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.
Sequential Circuits
Panda Bear Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Just what
Want more than you need
Want more
Dread follows that lead
Follow the lead
Near as far from from a balm as the cut
More than you can see
See more
Seeds become a tree
Because you can't
Be a growth
And the same as before
(Come on)
Get just what you need
Just what
Want more than you need
Follow the lead
Near as far from a balm as the cut
"Panda Bear's Sequential Circuits" is a song about the cycle of desire, dread and growth. The opening lyrics "Get just what you need, Just what, Want more than you need, Want more," imply that humans are always in a state of wanting more than they already have. The line "Dread follows that lead" suggests that such an attitude leads to anxiety and dissatisfaction because it is impossible to keep fulfilling one's desires. The chorus "Follow the lead, Near as far from a balm as the cut," further reinforces this notion that people's desires lead them away from finding peace or rest -- instead, it cuts them off from reaching any sort of equilibrium.
The song's next stanza "More than you can see, See more, Seeds become a tree, Because you can't, Be a growth, And the same as before (Come on)," takes a different twist. It tells the story of how the seeds of desire can grow into something larger than what one can imagine. However, it also emphasises that growth cannot take place if one continues to live in the same way as before. Finally, the last two lines of "get just what you need, just what, want more than you need, follow the lead, near as far from from a balm as the cut," bring the song full circle. They imply that even though one might have experienced growth, they will still want more, and the cycle of desire starts again.
Line by Line Meaning
Get just what you need
Only acquire what you require
Just what
Nothing else but necessities
Want more than you need
Desire exceeds necessity
Want more
Unbridled greed
Dread follows that lead
Fear is a natural consequence of greed
Follow the lead
Emulate the example set before you
Near as far from from a balm as the cut
The solution is far from the problem
More than you can see
More than meets the eye
See more
Look beyond surface appearances
Seeds become a tree
Nurture the potential to realize growth
Because you can't
Impossibility necessitates adaptation
Be a growth
Emanate dynamic change
And the same as before
A change occurred but fundamentally remains the same
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: NOAH BENJAMIN LENNOX
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind