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.
Unsolved Mysteries
Animal Collective Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That sweet boy's plea
His mother cried
"My child's tied his laces"
Why must we move on
From such happy lawns
Into nostalgia's palm
And feed on the traces
We all hop to the dance
Or embarrass the parents
Who should have knees
That go to sleep
That blood in the dark
Will attract the sharks
Who are not violent
We all have hungry bellies
But I feel like I've got to duck
When you look at me with your brown eyes
When you look at me with your blue eyes
And you look at me with the inner eye
And all was tame
And all was daggers anyway
Stop crying like a child
And all was green
And all was aging anyway
Stop growing in the wild
But I feel like I've got to duck
When you look at me with your green eyes
When you look at me with your black eyes
And you look at me with your dead eyes
And I can understand
When holding her hand
So womanly
I have to go and kiss her
And what a surprise
To look in those eyes
And find suddenly
He is Jack the Ripper
Too suddenly, he was Jack the Ripper
Stop crying like a child
She stopped crying like a child
Jack the Ripper
The lyrics to Animal Collective's "Unsolved Mysteries" are infused with a sense of nostalgia and a longing for a simpler time. The opening lines set the scene of a young boy tying his laces, a simple act that symbolizes the innocence of childhood. The chorus reflects on the way we all move on from our happy memories and into the unknown territory of the future. The second verse describes the violence and danger that lurk beneath the surface of our seemingly safe world. The final verse takes a surreal turn, as the singer describes kissing a woman and suddenly realizing that she is actually Jack the Ripper.
The overall theme of the song seems to be the tenuous nature of our grip on reality, and the ways in which our memories and perceptions of the world can be distorted and manipulated. The chorus expresses a sense of longing for the past, while the verses suggest that even the most innocent-seeming aspects of our lives may have dark undercurrents.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh look at me
The singer draws attention to themselves
That sweet boy's plea
Commenting on the plead of a boy for help
His mother cried
Emphasizing the emotional state of the boy's mother
"My child's tied his laces"
Repeating the mother's words, suggesting a sense of confusion
Why must we move on
Questioning why people move away from pleasant memories
From such happy lawns
Describing a peaceful and happy place
Into nostalgia's palm
Reflecting on the power of nostalgia over memories and experience
And feed on the traces
Suggesting a desire to hold onto past experiences through memories and remnants
We all hop to the dance
Referring to a joyful activity
Or embarrass the parents
Commenting on how actions of some people can lead to awkwardness for others
Who should have knees
Making a humorous observation about the elderly
That go to sleep
Describing the elderly and their tendency to nap
That blood in the dark
Referring to danger that may be unseen
Will attract the sharks
Drawing a comparison of sharks to people who may cause harm
Who are not violent
Contrasting the previous statement by focusing on the benign nature of some people
We all have hungry bellies
Suggesting people as similar to animals in that they have basic physical needs
But I feel like I've got to duck
Revealing a sense of fear or apprehension
When you look at me with your brown eyes
Describing the specific person who causes this feeling
When you look at me with your blue eyes
A person of many different emotional states
And you look at me with the inner eye
The person has insight into the artist
And all was tame
Describing the peaceful state of affairs
And all was daggers anyway
Contrasting the peace with an ominous image
Stop crying like a child
Asking someone to compose themselves or act like an adult
And all was green
Reflecting on the beauty of nature
And all was aging anyway
Acknowledging the impermanence of existence
Stop growing in the wild
Urging someone to act in a more civilized fashion
When you look at me with your green eyes
Describing a specific person
When you look at me with your black eyes
Contrasting the previous statement
And you look at me with your dead eyes
Referring to someone who is vacant or uninterested
And I can understand
Expressing empathy for another person
When holding her hand
Describing a physical interaction
So womanly
Describing the charm or allure of the person
I have to go and kiss her
Expressing romantic attraction
And what a surprise
Introducing a new narrative element
To look in those eyes
A specific physical detail of the person
And find suddenly
Creating a sense of dramatic irony, where the artist discovers something unexpected
He is Jack the Ripper
The unexpected discovery that the person is a notorious murderer
Stop crying like a child
Returning to the previous refrain, repeating the request to act like an adult
She stopped crying like a child
Revealing a change in behavior or emotional state
Jack the Ripper
Presents a shocking revelation
Lyrics © DOMINO PUBLISHING COMPANY
Written by: BRIAN ROSS WEITZ, NOAH BENJAMIN LENNOX
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind