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A gentle ballad with an air of childlike wonderment reminiscent of Syd Barrett, “Bye Bye Foot” gave Fishman a turn at the microphone. This was relatively rare in 1997 for any song, much less an original as vocally ambitious as “Bye Bye Foot.” Perhaps too ambitious? After making its debut in Dublin on 6/14/97, “Bye Bye Foot” was played just three more times–once more in Europe and twice on the 1997 US summer tour–before being shelved, seemingly forever. 

Even on what is probably the best version that year on 7/22/97 (captured on the Walnut Creek DVD), with a beautifully flowing solo from Trey that includes a brief tease of Pink Floyd’s “Mother,” Fishman strains to reach the notes. Fish did however think enough of the lyrics to have them printed in the “Fish’s Forum” section of the summer 1997 Döniac Schvice. 

Watch Bye Bye Foot on YouTube Phish – ”Bye Bye Foot” – 7/22/97, Raleigh, NC. Video by notCorbinDallas. 

Most versions of “Bye Bye Foot” include a Trey solo following the first verse with his guitar line following the melody of the vocals at the outset. The lone exception to this was the tour’s final version on 8/10/97 when Mike takes the lead role in Trey’s place.

Long thought to be a song that was left to earlier times, on 11/29/19 after a 705 show absence, “Bye Bye Foot” returned seemingly out of the blue and to surprisingly little fanfare. The bustout renewed hope for some that the song would have a new life in the modern era, but to date there has only been one further performance of the song on 10/23/21.

Watch Bye Bye Foot on YouTube Phish - “Bye Bye Foot” - 11/29/19, Providence, RI. Video by LazyLightning55a

“Bye Bye Foot” was included on the April 2021 various artists compilation release Cluster Flies. A collection mostly reinterpreting the songs from Farmhouse, on one of three songs not recorded for the album, Reed Mathis (of Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey, Tea Leaf Green, Electric Beethoven, Billy and The Kids, and other projects) contributed a take on the elusive Fishman original. Compiled by Jambase in recognition of the 20th anniversary of the original album’s release, the collection of covers also provided “a way for the site to connect fans with the musicians they love” during the shutdown of live music due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Watch Bye Bye Foot on YouTube Phish's ”Bye Bye Foot” – by Reed Mathis from the Cluster Flies compilation album released April 30, 2021

(Fishman)
© Who Is She? Music (BMI)

Where I end
and you begin
I wanna find... that line
and cross it back and forth
until it's erased
by our foot steps
by our foot steps
by our foot steps