A Talk With the Middle-Sized Bear

© Stephen Savitzky. CC-by-nc-sa


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C F C Am
You've h ad a rough j ourney;  a hellish long d ay;
C G
There's a f ire in your throat and an ache in your h ead
C F C Am
And you l ong to be b ack in your  own cozy b ed.
Dm G
But the w orld you grew up in has vanished aw ay.
C Am
You're w eary and sick and you're fr ightened by change
C* C F C G6
When som ething wraps 'round you l ike a sw irl  of warm a ir
C* F Am
For there's n o place as comforting, g entle, or str ange
F G6 Csus2 G C
As the m ind of the  Mid dle-S ized  Bear.
C Am
For the M iddle-Sized Bear is a creature most r are
C G
He'll f eed you on honey and tea in his l air
C F
And you d on't think you trust him, but m aybe you'll dare
G F G C
Have a t alk with the Midd le-S ized B ear.
C F C Am
He's cl umsy, forg etful,  ill-tempered, and  shy;
C G
There's d ust on his spectacles, gray in his f ur;
C F C Am
S ometimes he gr owls when you th ink that he'd  purr,
Dm G
But he h olds you so gently and just lets you c ry.
C Am
He s ays he's not clever, but s ometimes he's wise,
C* C F C G6
Somet imes he's so silent y ou c an't t ell he's th ere
C* F Am
And he qu ietly kisses the t ears from your  eyes
F G6 Csus G C
As you s it with the  Mid dle-S ized  Bear.
C Am
For the M iddle-Sized Bear is a creature most r are
C G
He'll s ing you a song as he brushes your h air
C F
And they s ay it's a comfort just kn owing he's there
G F G C
As you t alk with the Midd le-S ized B ear.

C F C Am
There's a l ine in his j ournal th at pierces your m ask
C G
Though he s ays at the time that he's probably wr ong;
C F C Am
But he  sums up your  fears in a  few lines of  song,
Dm G
And  answers a question you never would  ask.
C Am
A l etter, a message, a v oice on the phone,
C* C F C G6
A sc rap of a song com ing  out  of thin  air.
C* F Am
Perh aps it's enough to know y ou're not al one
F G6 Csus2 G G
As you t alk with the  Mid dle-S ized  Bear.
C Am
For the M iddle-Sized Bear is a creature most r are
C G
He kn ows you don't love him, but he doesn't c are
C F
And you th ink you could trust him, if  only you'd dare
G F G C
Have a t alk with the Midd le-S ized B ear.

The Middle-Sized Bear is a character out of science fiction: the section ``Conversation With the Middle-Sized Bear'' in Cordwainer Smith's novella, Mark Elf. For several years I've used it to refer to the aspect of my personality that is, so people have told me, comforting to talk to and be around.

This song is very much a composite; the first verse is almost entirely out of Cordwainer Smith; the last two are more about the women in my life who have encountered the Middle-Sized Bear over the last year. It's a little unusual in being largely autobiographical but in the second and third person, so that it's singable by anyone.