Lyric discussion by 1ofdiamonds 

Cover art for Also Frightened lyrics by Animal Collective

This song seems to be about a father and his feelings about fatherhood, and addressed to other fathers ('are you also frightened?') It is about having to acknowledge your childrens' independence very early on, not just to allow them to grow but because they are necessarily independent: they are wild ('excited and screaming their voices were wild, and rise with the birds..') With this comes the realisation that you also have basically no control over them, because the way they really are will always be a mystery to you, and the way they're gonna turn out. This is frightening. The song is about trying to live with that fear ('we can't sweat' 'we won't fret')