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.
Ponytail
Panda Bear Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When my soul starts growing
When my soul starts growing
I get so hungry and I wish it never
Never would, never would
Never would, never would
Never would
When my soul starts growing
When my soul starts growing
When my soul starts growing
I get get so full and I wish it never
Never would, never would
Never would, never would
Never would
Never would stop growing
When my soul starts growing
When my soul starts growing
When my soul starts growing
I am as I want to be and I know I never
Never will, never will
Never will, never will
Never will stop caring
The lyrics to Panda Bear's song Ponytail delve into the growth and evolution of the soul. The repeated phrase "when my soul starts growing" serves as an affirmation of self-discovery and expansion. As the soul grows, the singer experiences an insatiable hunger and a desire to never stop growing. This hunger serves as a metaphor for the human desire to continuously seek out knowledge and understanding, to never settle for stagnation.
The lyrics also touch on the idea of fullness, as the soul grows, the singer feels full and content. However, this feeling is temporary as the desire for growth remains. The final lines "I am as I want to be and I know I never/ Never will, never will/ Never will, never will/ Never will stop caring" suggest that the growth of the soul leads to an understanding of one's true desires and aspirations. The singer has found a sense of fulfillment and purpose through their continued self-discovery, and they will not stop caring about this journey.
Overall, Ponytail serves as a beautifully abstract reflection on the human desire for personal growth and the transformative journey of the soul.
Line by Line Meaning
When my soul starts growing
When I start to experience personal growth and development
I get so hungry and I wish it never
I become insatiable in seeking out new experiences, and I never want this feeling to go away
Never would, never would
I will not allow myself to stagnate
Never would stop growing
I will always be seeking opportunities for personal growth
When my soul starts growing
When I start to experience personal growth and development
I get get so full and I wish it never
I feel fulfilled and content, and I never want this feeling to go away
Never would, never would
I will not allow myself to become complacent
Never would stop growing
I will always be pushing myself to grow in new ways
When my soul starts growing
When I start to experience personal growth and development
I am as I want to be and I know I never
I am happy with myself and my progress, and I never want to give up striving for more
Never will, never will
I will always be striving for personal growth
Never will stop caring
I will always be invested in myself and my personal growth
Lyrics © DOMINO PUBLISHING COMPANY
Written by: Noah Lennox
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@MrJdele
Hiking thru the Arizona dessert for the whole day with this on replay was a very transcending experience.
@thedodgestreetrings
Man, I've had this song in my head and couldn't figure out what the heck it even was. Finally remembered and came here to listen to it again. It's been so long, since back when my babies were babies. (They're 16 & 17 now.) So so good.
@thedodgestreetrings
Cripes okay, I looked it up and this came out five days before the younger one was born, I'm PRETTY SURE I was listening to this during labor.
@fabe4youth
What is so crazy about this song is when I use to listen to it back in high school, I wouldn’t insert my headphones all the way in my iPod, and you all you would hear is the instrumental but without the vocals. I don’t know if you can hear it on devices now, but it’s something cool to think about 😁
@fabianm.171
like in high school when i was listening to the beatles with one of my earphones broken, with the left earphone you just hear the instrumental and on the right earphone were the vocals and a guitar 😂
@Carpettower
This is beautiful My favorite part is "and I know I never will stop growing"
@TheSychuinTree
That's my favourite part as well; I especially like the transition from "When my soul starts growing" to the second part.
@maybeidontgiveashit
I want this song played during my cremation.
@modds803
magical song.....never will stop caring...
@bertiewillekens
this song makes me slowly melt inside.