We had a white and blackish sheltie had a name when we first got him
I wish I had taken better care of him but he had it ok
Im sorry when I get unruly when you carry on so much I get a little tired
I hope you get over your teething it's not easy when you feel sick
He had a sprightly walk you'd like him when he'd keep up along your side
Wrap your peckers what he told us me and mike looked at each other
Like whoa what was that then

Derek never woke up at night
And in the morning he's ready to go
And he never had a voice like you
To scream with when he wanted something
I should have been so much more willing
To help out with all the things
That a dog like you needed

What do you
See when you
See inside of me

You can count
When you count
Count on me
What do you
See when you
See inside of me



Lyrics submitted by erolsabadosh

Track duration: 03:03


Derek song meanings
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36 Comments

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  • 0
    General Comment:I can't believe nobody has gotten this right yet...

    Had a white and black sheltie,
    Had no name when we first got him
    Should have taken better care of him, but he had it okay.

    Sorry when I get unruly,
    When you carry on so much I get a little tired.
    Hope you get over your teething,
    It's not easy when you feel sick

    Had to sprightly walk you like him
    When he peed up all on your side
    Grabs your bags that's what he told us,
    Me and Michael looked at each other like, "Woah, what was that there?"

    Derek never woke up at night,
    and in the morning he's ready to go.
    And he never had a voice like you to scream when he wanted something.

    Should have been so much more willing,
    To help out with all the things that a dog like you needed.

    What do you, what do you...
    See what it is, see what it is...
    See inside of the eye, of the eye...
    See inside of the eye, of the eye...

    You can die, you can die...
    When you get, when you get...
    What you know, what you know...
    Count on me, count on me...
    What do you, what do you...
    See what it is, see what it is...
    See inside of the eye, of the eye...
    See inside of the eye, of the eye...
    Flag kaz1488on December 12, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:The song's adorable. :) I love it, and I LOVE this album, and Animal Collective will always amaze me.
    Flag thesieveandthesandon June 14, 2010   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:See inside of me
    ide of me
    ide of me
    ide of me

    Possibly?
    Flag Kbaileyyyon December 22, 2009   Link
  • +2
    My Interpretation:Here's my answer to nominal's question about what the line "Wrap your peckers what he told us. me and mike looked at each other Like, whoa what was that then?!"

    the singer is remembering something from his past that he and probably his own brother "Mike" experienced. Probably his father or grandfather or crazy uncle tells the 2 youngsters to "Wrap your peckers" / use a condom so you don't have kids when you're older. He and Mike are too young to understand what the "father-figure's" advice means and they are "Like, whoa what was that then?!". Also probably relating that if he and Mike can't even take care of their dog, then they shouldn't have kids when they're older...

    realq0464253 is right on about the song in general. the way i see it, the singer is having an internal discussion with his baby child and remembering his past growing up. The beginning of the song has a lullaby feel to it. he thinks/tells his child about the dog Derek he had and that the child would have liked it. He is comparing the child to the dog and the responsiblity of taking care of a child/dog. He apologizes to the child for getting "unruly" and "tired" or irritated when the baby is crying at night or wants something or is sick or teething or having to get it ready in the morning.

    A child is an even greater responsibility than the dog, but he is up the the task now! He looks at the infant and "asks" it, "what do you see when you see inside of me?" And then he pledges to the child that he/she can always "count on me" when you ever need to "count of me".
    Flag tmferencakon July 15, 2009   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:I think it's clear that this is a song about a childhood dog and how it prepared Panda Bear for fatherhood, but keeping in mind that it's the last song on the album, especially following a song as dark as "Cuckoo", I think it's supposed to have some sort of deeper meaning. I've heard rumours "Cuckoo" is about a miscarriage Avey Tare and his wife had, if this is true, there is extra contrast between this song and the prior when Panda talks about fatherhood.
    I also think the "What do you/ see when you/ look inside of me" was meant to conclude the album and leave the listener with food for thought. It makes sense because the first song, peacebone, tells us that "it's not my words that you should follow, it's the indsides", if the whole album was a glance at their insides, it makes sense they'd end it by asking us what we saw.
    Peace!
    Flag realg0464253on June 25, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Does anyone know what this line means?

    "Wrap your peckers what he told us me and mike looked at each other
    Like whoa what was that then"
    Flag nominalon January 16, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I agree with tinylittlewords about Noah reflecting on Derek, his dog (I'm assuming). At the end of the song (What do you, etc), he's reflecting on how he treated his dog and if he thought of him as a fun playmate or an "unruly" tyrant or whatever.
    I had a similar relationship with my childhood dog, Sophie.
    Flag oh1no2its3alisonon October 05, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:This song is great. It just is. I thought it was odd that they put on such a simple song on the end of the album but I think it just goes to show the genius of Animal Collective. And Panda Bear's voice is just great on this. I love this song and whole album.
    Flag Qjasoon August 31, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:i agree with tinylittlewords. wondering what the dog saw in him, feeling guilty about his neglect of Derek the dog.

    ps. the lyrics are right now most certainly because i have the CD jacket
    Flag MechaFrighton August 24, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:it's the typical story about kid and dog, when kid gets dog at a young age or parents get the dog first. the kid treats it okay, when when dog dies, kid reflects on that "first dog" relationship that hurts a lot. "so this is what i saw in you, dog. what did you see in me?"
    Flag tinylittlewordson August 21, 2008   Link

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