

Tweezer Reprise!  I second the motion.
Break on through... (the othe other side).
Break on through... (the othe other side).
Break on through... (the othe other side).
Break on through... (the othe other side).
     

Just a little bit...
 jelgator wrote:
Noodling guitar but no gonads behind it.  It's fun I guess, especially because the hippy chicks used to get all worked up over it.
 
I still have a t-shirt from a benefit concert at Goddard College, sometime in the late 80s.  Lots of hippie chicks there that night!
I remember this song...Why? Cause I was there first time played live!  Yes i am showing my age!
 hughtwg wrote:
Thought this was Zappa when it first came on.

 
Mind reader
Noodling guitar but no gonads behind it.  It's fun I guess, especially because the hippy chicks used to get all worked up over it.
 cely wrote:
What a great song.  Hardly sounds like a jam band, though a great platform for one.  The year this came out I became a Phish Phan.  Still am.
 
How this could not sound like a jam band is beyond me.  But I am a fan. Best Vermont export since maple syrup.  
Trey´s guitar sound is amazing!  
 hbm wrote:
Almost, almost, sounds like Zappa.
 
Yes.
What a great song.  Hardly sounds like a jam band, though a great platform for one.  The year this came out I became a Phish Phan.  Still am.
Wow- haven't heard this in YEARS. I appreciate it so much more now. It's a great, rocking jam. I forgot they weren't only noodlers.
Those guitars - wow.   Those solos were amazing.  Great music.
 ShortSharpShock wrote:

Yes, I think lizardking has nailed it - at least that's what I always though it was about (confessing that I never looked up the lyrics, but got enough snippets to figure it out). And once you realize that it's about school, or being stuck in school when everything you'd rather be doing is going on somewhere beyond the classroom window, then Chalkdust Torture makes perfect sense. The lyrics are even more abstract than I anticipated, but how can you go wrong with names like Jezmund the family berzerker and Locust the Lurker?

Got this CD as a pre-release promo when I was working in a CD shop (what we used to call a record store) before I had even heard of Phish. Funny, nobody else in the store wanted it. But I jammed this album 'til I wore down the 1's and 0's, and several decades and many Phish concerts later, it still sounds as fresh today as it did then. What a prodigious talent that band was. It will be a long time before someone of that caliber comes along again. Sigh....

BTW - Tweezer Reprise also kicks ass and deserves some air time.
 
Thanks for the reminder that Phish is/was worthy of playing till the 1s and 0s are worn out...and nice moniker there, ShortSharpShock

Long Live RP!!
 VermontBread wrote:
Oh, how I miss Nectar's gravy fries...
I spent the 80's in Burlington. That was a rockin' town in those days! Big Joe,Big Dollar,Hunts, The Chicken Bone,James Harvey and the H mob and Phish.

 hbm wrote:
Almost, almost, sounds like Zappa.
 
Sounds like Zappa and the Dead fighting.
This song is good for the vasoconstrictors. We be jammin and dancin on this happy hump day!! 
Almost, almost, sounds like Zappa.
 ShortSharpShock wrote:

Yes, I think lizardking has nailed it - at least that's what I always though it was about (confessing that I never looked up the lyrics, but got enough snippets to figure it out). And once you realize that it's about school, or being stuck in school when everything you'd rather be doing is going on somewhere beyond the classroom window, then Chalkdust Torture makes perfect sense. The lyrics are even more abstract than I anticipated, but how can you go wrong with names like Jezmund the family berzerker and Locust the Lurker?

Got this CD as a pre-release promo when I was working in a CD shop (what we used to call a record store) before I had even heard of Phish. Funny, nobody else in the store wanted it. But I jammed this album 'til I wore down the 1's and 0's, and several decades and many Phish concerts later, it still sounds as fresh today as it did then. What a prodigious talent that band was. It will be a long time before someone of that caliber comes along again. Sigh....

BTW - Tweezer Reprise also kicks ass and deserves some air time.
 

Glad somebody interpreted, to me it was jibbrish looking for a new meaning.
Thought this was Zappa when it first came on.

 lizardking wrote:
@BillG - appears this song is about suffering in school knowing that adulthood ain't no better....from Phish.net

The lyrics speak of teen angst and rebellion, as the narrator seeks to forego the mind-numbing trappings of adulthood while he still has a few spry years left.

Knowing that now makes me want to bump my 7 to an 8....so that's what I did!  Long Live RP!!

 
Yes, I think lizardking has nailed it - at least that's what I always though it was about (confessing that I never looked up the lyrics, but got enough snippets to figure it out). And once you realize that it's about school, or being stuck in school when everything you'd rather be doing is going on somewhere beyond the classroom window, then Chalkdust Torture makes perfect sense. The lyrics are even more abstract than I anticipated, but how can you go wrong with names like Jezmund the family berzerker and Locust the Lurker?

Got this CD as a pre-release promo when I was working in a CD shop (what we used to call a record store) before I had even heard of Phish. Funny, nobody else in the store wanted it. But I jammed this album 'til I wore down the 1's and 0's, and several decades and many Phish concerts later, it still sounds as fresh today as it did then. What a prodigious talent that band was. It will be a long time before someone of that caliber comes along again. Sigh....

BTW - Tweezer Reprise also kicks ass and deserves some air time.
@BillG - appears this song is about suffering in school knowing that adulthood ain't no better....from Phish.net

The lyrics speak of teen angst and rebellion, as the narrator seeks to forego the mind-numbing trappings of adulthood while he still has a few spry years left.

Knowing that now makes me want to bump my 7 to an 8....so that's what I did!  Long Live RP!!
Oh, how I miss Nectar's gravy fries...
Anything from A Picture of Nectar!
This song is good for the vasorestrictors. We be dancing!!!
I think "torture" is the operative word here.
This was my 1st Phish Album after hearing this tune on a local Jukebox... of all places. It is excellent throughout. Gonna dig out the CD ...!!
Phish is a truly amazing band.  It is an acquired taste for sure but all exceptional musicians and if you are into them then live shows are some of highest yielding good times to be had in life. 
Still don't know much about the band, but this cut was cool.
omg I like Phish?!!
This is a true rocker. Cooooool. There's hope for these guys. Ha!
"He's Greek ya know!"  Nectar Rorris
Thought it was a hidden Frank Zappa attempt at commercialization.  Why don't we hear some Zappa?
The band's name, The album title ('A picture of nectar') and album 'art', the song title, and the song itself.
Not quite 'torture', but very painful. 
2. 

{#Motor} zesty!
I originally gave this a knee-jerk-reaction 1. Today it's a 6.
  Lazarus wrote:
Love this song soooo much...  it makes me want to spank the monkey...
  
dwhayslett wrote:
I was afraid it would make you want to spank your nipples.

DaidyBoy wrote:
I am afraid it's much worse than that....
 
This song is so dang good it makes everybody in my hotel room want to spank the monkey...  hope life is grand for you these days, dwhayslett and DaidyBoy...  time flies when we're having fun...  love Radio Paradise...
Hook? Check.
Groove? Check.
Interesting lyric? Check.

Quite likeable IMO.
A couple points reduction for the ending.....
ok for stoner rock different but so was pink floyd
{#Bananajam}
Like Zappa spent a fast forward night with the Dead. 
 ddog wrote:
Sounds like 4 guys all playing solos at the same time.

 
So does nearly every Led Zeppelin song, but most of us don't have a problem with that.
 ddog wrote:
Having the word Torture in the song name is perfect! Sounds like 4 guys all playing solos at the same time.

 
What he said!
Yes, some good jam bands
Check out some Dan Archer for more of Burlington's finest.
Having the word Torture in the song name is perfect! Sounds like 4 guys all playing solos at the same time.
Nectar's fries and gravy... yum!
 pinem wrote:
 Dead wannabes with a cult following; just couldn't get into it (Dead or Fish)-2

 
bummer!
 Dead wannabes with a cult following; just couldn't get into it (Dead or Fish)-2
 Lazarus wrote:
Love this song soooo much...  it makes me want to spank the monkey...

  
dwhayslett wrote:

I was afraid it would make you want to spank your nipples.

 
I am afraid it's much worse than that....
 Lazarus wrote:
Love this song soooo much...  it makes me want to spank the monkey...

 
I was afraid it would make you want to spank your nipples.
{#Bananajam}{#Bananajumprope}{#Drummer}{#Dancingbanana_2}{#Bananajam}{#Bananasplit}.....Work out music !!!!
 
 Lazarus wrote:
Love this song soooo much...  it makes me want to spank the monkey...

 
Lol, how about 'shock the monkey?'
Phish is the incarnation of The Dead. Well, someone's guitar (Attanasio, I suppose) grooves it better than a lot of Jerry's plucking. 
good name for the song because that's what it is listening to it - pure torture!
Love this song soooo much...  it makes me want to spank the monkey...
{#Bananajam}
easily Phish's best "non-live" recording.

great album! 
WOW!
Like all music, it's a personal taste issue, but I sure love Phish!  {#Dancingbanana}  WooHoo! {#Bananasplit}
PLEASE! Don't judge Phish by this song. If you REALLY want to enjoy Phish, listen to their live albums. SO much better than this. Trey knows how to control the energy of the crowd, and it is amazing. 
 zenhead wrote:
I'm not generally a Phish phan, but this is pretty good. Tapping my toes.

 
AGREED
Torture indeed.
I'm not generally a Phish phan, but this is pretty good. Tapping my toes.
They're playing tonight (as we speak) at Merriweather Post Pavilion, as well as tomorrow.  I have tix for tomorrow, so will get my noodle dance on now!

love this song... love this album...

A Picture of Nectar

Phish's second major-label release, A Picture of Nectar is in many ways their best and most accomplished album. Expanding on the musical explorations that dominated Lawn Boy, Nectar incorporates a remarkable mixture of styles, from country, jazz, and calypso to straight-up rock & roll. Lyrically, the band's trademark goofiness is intact, but the playing is more muscular and Trey Anastasio's arrangements have increased intensity and focus... The album also boasts the classic "Chalk Dust Torture" and most of Phish's finest moments, which are hard to resist for even the most apprehensive listeners.


 df1489 wrote:
The album art...Is that Carlos Santana?...hmmm

 
It's the owner of the club Nectar's - hence, "Picture of Nectar"
Rock'N'Roll perfection !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!{#Dancingbanana_2}

Everybody in my church loves this song!!!!
 
Think what you will of Phish, this track still smokes.
Great song, but not nearly as good as live versions.
This song has one of the worst guitar solos iv'e heard in a while...
 lily34 wrote:
torture
 
I'm with you!
torture
Saw a bumper sticker years ago that was pointed to all those deadheads:
"Jerry's dead. Phish sucks. Get a life." 
 mcYammer wrote:
Did Trey smoke up some More100s before recording this one? Sounds way too grizzled and lower-toned

btw, Misterfixit: I feel your pain with the pissants in the hall, trying to ruin somebody's day to make their own full...and messing with kids and their education at the same time? Those kids needed to know you were human, and she wasn't helping by fulfilling the stereotype. I'm in Alt ed now and ANYTHING to keep the kids questioning and THERE is GOOD. Thank you for your service!
 
They slowed down the tape after recording a much faster version (ala A Live One), which resulted in a the vocals lowered a step or two
I get the distinct feeling that these guys think they're all that. They are good, but not that good.

Meh. The only Phish I like are of the Swedish variety.


 modemhead wrote:
This gets an 8 just for having the word "vaso-constrictors" in the lyrics.
 
I hate when my vaso-constrictors come slowly undone.
 Misterfixit wrote:
Love this track.

My disillusionment with secondary education occurred on the first hour of the first day of the first year I taught high school.  When the new students entered our classroom, I had this track playing on the multimedia system.

The principal ... a singularly unpleasant little piss-ant of a wizened child-hater was quickly alerted to this major infraction by one of her spies in the hallway.  The old bitch was not pleased.

See, I had been given classes of "difficult kids".  They pretty much all came out OK at the end of the year, by the way ... some of them struggled, and earned an "A" for the first time in their entire school lives.

The old bitch?  still there.

Me?  I quit after 3 years.

Cowardly.

Anyway, nice memories and I still get emails and cards from the kids years later.  Made it all worth while..

  Had a high school teacher pal and we would spend a lot of time fishing during his off time in the summer. When late August rolled around, I would crank volume on this song as he would be whining about having to return to school soon. He still flinches when he sees a yellow bus.


Well, you rated it a 6 and the average is 6.9.   {#Tongue-out}

Tippster wrote:
Most over-rated band ever?




Did Trey smoke up some More100s before recording this one? Sounds way too grizzled and lower-toned

btw, Misterfixit: I feel your pain with the pissants in the hall, trying to ruin somebody's day to make their own full...and messing with kids and their education at the same time? Those kids needed to know you were human, and she wasn't helping by fulfilling the stereotype. I'm in Alt ed now and ANYTHING to keep the kids questioning and THERE is GOOD. Thank you for your service!
 Misterfixit wrote:
Love this track.

My disillusionment with secondary education occurred on the first hour of the first day of the first year I taught high school.  When the new students entered our classroom, I had this track playing on the multimedia system.

The principal ... a singularly unpleasant little piss-ant of a wizened child-hater was quickly alerted to this major infraction by one of her spies in the hallway.  The old bitch was not pleased.

See, I had been given classes of "difficult kids".  They pretty much all came out OK at the end of the year, by the way ... some of them struggled, and earned an "A" for the first time in their entire school lives.

The old bitch?  still there.

Me?  I quit after 3 years.

Cowardly.

Anyway, nice memories and I still get emails and cards from the kids years later.  Made it all worth while..

 
A shame. You were the sort of way cool teacher that me and my mates appreciated when we were in secondary school, who made learning fun. The sort of teacher that's rarer than gold dust and ten times as precious. I can only think of 4 teachers in my whole five years incarceration in that day prison whom I respected and looked forward to learning from. The rest were just time-serving prison officers.

Brush with greatness....
Nector once made me gravy fries!   MMMMMMmmmmm....gravy fries!
 Misterfixit wrote:
Love this track.

My disillusionment with secondary education occurred on the first hour of the first day of the first year I taught high school.  When the new students entered our classroom, I had this track playing on the multimedia system.

The principal ... a singularly unpleasant little piss-ant of a wizened child-hater was quickly alerted to this major infraction by one of her spies in the hallway.  The old bitch was not pleased.

See, I had been given classes of "difficult kids".  They pretty much all came out OK at the end of the year, by the way ... some of them struggled, and earned an "A" for the first time in their entire school lives.

The old bitch?  still there.

Me?  I quit after 3 years.

Cowardly.

Anyway, nice memories and I still get emails and cards from the kids years later.  Made it all worth while..
 
Bummer.  It's always a struggle working under someone like that— I've been in a similar place before... But it sounds like you might have been a breath of fresh air for those kids, tho... 
A guilty pleasure, but a pleasure nonetheless...
 stalfnzo wrote:
Not nearly as good as live versions
 

Indeed!
Phish is like a fond taste for a certain cookie; made of everything you can get your hands on that tastes good yet only one or two ingredients were necessary to make it really good, and so it's a little much.  They taste, not bad, but still average (7).

Not nearly as good as live versions
This gets an 8 just for having the word "vaso-constrictors" in the lyrics.

 Stefen wrote:

Ditto.

 

Ditto on the "I thought that was Frank Zappa"!  Loved it!!
Phish would be so much better if Trey never opened his mouth.
Saw these guys in a Syracuse bar in 1988.  I don't love their music but that was a top 5 show for me.  These guys are excellent musicans.
 Tippster wrote:
Most over-rated band ever? 

 

Most ridiculous comment ever



Most over-rated band ever? 

more, more, more - bring on the LIVE stuff!
 Coppertop wrote:
Very Nice.

and I thought it was Frank Zappa
 
Ditto.

The album art...Is that Carlos Santana?...hmmm
Love this track.

My disillusionment with secondary education occurred on the first hour of the first day of the first year I taught high school.  When the new students entered our classroom, I had this track playing on the multimedia system.

The principal ... a singularly unpleasant little piss-ant of a wizened child-hater was quickly alerted to this major infraction by one of her spies in the hallway.  The old bitch was not pleased.

See, I had been given classes of "difficult kids".  They pretty much all came out OK at the end of the year, by the way ... some of them struggled, and earned an "A" for the first time in their entire school lives.

The old bitch?  still there.

Me?  I quit after 3 years.

Cowardly.

Anyway, nice memories and I still get emails and cards from the kids years later.  Made it all worth while..