This site is no longer maintained. Use phish.net or current.phish.net.
Phish.netDon't You Want To Go?
Don't You Want To Go? has not been seen in 1064 Phish shows.
It was last played: 1995-09-28.
It was played at 0.25% of live shows.
It has been performed live 5 time(s).
Music/Lyrics: Traditional
Original Artist: The Meditation Singers
Original Album: Don't You Want To Go? (1966)
Vocals: Trey (lead), Mike, Page (backing)
Debut: 1995-05-16
Historian: Phillip Zerbo (pzerbo)
The Voters for Choice benefit in Lowell, MA was a heck of a way to kick off the year in Phish for 1995. No fewer than ten songs were debuted on that evening, including future repertoire fixtures "Theme From the Bottom" and "Free."
The first of these debuts was a cover of the comparably obscure "Don't You Want To Go?" from the little known but highly respected gospel act The Meditation Singers. An adaptation of an African American slave spiritual "The Gospel Train," The Meditation Singers' version maintains the call and response of the traditional but replaces the earnest religious refrains ("she's loaded with bright angels / don't you want to go?" – "King Jesus is the captain / don't you want to go?" with a decidedly lighter and secular approach ("I got my chickens ready! / Don't you want to go?").
Phish stood little chance to match the power and intensity of the original gospel version, but they offered respectable renditions at a handful of shows after the Lowell debut, dropping the song from the repertoire after the 9/28/95 gig at the Summer Pops in San Diego, CA.
Watch Don't You Want To Go? on YouTube The Meditation Sisters, "Don't You Want To Go?"
Lyrics:
Come on, come on, come on, children!
Don't you want to go?
Oh, come on, come on, come on, children!
Don't you want to go?
Come on, come on, I want to know!
Don't you want to go?
Yes! I want to go!
I got my chickens ready!
Don't you want to go?
Oh Lord, I got my chickens ready!
Don't you want to go?
Got my chickens ready!
Don't you want to go?
I tell you yes! I want to go!
Train is at the station, waiting!
Don't you want to go?
Train is at the station, baby!
Don't you want to go?
Train is at the station!
Oh Lord, don't you want to go?
Yes! I want to go!
Come on, come on, come on, children!
Don't you want to go?
Come on, come on, come on, children!
Don't you want to go?
Come on, come on, come on, children!
Don't you want to go?
Yes! I want to go!
Oh yeah!�Train is at the station!
And I've got to ride
It's only destination
To the other side
And I've got business over there
And I've got some boys too
If I meet you over there
I'll be waiting on you
Oh yeah!
I'll be waiting on you
I'll be waiting on you
Oh yeah!
I'll be waiting on you
I'll be waiting on you
Oh yeah!
Phish.net Mobile