In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
A wild ride, over stony ground
Such a lust for life, the circus comes to town
We are the hungry ones, on a lightning raid
Just like a river runs, like a fire needs flame, oh
I burn for you
I gotta feel it in my blood, whoa oh
I need your touch, don't need your love, whoa oh
(And I want, and I need)
(And I lust, animal)
(And I want, and I need)
(And I lust, animal)
Cry wolf, given mouth-to-mouth
Like a movin' heartbeat in the witching hour
I'm runnin' with the wind, a shadow in the dust
And like the drivin' rain, yeah, like the restless rust
I never sleep
I gotta feel it in my blood, whoa oh
I need your touch, don't need your love, whoa oh
(And I want, and I need)
(And I lust, animal)
(And I want, and I need)
(And I lust, animal) huh, ah
Cry wolf, baby, cry tough
Gonna hunt you like an, an, an, an, an animal
Gonna take your love and run
I gotta feel it in my blood, whoa oh
I need your touch, don't need your love, whoa oh
(And I want, and I need)
(And I lust, animal)
(And I want, and I need)
(And I lust, animal)
(And I want, and I need)
(And I lust, animal)
(And I want, and I need) tame me, tie me
(And I lust, animal) make me your animal
(And I want, and I need) show me, stroke me
(And I lust, animal) let me be your animal
(Animal) and I want
(And I need, animal) ooh, ooh, ooh, animal (animal)
Such a lust for life, the circus comes to town
We are the hungry ones, on a lightning raid
Just like a river runs, like a fire needs flame, oh
I burn for you
I gotta feel it in my blood, whoa oh
I need your touch, don't need your love, whoa oh
(And I want, and I need)
(And I lust, animal)
(And I want, and I need)
(And I lust, animal)
Cry wolf, given mouth-to-mouth
Like a movin' heartbeat in the witching hour
I'm runnin' with the wind, a shadow in the dust
And like the drivin' rain, yeah, like the restless rust
I never sleep
I gotta feel it in my blood, whoa oh
I need your touch, don't need your love, whoa oh
(And I want, and I need)
(And I lust, animal)
(And I want, and I need)
(And I lust, animal) huh, ah
Cry wolf, baby, cry tough
Gonna hunt you like an, an, an, an, an animal
Gonna take your love and run
I gotta feel it in my blood, whoa oh
I need your touch, don't need your love, whoa oh
(And I want, and I need)
(And I lust, animal)
(And I want, and I need)
(And I lust, animal)
(And I want, and I need)
(And I lust, animal)
(And I want, and I need) tame me, tie me
(And I lust, animal) make me your animal
(And I want, and I need) show me, stroke me
(And I lust, animal) let me be your animal
(Animal) and I want
(And I need, animal) ooh, ooh, ooh, animal (animal)
Lyrics submitted by Boonechic_21
Animal Lyrics as written by Stephen Maynard Clark Richard John Cyril Allen
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Unison Rights S.L., Downtown Music Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Standing On The Edge Of Summer
Thursday
Thursday
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
Little Feat
Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve.
The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future.
Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere"
The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988.
"'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it."
"There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
Page
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
A song bout just having a "lust for life"? One of the best! :)
This song rocks! Like I've said before, I'm only 16, most kids my age don't listen to bands like Leppard, but damn they rock! This is one of my favorite songs by them, and everytime I hear it, I just gotta turn it up! I bought their greatest hit album, and I can't sotp listening to it. I heard that when pyromania came out(years before I was born), people crashed their tapes from listening to it too much. Well, my CD is about burned out too!
^OMG ikr im 16 to and no one my age listens to them there like amazingg there the best!
Ignore those who aren't impressed by your good taste. I think it's great that you've gotten into good music from the past, and shows your ability to think for yourself and expand beyond the common boundaries. There are others like you, but you are still rare. Keep digging into the roots of today's music. I'm 52 and didn't start appreciating the blues, Americana, jazz, gospel, etc until I was way beyond my teenage years. Listen to Led Zeppelin - it will get you into the blues - eventually.
Hey......... I'm also 16 and I love classic rock, it's the best... (I don't like rap either)... It is nice that us young guys keep these older bands alive... This is a great song, and one of their many. By the way, people that don't like classic rock, need to listen to more of it... You look back, and think "bad clothing, bad hair, and weird styles." but good grief, the music rules! I guarentee if more people listened to it, we would have more fans
@TheRyno731\r\nDoes not matter what age you are! I Love this band and this song and I\'m 52 this year.\r\n\r\nFound Def Leppard in my senior year as an exchange student in Colorado. Hysteria album always takes me back to that year and place.\r\n\r\nSo many good memories! ❤️????
@TheRyno731\r\nDoes not matter what age you are! I Love this band and this song and I\'m 52 this year.\r\n\r\nFound Def Leppard in my senior year as an exchange student in Colorado. Hysteria album always takes me back to that year and place.\r\n\r\nSo many good memories! ❤️????
what a song!! amazing live! Does it really matter what age we all are? I'm 15, and love em, and I know people much older who love em! Plus, there from my home county! YORKSHIRE! YORKSHIRE!
Am I the only person who enjoys the sudden key change between the verses/guitar solo and the pre-chorus ("I gotta feel you in my blood...")? To me, it gives the pre-chorus even more power, and it's where the song begins to soar.
@DBR96A I\'ve always loved that key change too, even back in 87 when I was 8 I didn\'t know guitar then, but somehow I knew something spectacular had been added to make those versus come to a better conclusion, it blew me away, and made the guitar my life now. Those notes traded off together gave the song a cadence that I hannover heard in a rock song before !
what the fuck, im 14, i have loved leppard for years.. rick savage inspired me to play the bass... i wouldnt say bad clothing or bad hair. i know the songs kick ass and all but you just dont get classic rock without the classic gear.... it is a shame they dont have as much fans as some others, but if people just lisened properly to good music def leppard would probably have more fans then some of these newer "pick of the month" bands..
I think this song has to do with sex pure and simple but hey that's what quite a few were about. It definitely rocks and more people should listen to DL they just rock
A very good song! Gonna see them in concert in september
oh, cus their music definitely produces all those child molesters in the world. and the swedish, apparently.
def leppard is awesome.
I think a 14 year old girl just called a DL song about uncontrollable lust "sexy." Hooray for the degradation of society!