The Moonjock Songfacts says: Animal Collective open their ninth studio albu… Read Full Bio ↴The Moonjock Songfacts says: Animal Collective open their ninth studio album, Centipede Hz, with this piece of bleary nostalgia, in which Dave 'Avey Tare' Portner recalls childhood summer road trips down the Atlantic Coast "in a blue Camino." He remembers not only the songs that soundtracked the journeys but also the radio, his cassettes and Walkman.

Moonjock
Animal Collective Lyrics

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In our covered wagon times when dad he had his captain eyes
We'd get the steel horse moving on the straights and lines of 95
And mom she was our singer and we kept alive on greasy fries
I held onto my stash of jams that ran along in Michelin time

In the back of our old car never going too far
In the back of our old car I think we've gone too far

And there's no way to remind me of pacific plates or what the text was
No better way to remind me of sun heated seats then "love me do" was

Carolina mark the mile "south of the border" bumper signs
And styles I don't recognize a weeping willow motel sign
By Georgia I am hypnotized more batteries for my power ma'am
I'm tuning into radio let it change me till we drive again

In the back of our old car never going to far
In the back of our old car I think we've gone too far

And there's no way to remind me of the scented heads in a blue camino
No better way to remind me of a neato rack then a lead off track was

And there's no way to remind me of the ?
No better way to remind me of ?

And in the nighttime you'll sleep
Lean on it lean on it
Don't you wake them lean on it

And in the nighttime you'll sleep
Lean on it lean on it
Don't you wake them lean on it

And in the nighttime you'll sleep

And then we ran out again and then we ran out again
And then We ran it out, ran it out
And then we ran out again and then we ran out again
And then We ran it out, ran it out
And then we ran out again and then we ran out again
And then We ran it out, ran it out
And then we ran out again and then we ran out again
And then We ran it out, ran it out
And then we ran out again and then we ran out again
And then We ran it out, ran it out
And then we ran out again and then we ran out again
And then We ran it out, ran it out
And then we ran out again and then we ran out again

And then We ran it out, ran it out
And then we ran out again and then we ran out again

Overall Meaning

The song "Moonjock" by Animal Collective is a psychedelic pop song from their album "Centipede Hz." The lyrics tell the story of a family road trip, recalling memories of driving along the highway with their parents, singing songs, and eating fast food. The singer nostalgically remembers the locations they passed by, including Carolina, Georgia, and the "south of the border" bumper signs. They also mention having a stash of jams and tuning into the radio, letting it change them until they drive again.

The chorus "In the back of our old car, never going too far, in the back of our old car, I think we've gone too far" harkens back to the carefree days of the family vacation, a time when the travelers could let loose and enjoy themselves with no responsibilities. However, the repetition of "And then we ran out again" at the end of the song suggests that perhaps the song is also a commentary on consumerism and the endless cycle of wanting and consuming, as if the family's road trip has become an extension of this pattern.

Overall, "Moonjock" is a dreamy, nostalgic song that beautifully captures the feeling of a summer road trip, the passing landscapes, and the memories that stay with us long after the journey is over.

Line by Line Meaning

In our covered wagon times when dad he had his captain eyes
Back in the days when we traveled in a car like a wagon, dad was our driver and he had focused eyes like a captain

We'd get the steel horse moving on the straights and lines of 95
We used to drive on highway 95 and dad would get the car moving fast like a steel horse on straight stretches of road

And mom she was our singer and we kept alive on greasy fries
Mom would sing for us during the trip and we survived on unhealthy food like greasy fries

I held onto my stash of jams that ran along in Michelin time
I kept my collection of songs that matched the rhythm of our ride according to the Michelin tire ad

In the back of our old car never going too far
We always traveled in the back of our car and never ventured too far

In the back of our old car I think we've gone too far
Reflecting on the past, it seems we might have gone too far in our travels in that old car

Carolina mark the mile "south of the border" bumper signs
We saw bumper signs marking the mile in Carolina indicating we were close to the South American border

And styles I don't recognize a weeping willow motel sign
There were unfamiliar styles and a sign for a motel under a weeping willow tree

By Georgia I am hypnotized more batteries for my power ma'am
We were passing by Georgia and I was transfixed by the scenery, and needed more batteries for my electronic device

I'm tuning into radio let it change me till we drive again
I was listening to the radio and letting the music and sounds affect me until we started driving again

And there's no way to remind me of pacific plates or what the text was
I cannot remember anything about Pacific plates or what the text was for

No better way to remind me of sun heated seats then "love me do" was
The best reminder of sun-heated seats was listening to the song 'Love Me Do'

And there's no way to remind me of the scented heads in a blue camino
I cannot remember anything about scented heads in a blue Camino

No better way to remind me of a neato rack then a lead off track was
The best reminder of a cool rack was a lead off track

And there's no way to remind me of the ?
I cannot remember something that is left blank

No better way to remind me of ?
There is nothing better than a blank space to remind me of something

And in the nighttime you'll sleep
A soothing voice saying 'you'll sleep' to help one fall asleep

Lean on it lean on it
You can rely on this voice to help you fall asleep

Don't you wake them lean on it
Make sure you don't wake up other people while you're trying to fall asleep