Lyrics for Fickle Cycle as interpreted by workorburn

Fickle Cycle Lyrics
Tykes who feast but do not pray
Sun dried cheeks and sun dyed grains
Spilled in the house that they leave like geese
Travel in the night like a pearl thief

Believe in ghosts and set them free
Bury your heart, don’t shake that sheet
Give your teeth to the crocodile cave
Under my wings and on my head

Twisting heads with the sounds of change
Change so often they’ll be dead
Kissing the people that you’ll all burn
Trusting your friends without thinking best

Leaving yourself to kill your grief
Rooms can be lonely, but that don’t mean
I want a son who can float and fly
I’ll take a daughter who laughs and cries

When you are home you can do as you please
Some have homes in falling trees
One day our homes will all fall down
One day your body will be in the ground

When I wonder
I often sit wondering, my brain gets so delirious
When I wonder
When ghosts from other places come and meet me do I know that they’re a friend?

When I wonder
I often sit wondering, my brain gets so delirious
When I wonder
When ghosts from other places come and meet me do I know that they’re a friend?

Time to feast, don’t wait to play
?
Off in the dust where they feel like kings
Some got hurt and some did sing

I wonder, wonder, wonder, wonder
I wonder, wonder, wonder, wonder
Who will win?

I wonder, wonder, wonder, wonder
Wonder, wonder, wonder, wonder
Who will win?

Bad feelings I know
Good silence means we're home

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  • 18 Comments
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birdablaze
08-23-2006

Rated 0 
pretty much the most amazing ac song ever.

when it gets to "twisting..." it explodes with amazingness.

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articulates
10-09-2006

Rated 0 
this is the most beautiful animal collective song... i completely agree

without the music, the words are equally powerful.
it's my favorite set of lyrics next to a few modest mouse greats

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Lins-o-Rama
10-23-2006

Rated 0 
My personal interpretation of this song is that it's a sort of pondering of the future. It's a realization that people die and we die, and sort of a celebration of life. To me, it's also about history and leaving pieces of yourself behind, becoming a part of the past by the acts that we do. I know this is probably a very debatable interpretation, but, it's the tone of the song and the hints I get from the lyrics that make me think this is what it may be about. For example, "kissing the people that you'll all burn. Trusting your friends without thinking best" sort of reminds me of the process in life of gaining new friends, losing old ones, or making enemies. It's this uncertainty of the future and not knowing what people we will meet in our lives.
The lines "one day our homes will all fall down, one day our bodies, etc" are discussing our inevitable deaths and the fact that our possessions in this life will be destroyed or lose all ties to ourselves.
The singer of this song often sits and thinks about this, about his nonexistence, and it's a difficult subject to comprehend.
Earlier in the song, it mentions that "rooms can be lonely," which I think may be a reference to being unrecognized or unremembered in future generations. It's a lonely sort of feeling. Though, he doesn't care if he has a son who "floats and flies," which means he doesn't want to have a child that will be well known for something and gains some sort of power in this world (which would mean he'd then be recognized through his son). He wants a daughter with humanizing, humble qualities. Someone who is just simply passionate about life.
I think that the thought of his nonexistence, the thought of everyone's non existence can be somewhat gloomy, but he's okay with it. "Time to feast, don't wait to play," because we're all going to perish. As for "I wonder who will win" is mocking the fact that people are always competing for recognition, but no one will win because eventually even our own planet will cease to exist.
I'm really not sure of any of this, though. I don't even know if there is a real meaning behind the song. I have to say I just love the part about feeling "like kings, some got hurt and some did sing," and then it goes into a bout of powerful melody with raw emotional voices. Absolutely beautiful!

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kate272
03-11-2007

Rated 0 
this song has to do with being a little kid and growing up and exploring the world

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olliver
04-24-2007

Rated 0 
Is this song mixed up with "Must be Treeman" on iTunes or is it mixed up on this website?

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North American Scum
05-03-2007

Rated 0 
I think this song means that there is so much change throughout our whole lives, but we just adapt to them and just keep repeating the cycle of change until we die.

The songs are mixed up on iTunes, Must be Treeman and Fickle Cycle should be switched.

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precipitate
05-22-2007

Rated 0 
ahh... this song.

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adm
06-14-2007

Rated 0 
Kissing the people that you’ll all [miss]

and

Rooms can be lonely, but [there's no need]

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heyheyhey111
08-11-2007

Rated 0 
What is this song doing off the Feels album? WHY IS BEES ON THERE!?! Argg...

If you haven't heard this, download it, it's great.

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enjoyyourroots
08-20-2008

Rated 0 
"One day our homes will all fall down
One day your body will be in the ground"

i vandalize that on the walls off public bathrooms.

its fun, join me.

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triceratops
08-25-2008

Rated 0 
Haha, anyone who vandalizes bathroom stalls with animal collective lyrics is pretty amazing.

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enjoyyourroots
08-25-2008

Rated 0 
thank you. :) YOU CAN TOO!

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triceratops
08-28-2008

Rated 0 
I definitely will.

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triceratops
08-28-2008

Rated 0 
I definitely will.

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spiffin
10-29-2008

Rated 0 
i love this song, its so fast paced and i blasted it while boxing a car one night and all i wanted to do was get outside and do something i couldent just sit there it was an intense trip when we all got out opened the doors and just danced around the car to this song. amazing, thanks for the good times animal collective!

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radmocol
07-17-2009

Rated 0 
I love this song so much but I just don't think it fits in with the rest of Feels, in my opinion.

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radmocol
07-21-2009

Rated 0 
Its just better as a b-side

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noiseater
08-06-2009

Rated 0 
I hear the "?" line as:

"Each to the unborn, ticking day"

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