The Bear Went Over the Mountain
"The Bear Went Over the Mountain" is sung to the tune of "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow"...
The Bear Went Over the Mountain
Children's Song
The bear went over the mountain,
The bear went over the mountain,
The bear went over the mountain,
To see what he could see,
To see what he could see,
To see what he could see...
The other side of the mountain,
The other side of the mountain,
The other side of the mountain,
Was all that he could see…
Was all that he could see,
Was all that he could see,
The other side of the mountain,
Was all that he could see!
Notes
For He's a Jolly Good Fellow is sung to the same tune. Here are the lyrics:
For he's a jolly good fellow, for he's a jolly good fellow
For he's a jolly good fellow (pause), which nobody can deny
Which nobody can deny, which nobody can deny
For he's a jolly good fellow, for he's a jolly good fellow
For he's a jolly good fellow (pause), which nobody can deny!
Comments
According to Wikipedia, "Deitsch folklorist Don Yoder postulates that the song may have its origins in Germanic traditions similar to Grundsaudaag, or Groundhog Day. Groundhog Day is known to have its roots in the behavior of badgers in Germany. In some German-speaking areas, however, the foxes or bears were seen as the weather prognosticators. When the behavior of the bear was considered, the belief was that the bear would come out of his lair to check whether he could see 'over the mountain.' If the weather were clear, the bear would put an end to hibernation and demolish his lair. If it rained or snowed, however, the bear would return to his lair for six more weeks."
Thanks and Acknowledgements
Many thanks to Paula Clowe for contributing this song.
