The Bear Lyrics

"The Other Day I Met a Bear" (also known as "The Bear in the Forest" or "Bear in Tennis Shoes") is a traditional American camp song, sung as an echo song. It uses the same tune that is also used for "Princess Pat" and "Sippin' Cider Through a Straw."

The other day,
(The other day)
I met a bear,
(I met a bear)
Away up there,
(Away up there)
A great big bear!
(A great big bear!)

The other day I met a bear,
A great big bear a way up there!

He looked at me
(He looked at me)
I looked at him
(I looked at him)
He sized up me
(He sized up me)
I sized up him
(I sized up him)

He looked at me, I looked at him,
He sized up me, I sized up him.

He said to me
(He said to me)
"Why don't you run?
("Why don't you run?)
I see you don't
(I see you don't)
Have any gun"
(Have any gun")

He said to me, "Why don't you run?
I see you don't have any gun."

And so I ran
(And so I ran)
Away from there
(Away from there)
And right behind
(And right behind)
Me was that bear
(Me was that bear)

And so I ran away from there,
And right behind me was a that bear.

Ahead of me
(Ahead of me)
I saw a tree
(I saw a tree)
A great big tree
(A great big tree)
Oh, golly gee!
(Oh, golly gee!)

Ahead of me there was a tree,
A great big tree, oh, golly gee!

The lowest branch
(The lowest branch)
Was ten feet up
(Was ten feet up)
I had to jump
(I had to jump)
And trust my luck
(And trust my luck)

The lowest branch was ten feet up,
I had to jump and trust my luck.

And so I jumped
(And so I jumped)
Into the air
(Into the air)
And missed that branch
(And missed that branch)
Away up there
(Away up there)

And so I jumped into the air,
And missed that branch away up there.

Now don't you fret
(Now don't you fret)
And don't you frown
(And don't you frown)
I caught that branch
(I caught that branch)
On the way back down
(On the way back down)

Now don't you fret and don't you frown,
I caught that branch on the way back down.

That's all there is
(That's all there is)
There is no more
(There is no more)
So what are you
(so what are you)
Still singing for?

[Alternate version]

The other day,
(The other day)
I met a bear,
(I met a bear)
Away up there,
(Away up there)
A great big bear!
(A great big bear!)

The other day I met a bear,
A great big bear a way up there!

He looked at me
(He looked at me)
I looked at him
(I looked at him)
He sized up me
(He sized up me)
I sized up him
(I sized up him)

He looked at me, I looked at him,
He sized up me, I sized up him.

He said to me
(He said to me)
"Why don't you run?
("Why don't you run?)
I see you don't
(I see you don't)
Have any gun"
(Have any gun")

He said to me, "Why don't you run?
I see you don't have any gun."

And so I ran
(And so I ran)
Away from there
(Away from there)
And right behind
(And right behind)
Me was that bear
(Me was that bear)

And so I ran away from there,
And right behind me was a that bear.

Ahead of me
(Ahead of me)
I saw a tree
(I saw a tree)
A great big tree
(A great big tree)
Oh, golly gee!
(Oh, golly gee!)

Ahead of me there was a tree,
A great big tree, oh, golly gee!

The lowest branch
(The lowest branch)
Was ten feet up
(Was ten feet up)
I had to jump
(I had to jump)
And trust my luck
(And trust my luck)

The lowest branch was ten feet up,
I had to jump and trust my luck.

And so I jumped
(And so I jumped)
Into the air
(Into the air)
And missed that branch
(And missed that branch)
Away up there
(Away up there)

And so I jumped into the air,
And missed that branch away up there.

Now don't you fret
(Now don't you fret)
And don't you frown
(And don't you frown)
I caught that branch
(I caught that branch)
On the way back down
(On the way back down)

Now don't you fret and don't you frown,
I caught that branch on the way back down.

That's all there is
(That's all there is)
There is no more
(There is no more)
Until I meet
(Until I meet)
That bear once more
(That bear once more)

That's all there is, there is no more,
Until I meet that bear once more.

The end, the end
(The end, the end)
The end, the end
(The end, the end)
The end, the end
(The end, the end)
The end, the end!
(The end, the end!)

The end, the end, the end, the end,
This time it really is the end!

[Thanks to ellianawilliams11 for correcting these lyrics]