In the Flowers
Animal Collective Lyrics
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Caught my breath on my way home
Couldn't stop that spinning force
I felt envy
Everything around seemed to giggle
You are up with the flower and I cared
Found a dancer
who gets wild to the beats of record rhythm
But I'm always away for weeks
That pass slow my mind gets lost
Feeling envy for the kid who'll dance despite anything
I walked out in the flowers and feel better
If I could just leave my body for the night
Then we could be dancing
No more missing you while I'm gone
There we could be dancing
And you'd smile and say, "I like this song"
And when our eyes will meet there
We will recognize nothing's wrong
And I wouldn't feel so selfish
I won't be this way very long
To hold you in time
To hold you in time
To hold you in time
To hold you in time
While we were dancing
Early hours drunken days finally ended
And the streets turned for a pillowcase
Then I fumbled our good lock
Then the ecstasy turns to rising light
Through our windowpane, now I'm gone
I left flowers for you there
The lyrics of Animal Collective's "In the Flowers" paint a vivid picture of a fleeting experience of release and freedom in the midst of a humdrum existence. The singer describes meeting a dancer who is "high in a field from her movement" and feeling envious of her carefree state. The movement around them seems to giggle, perhaps as if in on a secret that the singer is not yet privy to. The singer fantasizes about leaving their body for the night so they can dance with the dancer without worrying about the obligations and limitations of their life.
The second verse introduces another dancer, one who gets "wild to the beats of record rhythm." The singer feels envious of this dancer too because they are always away and can't experience the same kind of release. But then the narrative returns to the first dancer, and the singer is able to walk out into the flowers and feel better. The line "you are up with the flower and I cared" suggests that the first dancer is somehow connected with nature and able to tap into something transcendent that the singer longs for.
The chorus offers a vision of what it would be like to dance with the first dancer without any barriers or limitations. The singers longs to be able to "hold you in time" and recognize that "nothing's wrong." The final verse adds a bittersweet note to the song, with the singer describing the aftermath of a night of dancing and ecstasy, and leaving flowers behind for the first dancer as a kind of tribute or symbol of their connection.
Line by Line Meaning
Met a dancer who was high in a field from her movement
Found a carefree dancer who was enjoying her moves in a field
Caught my breath on my way home
Stopped for a moment to take a breath before heading home
Couldn't stop that spinning force
Couldn't resist the spinning feeling I had while watching the dancer
I felt envy
I felt jealous of the freedom and abandon the dancer was displaying
Everything around seemed to giggle
The environment appeared to be happy and joyful
You are up with the flower and I cared
You were dancing in the flowers and I was paying attention to you
If I could just leave my body for the night
If I could temporarily escape from reality
Then we could be dancing
We could be enjoying ourselves together
No more missing you while I'm gone
No more longing to be with you while I'm away
There we could be dancing
We could be having fun on the dance floor
And you'd smile and say, "I like this song"
You would express your enjoyment of the music with a smile
And when our eyes will meet there
When we make eye contact during the dance
We will recognize nothing's wrong
We will both feel happy and content
And I wouldn't feel so selfish
I wouldn't feel guilty about wanting to be with you
I won't be this way very long
These feelings of longing won't last forever
To hold you in time
To cherish and savor the moment with you
While we were dancing
As we moved our bodies to the beat
Early hours drunken days finally ended
The late night/early morning partying and drinking finally came to a close
And the streets turned for a pillowcase
The streets were empty and quiet enough to use as a pillow
Then I fumbled our good lock
I accidentally messed up the lock on our door
Then the ecstasy turns to rising light
The feeling of happiness and joy suddenly intensified
Through our windowpane, now I'm gone
Looking through the window, I had already left
I left flowers for you there
I left a physical reminder of our happy moment together
Lyrics © DOMINO PUBLISHING COMPANY
Written by: Noah Benjamin Lennox, Brian Ross Weitz
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@brandongibson1226
Met a dancer
Who was high in a field
From her movement
Caught my breath on my way home
Couldn't stop that spinning force I felt in me,
Everything around seemed to giggle glee
She walked up with a flower and I cared
Found a dancer
Who gets wild to the beats
of record rhythm
But I'm always away for weeks that pass slow
My mind gets lost
Feeling envy for the kid who'll dance despite anything
I walk out in the flowers, and feel better
If I could just leave my body for the night,
Then we could be dancing
No more missing you while I'm gone
There we could be dancing,
And you'd smile and say, "I like this song"
And when our eyes will meet there
We will recognize nothing's wrong
And I wouldn't feel so selfish
I won't be this way very long
To hold you in time
To hold you in time
To hold you in time
To hold you in time
While we were dancing
Early hours
Drunken days finally ended
And the streets turned for a pillowcase
Then I fumbled our good lock
Then the ecstasy turns to rising light
Through our windowpane
Now I'm gone
I left flowers for you there...
@dominorecordco
‘Tangerine Reef’, Animal Collective’s audiovisual collaboration with Coral Morphologic, is out now. Watch the entire film here: http://smarturl.it/TangerineReefYT
More from Animal Collective on YouTube: http://smarturl.it/BestAnimalCollective
@northernphase
“If I could just leave my body for the night” then the big explosion of sound is one of the best things I’ve ever heard in music
@arod88
I agree, this music has so much innocent joy and purity, I have not found this in any other music. Like children playing in bliss. God bless
@mikedenby6771
It's great isn't it. Have you heard Lemon Jelly - Page One? It has an equally good build-up / explosion :-)
@Lonely3rrior
True 💜
@steveyuhas9278
Agree agree agree 110% it hits me on this visceral level that I have trouble describing. I get chills. It's sort of a nostalgic sad optimism.. I really don't know how to describe what it makes me feel but I love it.
@send_ludes
what really gets me is how the sub bass/kick fades in after that to make a four on the floor emphasis. the arrangement just keeps morphing and gaining intensity even after the initial drop
@craw_daddy97
2:31 it always blows me away how easily Animal Collective can just totally flip their sound halfway through a song
@Jordan-gw7ct
The chorus is so rewarding. Love it.
@grayk8404
So true