Run Like An Antelope
Phish
Link to Lyrics:
Lyrical Lesson:
🦌Phish's "Run Like an Antelope": A Friendly Guide to Outrunning Overthinking and Embracing Hope
That signature guitar riff drops, the crowd roars, and you feel the surge of energy that is a Phish show. But beneath the high-octane jam of "Run Like an Antelope," there are lines that actually offer some surprisingly insightful mental health lessons.
This song is all about movement, escape, and the pressure of a chase. Let’s look at a few key lyrics and see how they can relate to managing Anxiety/Overthinking and embracing Hope/Resilience.
Theme 1: Breaking the Cycle of Anxiety and Overthinking
The core of anxiety and overthinking is often a feeling of being trapped—stuck in a mental loop or pursued by worries that feel inescapable.
“Set the gearshift to the high gear of your soul / You’ve got to run like an antelope, out of control”
This line, though literally about running, is a powerful metaphor for breaking free from a mental rut. When you're deep in overthinking, your mind is stuck in low gear, grinding through worst-case scenarios.
The advice here? Shift gears! Instead of letting your anxieties dictate your pace, take conscious action to move forward. The "out of control" part isn't a recommendation to panic, but to release the need for perfect control. Anxiety thrives on trying to micromanage every possible outcome. Sometimes, the most resilient action is simply to start moving—whether that’s by getting up and going for a walk, starting a task you’ve been dreading, or just shifting your focus to the present moment.
Theme 2: Embracing Hope and Resilience
Even in a relentless chase, the song has moments that remind us of the simple things that keep us grounded and give us the energy to keep going.
“Rye rye Rocco / Marco Esquandolas”
The inclusion of these seemingly nonsensical, almost chanted phrases speaks to a kind of hopeful, resilient perspective.
When the mental chase—the overthinking or the weight of sadness—feels too real and overwhelming, stepping back and acknowledging the "dream-like" quality of life can be immensely helpful. It's a subtle reminder that:
Your thoughts are not facts. The anxious story your mind is telling you is not the absolute truth.
Things are impermanent. Just as a dream changes, your current difficult feelings will also pass.
This perspective is what builds resilience. It allows you to put emotional distance between yourself and your immediate distress. It gives you the hope that the high gear of your soul will carry you through, no matter how fast you have to run.
So the next time you hear that frantic energy of "Run Like an Antelope," don't just feel the chase. Feel the call to action: to shift out of your mental low gear, accept that you can't control everything, and remember that even the most pressing worries are temporary.