NPT005: “Oh Bear”

Inspired by Glacier National Park, July 2014

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Written, performed, and recorded by Kendall Bruns in Chicago. Mixed and mastered by Mike Montgomery at Candyland Recording Studio in Dayton, KY. 

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Inspired by a solo hiking trip in Glacier National Park, this song is about how I ignored all the warnings about hiking alone in bear country and my conflicting feelings of wanting to see a bear while simultaneously being terrified of encountering one. Not even carrying a bear bell, I started signing to alert any nearby wildlife of my presence and came up with this song.

One of the things that I question in the song but don’t really answer is, what are you supposed to do if you do encounter a bear in the wild? Assuming that you could keep your composure and react appropriately when actually confronted with a bear, remembering the right thing to do can be tricky to remember because some of it depends on the type of bear. Glacier is a park that has both black bears and grizzly bears.

The first thing that the National Park Service recommends is avoiding an encounter by keeping your distance—at least 100 yards. They also recommend making noise when hiking in bear country so that you don’t accidentally surprise them with your presence. This is why you see and hear people hiking with bear bells sometimes.

I highly recommend reading their detailed advice, available online at  Staying Safe Around Bears. 

I no longer hike alone in bear country and I always make sure to carry bear spray whenever a park recommends it.

If you’re interested in learning about the Native American tribes that lived in what became known as Glacier National Park, I recommend watching the At Home in This Place video series.

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Lyrics

[Intro]

Oh bear, please don’t eat me

[Chorus]

I don’t wanna scare no bear
I’m just going on a hike today
I didn’t see you hiding over there
Just passin’ through and I’ll be on my way

[Verse 1]

I’m not here to steal your huckleberries
Even though they make amazing pies
Okay, I might stop and nibble on some maybe
But it seems to me you’ve got a large supply

[Chorus]

I don’t wanna scare no bear
I’m just going on a hike today
I didn’t see you hiding over there
Just passin’ through and I’ll be on my way

[Verse 2]

This could be a very tricky situation
No one wants it to get violent, that’s for sure
Secretly I kinda hoped we’d have a meeting
But, now we’re face-to-face I don’t want it anymore

I’m not here to cause you any kind of problems
I just need a change of scenery
This is your home
I’ll be on my way

[Bridge]

Oh, hi
I didn’t see you standing there
I’m just passing through
Don’t mind me

You’ve got nice hair, grizzly bear
Big claws on your paws
Is it my imagination
Or are you licking your jaws

Be cool, grizzly bear
I’m just passing through
I read all the warnings
Don’t remember what to do

Should I run?
Don’t run
Do I hide?
Stay alive
Is this fun?
I don’t know
Is it over? Can I go?

Is this a dream come true?
Or do I get attacked by you?

[Chorus]

I don’t wanna scare no bear
I’m just going on a hike today
I didn’t see you hiding over there
Just passin’ through and I’ll be on my way

[Verse 3]

I think we could be a perfect combination
Even though it’s an impossible dream
We’re unalike in almost every situation
You cannot have a human/grizzly team

I’m not here to cause you any kind of problems
I just need a change of scenery
This is your home
I’ll be on my way

[Chorus x2]

I don’t wanna scare no bear
I’m just going on a hike today
I didn’t see you hiding over there
Just passin’ through and I’ll be on my way

I don’t wanna scare no bear
I’m just going on a hike today
I didn’t see you hiding over there
Just passin’ through and I’ll be on my way

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