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.
Tropic of Cancer
Panda Bear Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And then
You sneak it all away
When they said he's ill
Laughed it off as if it's no big deal
What a joke to joke no joke
And then
You sneak it all away
Sick has to eat well too
And dumb it on down
And you can't get back
You won't come back to it
You can't come back to it
And you can't get back
You won't come back
You can't come back to it
And you can't get back
You won't come back to it
You can't come back to it
And you can't get back
You won't come back
You can't come back to it
Its all in the family
And then
You sneak it all away
Sick has to eat well too
Got to like it all
Got to like what kills
It kills just to like what kills
Got to like it all
So it goes to show what
All things know just
One thing keep it live
Keep it live
Dead or alive
These guys kill to live on
And you give up on the upside
Give it up on the other side
The first verse of the song Tropic of Cancer by Panda Bear is about the theme of betrayal. The lines "It's all in the family, and then you sneak it all away" indicate how someone from the same family could betray and steal from their own family. The next few lines "When they said he's ill, laughed it off as if it's no big deal, what a joke to joke no joke" likely indicate that someone in the family is terminally ill, and instead of caring for them, the person disregarded the illness and joked about it, implying that they may have caused it or just didn't care. The lyric "Sick has to eat well too, and dumb it on down" may suggest that the family member with the illness needs to have a healthy diet but needs to dumb down the situation for the sake of their mental health.
The second verse seems to talk about the desensitization to death and how people may like things that are harmful to themselves. The line "Got to like it all, got to like what kills, it kills just to like what kills" may suggest that people often like things that are harmful to them, and their tastes can be dangerous. The final verse talks about how one should keep living life and not give up despite the circumstances. The lines "these guys kill to live on, and you give up on the upside, give it up on the other side" suggest that people fight to survive and should keep going forward, even if it means going against their family. Thus, the song Tropic of Cancer talks about heavy topics like betrayal, illness, and resilience.
Line by Line Meaning
It's all in the family
The actions of an individual can negatively impact other members of their family.
And then
This line serves as a transition to the following line.
You sneak it all away
You secretly take what is not rightfully yours.
When they said he's ill
When other people informed you that he is sick.
Laughed it off as if it's no big deal
You did not take his illness seriously and made a joke out of it.
What a joke to joke no joke
Making light of his illness is not a matter to joke around with.
Sick has to eat well too
Even when ill, one's body requires proper nourishment.
And dumb it on down
Limiting one's intelligence, usually by partaking in activities that are unhealthy or don't stimulate the mind.
And you can't get back
Once something has been taken or lost, it cannot be retrieved or returned.
You won't come back to it
It is difficult to regain something that has been taken or lost.
You can't come back to it
It is not possible to recover from the loss or damage of something.
Got to like it all
We are conditioned to appreciate unwholesome things.
Got to like what kills
We appreciate things that bring us harm or are dangerous.
It kills just to like what kills
Our admiration for dangerous or harmful things can result in serious consequences.
So it goes to show what
This phrase is used to introduce an observation or general analysis.
All things know just
Everything experiences and understands the same idea.
One thing keep it live
One thing that maintains our livelihood and existence.
Keep it live
Nourish and foster the thing that sustains us.
Dead or alive
Whether something is living or not, it still has the potential to provide and sustain us.
These guys kill to live on
Some people are willing to harm or destroy in order to obtain means of survival.
And you give up on the upside
You stop pursuing the potential positive aspects or opportunities of a situation.
Give it up on the other side
Completely abandon the prospect of positive outcomes or benefits.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: NOAH BENJAMIN LENNOX
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@sebastianhernandez6479
It's all in the family
And then you sneak it all away
When they said he's ill
Laughed it off as if it's no big deal
What a joke to joke, no joke
It's all in the family
And then you sneak it all away
Sick has to eat well too
And you dumb it down
[Refrain]
And you can't get back
You won't come back
You can't come back to it
And you won't come back
You can't come back
You won't come back to it
And you won't come back
You can't come back
You won't come back to it
And you won't come back
You can't come back
You won't come back to it
Its all in the family
And then you sneak it all away
Sick has to eat well too
Got to like it all
Got to like what kills
It kills just to know what kills
Got to like it all
So it goes to show what all things know
Just one thing keep it live
Keep it live, dead or alive
These guys kill to live on
And you give up on the upside
Give it up on the other side
[Refrain]
And you can't get back
You won't come back
You can't come back to it
And you won't come back
You can't come back
You won't come back to it
And you won't come back
You can't come back
You won't come back to it
And you won't come back
You can't come back
You won't come back to it
@saintburnsy2468
My stoned interpretation: this is about a family issue of the musician.
"it's all in the family"
then the falling zither in the scene represents how it's the musician who is dealing with the issue depicted; as the zither enters into the video, so does the musician enter into the situation.
and finally something about how the guys who do K9 bite training have families too, or sumthin. maybe someone in the musician's family worked in law enforcement.
thank you for coming to my stoned TED talk. Shpongle.
@anmlcollective
Panda Bear’s new album ‘Buoys’ will be released February 8th 2019 on Domino Record Co.
Pre-order here: smarturl.it/PandaBearBuoys
More from Panda Bear on YouTube: http://smarturl.it/BestOfPandaBear
@Fernsehenpfanger
In 2020, 23 July My dear Dad died in the sleep - tromb in lungs arteria, he be only 60 years old... When I listen this Song, I'm cry, cry so much, unstoppable... I'm Fan of Animal Collective, I'm from Russia, Moscow district. Big Thanks from my Heart, for Your Great Music, Love So Much !!!
@fresherbrine
Noah said this about his dad in an interview, "He was a surgeon, but in 2002 he got brain cancer and died. My first solo record, Young Prayer, was all about him. He was the biggest influence on my life and his death still affects me now." Thirteen years later we get this from Noah and Dave. It's like Animal Collective re-shot the last scene of the 1982 movie "White Dog." But instead of the dog representing racism, the dog in the video represents cancer. It's owner, Death, let's the dog loose and it literally tears the panda family apart. But the heartbreaking event is depicted in a beautiful, serene manner. The parade is over but I don't think there could be a better eulogy for Noah's dad than this song and video. It's easy to be bitter about losing a family member to cancer. In a weird way, listening to the lyrics of this song and watching the video has brought me a little more peace.
@trash_bender420
Stephen Williams wow man, thanks for that comment. Really beautiful
@rigomoon8154
Stephen Williams Thank you so much for that brother.
@iamhereblossom1588
I get this. My mother died of cancer. This song always resonated with me very deeply and now the video is special too.
@MrMOON-pp5ib
So good.....
@IAM-pq3dz
So beautiful and tragic, so much pain and beauty... 💔
@metallipwn
Panda's father has affected his entire career. So many great songs have been inspired by the tragedy of his passing.
@oskarmonk
Eye didn't know this about him. Met them ALL at a merch table we shared for a show in Berkley,Ca before SUng tongs. My father was also in the same vain as he for inspiration. Soul blown. 1st time hearing THIS. -BIZZART