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.