Panda Bear: Bro's Meaning
Bro's Lyrics
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This song was suggested to me by someone I was very fortunate to meet a couple of months ago. This someone happend to enjoy the same music as I do yet possessed a depth of knowledge and understanding of music that I admire to respect. His passion for the creative process of composition goes well beyond the structured notation I learned in my piano lessons. He is like a physical manifestation of what Panda Bear's song, 'Bros' has come to mean to me.
Upon first listening, I was walking to the bus stop, and slightly distracted and did not realize that the same song had been playing for six minutes. I looked down at my phone and thought "yikes, is this the right song?" I waited a few days before listening again, and this time with lyrics in hand.
On one hand, this song can be put simply as this:
Guy meets girl. Girl meets guy. They get to know enough about eachother that both know there's something more than friendship there. Girl wants Guy to either do or be or say something to ease her insecure mind about his feelings or actions. He litterally has to remind her that he is his own person; independent, free spirited, determined to carve his own path on his own way. At some point, there's a distance between them that plants a seed of doubt in her mind and again he reminds her that he has his own process, and not to take it personally. Telling her that if she lets him just be him, that she'll find there was nothing to worry about.
He tells her he sees and feels everything she puts off, whether she knows it or not, and that he is not one to ask for help. He especially does not like it imposed upon him, as he is his own person with his own process. In light of all this, he makes it clear that they are different, and flawed, and frankly, human. He ends it saying I do love you, and I want to hold on to you always. So it all remains the same, that no matter the silence, or distance, they will always be who they were when they fell in love. If not, they may not have crossed paths in the first place.
I think this song reminds me to be patient. If I were to make up my mind at the first line (Hey man what's your problem, don't you know that I don't belong to you) then this review would not be here. Sure, it's long, and includes sounds of hooting owls and creepy sobbing better suited for a horror film. But it is still human. It's a walk in the woods at night, and a conversation that can be had with just a few words.
Maybe it takes a really long song for Guy to say these things to Girl because in all his solitary endeavors he has not had this kind of experience. He does not want to lose himself in order to keep her. He also does not want to lose her because in all her 'giving' or looking out for him, he knows she loves him, and only wants him, but maybe needs something more than just the knowledge of what they share.
While this song delves into a very real an relatable human experience, it makes me think of how people are so deep in their own heads and afraid to just say what they think and how they feel for a person standing right in front of them, yet expect them to know. There's always a give and take, and so if he wants her to lighten up, he should just give her a hug, shorten the "song", so they can move onto the next track.
More Panda Bear songs »
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