Lennox grew up in the Roland Park section of Baltimore, Maryland. As a child, he played sports, and studied piano and cello. He later sang tenor in his high school chamber choir. After graduation, he attended Boston University but dropped out in 2000 and moved to New York where he dedicated himself to his music.
His first solo release was the self titled Panda Bear in 1998, which was released under Soccer Star Records, a label founded by fellow Animal Collective member, Deakin.
After its creation, Lennox focused on Animal Collective, putting his solo project aside. He picked it back up in 2004 and released Young Prayer that year. In 2007 he followed up with the critically acclaimed Person Pitch.
In Animal Collective, Noah was primarily responsible for percussion, although he has recently transitioned to working with samples in addition to contributing vocals and playing a variety of other instruments. He adopted the name Panda Bear from an early tape of his material, on which he drew a panda.
His more recent albums are Person Pitch (2007), Tomboy (2011), Panda Bear Meets the Grim Reaper (2015), Buoys (2019) and Reset (2022), a collaborative album with the producer Peter Kember (as known as Sonic Boom). This album is formally credited to Panda Bear & Sonic Boom.
Alsatian Darn
Panda Bear Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Actually hide and I said that it was true, look up
Where I, run
Would I, will I
Let it slide,
Let it slip by,
No I won't let it slide,
Under
What you doing
What to do
What to do
Not to do what you want to do?
I can't miss you
Say what it is I want to say,
Say what it is I want to say to you
Can I make that mistake.
In Panda Bear's song Alsatian Darn, the lyrics depict a struggle with communication and expression. The opening lines suggest that the singer is unable to hide their true feelings and acknowledges that it is the truth. The next lines with the repetition of "will I, won't I" suggest that the singer is grappling with the decision of whether or not to act on their emotions. The line "Under" creates a sense of tension and uncertainty, as if something is being held back or suppressed.
The chorus asks a series of questions, "what you doing, what to do, what to do, not to do what you want to do?" which portrays the indecisiveness and self-doubt that the singer is experiencing. The line "I can't miss you" could be interpreted as the singer acknowledging the importance of the person they are addressing and their fear of losing them.
The final verse expresses a desire for honesty and openness, with the singer asking to say what they want to say and potentially take a risk in doing so. The line "can I make that mistake" suggests a fear of potential consequences but also a willingness to take that risk in order to express themselves fully.
Overall, the lyrics of Alsatian Darn reveal the inner turmoil and difficulty in expressing one's emotions and desires.
Line by Line Meaning
Eel that you have ever, I could not
I couldn't pretend to be something I'm not, it's impossible
Actually hide and I said that it was true, look up
Instead of hiding my true self, I revealed it and it's authentic, just look and see
Where I, run
My whereabouts are constantly changing, it's hard to keep up
Would I, will I
I question myself constantly, wondering what I would or will do in different situations
Let it slide,
Some things can be let go, it's not worth dwelling on them
Let it slip by,
Opportunities come and go, but sometimes it's best to just let them pass
No I won't let it slide,
However, there are certain things that can't be ignored, and I won't let them go unnoticed
No I won't let it slip by
Even if it's easier to do so, I won't miss out on important moments or opportunities
Under
Beneath the surface, there's more than meets the eye
What you doing
What actions are you taking and are they aligning with your values?
What to do
Sometimes it's hard to know the right decision to make
What to do
It's important to consider the consequences of our actions
Not to do what you want to do?
Is it worth sacrificing long-term goals for short-term pleasure?
I can't miss you
I don't want to lose what's important to me
Say what it is I want to say,
Sometimes it's scary to speak up and say what's on our minds
Say what it is I want to say to you
Especially when it comes to expressing our feelings to someone we care about
Can I make that mistake.
But if we don't take risks, we may always wonder 'what if' and regret not trying
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: NOAH BENJAMIN LENNOX
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
offbeat kiki
one of my favorite songs ever written
Darion847
anyone else can't help passionately singing the verse near the end? Holy crap this song is 11/10
marc88bolan
Yes, me too
Gary Baldy
ye s holy crap im lik so passionat at the end im like cryin hah
pommep0mme
yess omg i could cry
Gustavo Adolfo
everytime
Aaron Juedes
brill
justlivinlife151
This just gave me the most psychedelic experience ever. Holy fuck this is incredible.
Public Space
yes I know right. Panda Bear is full of them. There's some guys that do visuals behind the AnCo crew and Sonic Boom and with Panda's music its 100000% LSD psychedelic. This is incredible. I can't stop watching it and listening. The audio goes with it. I'm on LSD now. The others can't experience it. It's a plain hidden secret. It's slow boring noise wash to the ignorant lol. Absolutely beautiful beatific trippy and perfect
YanceyFunnie
spent hours searching for this song...love a lot of his work but this track is by far my favorite. Thank you Panda Bear for your music.