The Other Day I Met a Bear

"The Other Day I Met a Bear" is an echo song: a leader sings each line and the group fires it straight back, telling the story of a hiker who meets a bear and bolts up a tree. The tune is borrowed from a 1919 novelty number, "Sipping Cider Through a Straw."

Origins

The song has a combined folk and commercial history. The melody is shared with the 1919 novelty song "Sipping Cider Through a Straw," composed by Carey Morgan and Lee David. The bear-themed lyrics emerged later as a folk adaptation in the American oral tradition, gaining widespread popularity in the mid-twentieth century. Since then, the song has been passed down through generations of campers and youth groups, establishing many variations and additional verses.

Meaning & Interpretation

The song is a humorous, sequential story of a traveler encountering a bear in the woods. The narrator runs away, climbs a tree, drops their gun, and eventually jumps to safety. The humor comes from the narrator's comical panic and the impossible feats they perform, like jumping to a branch that is out of reach. The echo structure, where a leader sings a line and the group repeats it, builds group participation and helps teach rhythm and memory skills.

What tune is the bear song set to?

The song is set to the melody of the 1919 novelty tune "Sipping Cider Through a Straw," composed by Carey Morgan and Lee David. Over time, campers adapted the original romantic lyrics into the playful, bear-chase story sung today.

What is a call-and-response echo song?

A call-and-response song is a type of singing game where a leader sings a short line (the call) and the group repeats it exactly (the response). This format is highly popular in camp songs because it allows children who do not know the lyrics to join in immediately.