You may have heard Tom Marshall’s words even if you’ve never heard him speak. For the last four decades Tom has been the chief lyricist for the band Phish, which is one of the most successful touring bands in the world. Tom, however, does not tour with the band, and his position as the mysterious wordsmith for the band has spawned several online myths about Tom’s origins and his life accomplishments outside of Phish.

In this episode, we talk with Phish lyricist Tom Marshall to learn about the history of Phish, his friendship with Trey Anastasio, and the life experiences that inspired the lyrics for some of the band’s most well-known songs. We also set the record straight about Tom’s life, discuss his podcast Under the Scales and talk about Bob & Ben’s collaboration w/ Tom through the Osiris Podcast Network.

Today’s music is by Tom Marshall’s band Amphibian.

This episode is the second installment of our “Music May” series that focuses on musicians and music in history.