Water Curses by Animal Collective Lyrics Meaning – Exploring the Depths of Human Aspirations and Artistry
Lyrics
To be the motion actor,
Two broken strings, attracted,
To groom my face in life and doom
Hesitate to throw a coin in,
A wish could be a bad thing,
My mouth is just a ocean of drool
Standing on the bridge I
Wink at you from up high
A talking fish comes as she moves
I want to be like water
And never need a doctor
And carve the earth without my tools
Do it all
All the things that I relate to well,
Like authors and painters
Transparent paper wings
That float above me while I sleep
To make the room more natural
So we could die in it and die in it and die
The color after sunset
You?d do anything to jinx it,
It?ll crush your sculpture just like a willow,
He doesn?t need a house
His shoes will walk for miles
That drips the bugs parts on my pillow.
I want to be like water and slip into your throat
And make you feel alive and good
I want to be like water and never have a doubt and
Reflect what is around my pool
Do it all
All the things that I relate to them
Like authors and painters,
Transparent paper wings
That float above me while I sleep
To make the room more natural
So we could die in it and die in it and die.
And all the dreams that I awake to read like ghostly paintings
And all the things I hate, I wish I didn?t have to hate
To find a room that’s natural
To live and die in it, live and die, live and die.
I don?t think you know just what you?re doing
You pretend to know exactly all the things you keep on moving
Said I don?t think I know exactly what I?m doing
But I tend to know exactly all the things you keep on moving
When you wake up from your snoozin?
I?ll tell you how to do it my way
I?ll tell you what I?m doin?
There?s a knife up in the drawer
Anybody try to stop it
And I?ll find out where you?re stompin?
And it?s all about the days you spend
Well, I?ll be at our home
I don?t think you know just what you?re doing
You pretend to know exactly all the things you keep on moving
Said I don?t think I know exactly what I?m doing
But I tend to know exactly all the things you keep on moving
When you wake up from your snoozin?
I?ll tell you how to do it my way
I?ll tell you what I?m doin?
There?s a knife up in the drawer
Anybody try to stop it
And I?ll find out where you?re stompin?
And it?s all about the days you spend
Well, I?ll be at our home
When you wake up from your snoozin?
I?ll tell you how to do it my way
I?ll tell you what I?m doin?
There?s a knife up in the drawer
Anybody try to stop it
And I?ll find out where you?re stompin?
And it?s all about the days you spend
Well, I?ll be at our home
Animal Collective’s ‘Water Curses’ is a song that flows with the enigmatic beauty of a murmuring stream, threading together esoteric metaphors with the delightful eccentricity of the band’s musical style. Striking and elusive, the track is an invitation to dive beneath the surface of its swirling rhythm and poetic verse.
Through the lens of contemplative lyrics set against the backdrop of experimental sounds, listeners are ushered into a world where human longing, natural imagery, and the hunger for creative freedom converge. Let’s embark on an interpretative journey that dissects the thematic currents of ‘Water Curses.’
Duality of Desire: Wishes and Regrets
The song’s opening verses speak of throwing coins into a fountain, a timeless gesture of hope and longing. However, this hopeful act is counterbalanced by apprehension—what if a wish is more a curse than a blessing? The ocean of drool from the speaker’s mouth symbolizes the natural, unrefined desire that can be as ungovernable as the sea.
Animal Collective presents a paradox, setting the stage for a dialogue about the consequences of our desires. This tug-of-war between wanting to indulge in our wishes and fearing their potential downsides is a relatable sentiment and a foundational theme of the song, portraying the multifaceted nature of human aspirations.
Aspirational Fluidity: The Quest to be Like Water
‘I want to be like water’—this recurring line echoes a profound yearning to embody the fluidity and adaptability of this essential element. Water takes the shape of any container, flows around obstacles, and carves landscapes. The speaker’s desire to be like water implies a wish for a life without confinement, a resistance to stagnation, and a seamless existence amidst life’s meandering course.
The mention of not needing a doctor or tools alludes to an existence unburdened by physical frailty or material dependence. It’s an exploration into the essence of being and a nod toward self-sufficiency, resilience, and the authentic shaping of one’s path through the world.
The Aesthetic Veil: Transparent Paper Wings
In an homage to creativity, ‘transparent paper wings’ conjure images of fragility and translucence, symbolizing the vulnerability and beauty of artistic expression. Artists and thinkers embellish our lives, hovering like delicate apparitions that inspire and provoke thought. These wings are a reminder that creativity often acts as a soft filter through which we interpret our existence.
The longing to make living spaces more ‘natural’ through art juxtaposes our human-made environments against the organic flow of life and death. Animal Collective portrays the artist as both the medium and the bridge between the mundane and the ethereal, crafting a sanctuary where mortality is acknowledged and embraced.
Hidden Meanings: The Shadows of Our Rooms
As the song progresses, it delves into more somber reflections. The lyrics ‘a room that’s natural/To live and die in it’ suggest a search for authenticity in the spaces we occupy. This search isn’t just physical; it’s emotional and psychological. Animal Collective pushes us to consider where we feel our truest selves and how we reconcile that with the superficial layers we often live beneath.
The final verses bring an edge of disorientation and self-doubt. With repeated proclamations of uncertainty about the actions and movements of both the speaker and another, the band highlights the complexity and sometimes the aimlessness of human behavior. The indirect reference to aggression with ‘There’s a knife up in the drawer’ might signify the concealed tensions and the potential for conflict lurking beneath the facade of daily existence.
Memorable Lines: The Haunting Echoes of Artistry
The song’s lyrics resonate with enigmatic significance. ‘And all the dreams that I awake to read like ghostly paintings’—this line whispers to the listener about the ephemeral nature of dreams and inspiration. These dreams are a spectral gallery where one glimpses the elusive truths of existence.
‘It’ll crush your sculpture just like a willow’ might allude to the impermanence of creations and aspirations, no matter how grand. In these lines, Animal Collective captures the essence of human fragility and the harsh beauty of transience—a rich tapestry woven with threads of yearning, art, and mortality.
