Green attended Emerson College briefly in 1998 before leaving to concentrate on his music, going on to co-found the anti folk group The Moldy Peaches with Kimya Dawson. In 2004 The Moldy Peaches went on hiatus and both Green and Dawson embarked on solo careers.
Green released several albums on Rough Trade Records. Among his better known songs are "Jessica" (about singer Jessica Simpson), "Novotel", "Friends of Mine", "Dance with Me", "Carolina" and "Emily", and, in Britain, his cover of The Libertines track "What a Waster".
Prior to Jacket Full of Danger in 2006, all of Green's albums had been released on the 22nd of the month. His latest album was released on March 18, 2008 and is titled Sixes & Sevens. Titles include "Morning After Midnight", "Twee Twee Dee", and "Drowning Head First", the latter a duet between Green and his girlfriend.
In January 2008, The Moldy Peaches began having a resurgence in popularity, due to their music being included in the hit indie film Juno.
Animal Dreams
Adam Green Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Dreaming a long pelican sleep
She closes her eyes
I'm sorry I got so tired
But I think I'd better wake up before the day transpires
Oh animal, animal, magical
The message has come from across the Bolivian seas
All in (?) jump out of the ground
Five times four, two blocks more
Count by eight now lower the game
I think it's the time for us
I think it's the place for us
Oh lady don't know I built it to last
Oh wait til she sees me
Changing the past
I cram it all in
No need to subtract by five
I wish I never gave up before the day transpires
Oh animal, animal, magical dreams
The lyrics of Adam Green's song Animal Dreams paint a picture of surreal, dream-like imagery which needs interpretation. When Green sings "animal dreams, animal dreams" he seems to be referring to the dreams that animals have while they sleep. Then, he talks about a pelican who falls asleep for a long time and is apologizing saying "I'm sorry I got so tired". It seems as though the pelican has to wake up before the day transpires. The lyrics then shift to the refrain of "Oh animal, animal, magical" which is repeated several times throughout the song. It's hard to know exactly what Green is trying to convey with this line, but it could be a reference to the innate magic and mysticism that surrounds animals.
The lyrics take another shift with the verses "The message has come from across the Bolivian Seas/Side down, two blocks down/All in (?) jump out of the ground". These lines are intriguing but unclear, possibly alluding to an important message received from a far-off location or the idea of hidden things that suddenly reveal themselves. The next lines "Five times four, two blocks more/Count by eight now lower the game/I think it's the time for us/I think it's the place for us" seem to be descriptive of some sort of plan or calculation. The last lines of the song reveal a playfulness and a sense of regret: "I cram it all in/No need to subtract by five/I wish I never gave up before the day transpires". The song ends on a slightly melancholic note that suggests the singer wishes he had more time to accomplish something, but the day is quickly passing him by.
Line by Line Meaning
Animal dreams, animal dreams
The singer is thinking about dreams, specifically animal dreams.
Dreaming a long pelican sleep
The singer imagines a pelican sleeping for a long time.
She closes her eyes
The pelican in the singer's imagination closes its eyes.
I'm sorry I got so tired
The artist apologizes for being tired.
But I think I'd better wake up before the day transpires
The artist realizes they should wake up before the day passes them by.
Oh animal, animal, magical
The singer addresses the idea of animal dreams, describing them as magical.
The message has come from across the Bolivian seas
The singer imagines a message coming from a far-off place.
Side down, two blocks down
The artist references a location, direction, or movement 'side down' and 'two blocks down.' What it means is unclear.
All in (?) jump out of the ground
Something jumps out of the ground, but it's unclear what it is.
Five times four, two blocks more
The artist does some mental arithmetic with the numbers 5 and 4, then references 'two blocks more.' The purpose of these calculations is unclear.
Count by eight now lower the game
The singer utters another cryptic instruction that makes little sense.
I think it's the time for us
The artist thinks it's time for something, but it's not specified what.
I think it's the place for us
The singer thinks a certain place is right for something, but it's not specified what.
Oh lady don't know I built it to last
The singer speaks to an unknown person and explains that they built something to last.
Oh wait til she sees me
The singer anticipates someone seeing them and suggests they will be impressed in some way.
Changing the past
The artist is going to change something in the past.
I cram it all in
The artist is trying to do or accomplish a lot of things at once.
No need to subtract by five
The singer may have been trying to do arithmetic again but has now decided there is no need to subtract five.
I wish I never gave up before the day transpires
The singer regrets giving up on something before the day is over.
Oh animal, animal, magical dreams
The artist repeats the idea of animal dreams being magical.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Adam Green
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind