The band has released fourteen albums: "Spirit They're Gone, Spirit They've Vanished" (2000), "Danse Manatee" (2001), "Campfire Songs" (2003), "Here Comes the Indian" (2003), "Sung Tongs" (2004), "Feels" (2005), "Strawberry Jam" (2007), "Merriweather Post Pavilion" (2009), "Centipede Hz" (2012), "Painting With" (2016), "Tangerine Reef" (2018), "Crestone" (2021), "Time Skiffs" (2022), and "Isn't It Now?" (2023). They also composed and performed the soundtrack for the 2022 film, The Inspection, directed by Elegance Bratton and produced by A24.
Prior to "Here Comes the Indian", the group's albums were not credited to the band name "Animal Collective" but instead to "Avey Tare & Panda Bear" (for "Spirit"), "Avey Tare, Panda Bear & Geologist" (for "Danse") and "Campfire Songs" (for "Campfire Songs").
The band members met in school and started recording together in various forms of collaboration from a young age. Although the band is often classified as psych folk or noise rock, it is hard to define the Animal Collective sound as they often experiment with diverse styles and ideas from album to album. The group also runs the record label Paw Tracks on which they have released their own material as well as material by artists such as Ariel Pink, Terrestrial Tones, and The Peppermints. Paw Tracks' latest signee is Tickley Feather, with whom the band recently toured.
1. native belle
Animal Collective Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Has proved all too easy
Well I sense some problem [?]
It's the kind of smoke that could make us invisible
See the things, I haven't seen you lately
In the purple that I dove into
Which is a version of my [?]
And your asthma can [?] still
So do you, so do you, so do you
Love me, love me, love me
So do you, so do you, so do you
Love me, love me, love me
So do you, so do you, so do you
Love me, love me, love me
Things'll get better
The words I'm kindred with like [?]
With the children that could make us a house [?]
I sew my face into a permanent crush high
I play with [?] behind the newsstand
So do you, so do you, so do you
Love me, love me, love me
So do you, so do you, so do you
Love me, love me, love me
So do you, so do you, so do you
Love me, love me, love me
Things'll get better
So, it's nice in the breeze
Ghosts are all looking for pennies in the trees
Picnic [?] are brushing me and brushing me
It is over
The interpretation of Animal Collective's song 1. native belle is a complex task because of the abstract and surrealistic style of the lyrics, which leaves much to the imagination. However, a possible interpretation is that the song talks about a state of mind characterized by confusion, anxiety, and a longing for love and acceptance. The first verse portrays the feeling of being trapped in a small and insignificant existence, symbolized by the worm. The smoke that can make the characters invisible suggests the desire to escape from reality or the burden of the self. The reference to the purple color is ambiguous but may suggest a mystical or dreamlike state associated with the imagination or a psychedelic experience. The mention of asthma could represent a physical or psychological ailment that makes breathing difficult, enforcing the sense of oppression and vulnerability.
The repetition of the verses "So do you love me, love me, love me / things will get better" is a plea for validation and hope, a desperate attempt to connect with and convince someone else, maybe a lover or a friend or even oneself, that things will change, that there is a way out of the current state of despair. The reference to children and a house could mean an idealized vision of a family, a place of security and belonging that the characters long for. However, the reference to sewing one's face into a permanent crush high and playing with something behind the newsstand suggests a darker side of the characters' psyche, maybe related to self-mutilation, addiction, or secret desires.
Finally, the last verse paints a surrealistic picture of ghosts looking for pennies in the trees, suggesting the characters' detachment from the world and the presence of a supernatural or metaphorical dimension. The brushing of the picnic bugs may represent the fleeting sensations of pleasure or disgust that life can provide, and the line "it is over" may mean the acceptance of the impermanence of existence or the end of a chapter in the characters' lives.
Line by Line Meaning
Pretending I am a worm
I have been acting like a worm
Has proved all too easy
It has been effortless for me to act this way
Well I sense some problem [?]
I feel that there might be an issue
It's the kind of smoke that could make us invisible
The smoke has the power to render us invisible
See the things, I haven't seen you lately
I have not seen you recently and noticed some changes
In the purple that I dove into
I immersed myself into a purple color
Which is a version of my [?]
This color is a variation of mine
And your asthma can [?] still
Your asthma is still present
So do you, so do you, so do you
Do you, do you, do you
Love me, love me, love me
Do you love me
Things'll get better
The situation will improve
The words I'm kindred with like [?]
The words I relate to
With the children that could make us a house [?]
With the potential to build a house with children
I sew my face into a permanent crush high
I am making a permanent facial expression of elation
I play with [?] behind the newsstand
I am playing with something behind the newsstand
So, it's nice in the breeze
The breeze is pleasant
Ghosts are all looking for pennies in the trees
Spirits are hunting for coins in trees
Picnic [?] are brushing me and brushing me
Ants from a picnic are crawling on me
It is over
It has ended
Lyrics © DOMINO PUBLISHING COMPANY
Written by: DAVID PORTNER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind