| Animal Collective – Doggy Lyrics | 12 years ago |
| I think this song is indeed about Avey's childhood dog, not just some dog he happened to found. The way the song is written in the beginning kinda makes it seem like it's just a random dog he found in the trees, but if you look at the rest of the song it seems a bit odd if it was just a dog he found. I think he's simply talking about his dog that happens to climb trees, and one day gets injured and dies after falling him a high height. This song is so, so sad but it's so sweet at the same time because while telling the story of his dog dying he recounts his memories of the dog. Makes me teary eyed every time. | |
| Animal Collective – Crimson Lyrics | 12 years ago |
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Wow I love this song. They always keep such great songs for B-sides but I understand why they made that choice here, cuz this song doesn't sound too much like the rest of Centipede Hz. Anyway here is my long interpretation of the song... even though nobody is going to read it I love to read into Avey's lyrics so why not. First, I think the eagle in the first verse is a metaphor for Avey's will or soul for the relationship that the song is about. He's kind of looking at it as a separate being from himself, and I love how early in the verse he says the eagle is ready to die (or give up on the relationship), but later he says his instinct wants him to survive. Basically, I think he's trying to say that deep down he knows he doesn't want to continue the relationship, but on another level he actually wants to keep it going. After that, I think he's saying "I'm sorry I cut you with my knife, I'm hunting and I don't know why." It seems like he's apologizing for unnecessarily lashing out at the girl this song is directed to in anger, probably as a result of the stress of the relationship. The second verse is a bit more ambiguous for me, but I think he's talking about a different eagle now. It sounds like he's saying "Eagle on my head tonight who flies alone and leaves her aerie for a height that always seems a bit too high." I think this eagle is the girl in the relationship, and he's saying that he's thinking about her, as she's left home for unfamiliar territory. I feel like he might be worried that she's out somewhere cheating on him in this verse. I love the part shortly after this when Avey starts to raise his voice and ask "Why was he down on our bed and stuff anyway?!" (side note: I'm not completely convinced he's saying "bed and stuff" but you get the point regardless). It's so emotional. He drops the metaphor that's been going for the whole song and has to ask her this, probably something he keeps asking himself. But he quickly catches himself there and knows he's getting carried away - "Now my heart is taking over." And finally, the bit after that: "When people start talking It's hard to know why Are we speaking our minds Or just passing the time? It's addictive like smoking That clouds up the room But I'd like to keep toking And talking to you" I love this. I think Avey is making the observation that sometimes people don't mean what they say, and he wonders, why do people talk, if this is the case? But he admits it's addicting to talk, regardless of how genuine the conversation may be. Then he relates it to the rest of the song by saying, "it clouds up the room, but I'd like to keep toking, and talking to you." I think he's saying that when he's talking with whoever the girl is, that he's not completely sure what's genuine and what isn't. But regardless, talking to her is good, and he wants to keep doing it. Kind of ends the song on an uncertain note, but if the meaning was definite it wouldn't be an Animal Collective song. |
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| Avey Tare – 3 Umbrellas Lyrics | 12 years ago |
| There's a written interview somewhere on the internet where Avey confirms that this song is about his relationship with the other guys in the band - Panda Bear, Geologist, and Deakin. | |
| Avey Tare – Ghost Of Books Lyrics | 12 years ago |
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The lyrics on here are undone and pretty wrong to me, but I have a bit of an interpretation regardless. I think this song is about having memories/delusions about someone that you love. "Keeping myself in my mind" is a pretty clear intro to this idea. Then especially with the bit that goes: "I went away to a ghost land And it felt like a perfect dream I grabbed a hold of two ghost hands And a voice said, 'I'll always be'" ... sounds like he's thinking of an ex (or exes) and reminiscing over the good times they had or imagining life with them as if they never broke up. I think "ghost land" basically means a place where these people don't actually exist, like in his mind. I think Avey may be simply thinking about old memories of this ex or exes, but it could also be a type of dream state or psychedelic trip where he encounters all this. Either way, this mental state is really comforting, and it's in a place where they'll always be ("and a voice said, I'll always be"). Then, of course, reality sets in: "I ran to tell all my dear friends Of the new love I did find But when I return to my homeland I was confused by the changing tide" and the part that goes: "I'm so tired of disappearing You're so beautiful, you can't hear me Want to hold you, kiss you, feel me Climb through the void and eternally cheer me" These thoughts aren't real; the relationships with this person or these people are over. These thoughts he has of them are great but that's simply all he has in reality; he can't actually interact with them, and eventually he must get out of his mind. But there is a sort of longing for it to be a reality ("Want to hold you, kiss you, feel me, climb through the void and eternally cheer me.") Then, the song ends on a sort of happy note (not really, but kinda). He repeats the line "so I ran away with my ghost gal," accepting the truth that the memories or thoughts he has of this "ghost gal." Dwelling over the want for them to be real is depressing, so the resolution is to just dream over it. I don't know, but that's what I got out of this song. I love it. |
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| Animal Collective – April and the Phantom Lyrics | 12 years ago |
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This song is amazing. The way I interpreted it is that Avey is the phantom-he is romantically involved with April, but they aren't officially together. The first bit seems to hint that April is promiscuous--she asks her mom for advice, especially if she ever slept with strangers. "She went out in nature" might mean she goes out in the world a lot; she is very social, and likes to meet people. Next, the phantom or Avey is worried about what she's doing out in the world. Who did she meet? What is she up to? In a way he might be somewhat obsessed or just so infatuated with her that he can't stop thinking about it. "Everybody wants it" - 'it' being April - a lot of people want to be with her. "Can't you see me wastin'?" - kind of like saying "can't you see me stressing out over this?" After this it gets a bit more ambiguous. But to sum it up, I think Avey just reinforces the idea that he or the phantom is someone who is taking a secondhand role in April's love life. By the last bit, this is especially clear, as he's basically summarizing their relationship. They were just like lovers, but not really. He says that's okay with him, but I sense that it isn't; it's just something he tells April to avoid a confrontation; he goes along with it. And eventually, they "buried Phantom by the road." Either they stopped seeing each other, or they actually started a real relationship. I don't know, that's how I see this song. There's probably a million other ways to interpret this or any other song on this album especially... that's why I love Avey's songwriting. |
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