What is "The Bear" about?

[chunt983]

its a bad idea, to go down to the pier by your self after dark.
it's a bad idea, cause they're down on their luck and they've lost touch
with their bleeding hearts. bad idea, cause i've felt that way and i know i
shouldn't have gone. the time is near, to come forward with whatever killed
your spark. There's still time, for you, to change your mind or whatever
else you do. there's still time. whoaaa!!!


I dunno, maybe it's just me, but I think it's about serious depression and possible suicide. I think this song is saying that you shouldn't keep everything inside, you have to share your problems w/ others. Keeping everything locked up inside will only make things worse, and if you don't have some sort of outlet for your emotions it will only make you fall deeper into the hole of depression. But it also has a very positive aspect to it saying "there's still time", meaning that there is always light at the end of the tunnel, and that love and companionship go a long way. I dunno, I listened to this song the other night and I really seemed to connect w/ it. I'm  having a hard time putting to words what I want to say, but in general this is what I think. what's your thoughts?

[sweatboard]

I think the pier is a place where people go to kill not themselves litteraly, but to kill thier pain in unhealthy ways.  Of course there is always time to come to terms with your pain and face it head on.

[darkglow]

this topic makes me want to go through every song and try to figure out exactly what it means. the greatest thing about it all is that in most songs there is no "right" or "wrong" way to think about any of them.. genious song writing.

if anyone else out there has wild and off the wall interpretations of any mmj song please share.. because it kinda brings new light to this shit everytime i talk to a friend who says this or that about a certain song (yes i have many many friends converted to MMJ fans)

[tomEisenbraun]

this is the other song I've analyzed for my project.

I think it's advice, not only to not go "to the pier" btu also not to wallow in whats ailing you, not to get caught up if your depressed, but to look on the bright side.

[EC]

I've always thought of the pier as two things:  1) a metaphor for jumping off the deep end, into serious depression (sometimes it seems like there's a choice), and 2) the bad place to go and perpetuate your heroin addiction.  The guys that hang out by the pier are either, respectively, 1) people who have succumbed to the dark side, and b) drug dealers, or, respectively pimps and or Johns.  The character in the song has either succumbed to the dark side, or else has gone there looking for a quick fix of some kind.  Coming forward with whatever has killed your spark is him saying "Can you finally tell me that terrible secret that you can't talk about?"

But it's nice to know that the person who's thinking about going to the pier has somebody who cares about them.  And who understands that all is not lost, and that there's still time to change your mind about visiting the pier (whatever that may be).

(in my head)

[chunt983]

thanks for sharing guys...
yea the drug aspect of it is a very good point as well... both make a lot of sense.
The people at the pier, have lost touch and don't feel anymore, they are numb (junkies) and that's no way to go through life. I like to think of it as both, I guess whatever kinda day i'm having, haha. But definately sounds like a good anti drug/anti suicide type song to me, I can definitely see both sides to this song. It's always a good time trying to figure out a song.

[The Boar]

Of course, it is always somewhat of a vain enterprise to decipher song lyrics, but I think you guys have mostly hit it on the head. Two things I would add:

1) A friend of a friend of mine is an ex-heroin addict and I have heard her refer to heroin as "the bear", and doing the drug as "skinning the bear", "poaching the bear", etc. Take that for what it is worth.

2) I think Jim might be using some of his famed wordplay here. It seems like the song might more appropriately be titled "The Pier", just as "Phone Went West" should be "Phone Went Dead" (west being a symbol of death, etc). In this case, however, "The Bear" might also be some larger, all-encompassing symbol for the entire pier-scene, like some vaguely threatening and mythical atmosphere or presence, perhaps the reason why Jim himself identifies with the animal.

[Drunkre]

I like all of your ideas.  They make me feel retarded though, cause I always focused on the "lost touch with their bleeding hearts."  I thought it was about the "middle of the road" liberals...like John Conaway; I keed, I keed. ;D :-X :o
Hey John,  :-*

[peanut butter puddin surprise]

(queues up "Middle of the Road" by the Pretenders)... :)

[chunt983]

I guess the best part about all of our oppinions is that there is no right or wrong answer...only Jim knows what the fuck the song is about. Maybe we are all off base and it's really about something totally different and innocent, who knows.

[Dr Gonzo]

I think it's just a story. The pier is just the bad part of town. I think it's a very visual song too, I always think of someone talking to a young girl telling her, not to go hang out with those guys, because he knows it's just a bad idea, and the people who have lost touch with their bleeding hearts don't have any compassion left..

Anyway, don't over analyze it, chances are it means lots of thingsor whatever you like , just like if you read a book or watch a movie...

[sweatboard]

Very Visual Indeed.  I think Jim has a knack for this.  He says he thinks of capoing a guitar as a way of changing the color pallet and that makes sense.  As for "The Bear", I feel a little weird typing an interpretation because it's just seems so stale compared to the way I feel when I hear the song.

[tomEisenbraun]

yeah, i think trying to type out an emotion is impossible. The song just has "that feeling" and its like a good friend giving you a big hug and meaning it when they know you need it. You can't really describe it, but its that saying, "hey, dont do it. I've been there and I know you dont wanna get wrapped up in that biz." whatever the biz may be

[loper]

The interpretations you guys have put on this classic sound pretty spot on to me.

The absolution that comes from resisting the temptations so darkly depicted in Jim's lyrics is manifested in the almost religious climax to this masterpiece.

The sudden uplifting change of tempo and then Jim's otherworldly wailing of 'forever' make this the best end to ANY PIECE OF MUSIC I HAVE EVER HEARD!!!

His live rendition on Acoustic Citsuoca is tearjerkingly brilliant.

[casualfan]

Behind "Nashville to Kentucky" and "War Begun" this is my favorite song of theirs.

It always struck me as -- I guess you could say -- a sister-song to "Wharf Rat" by the Grateful Dead. I always thought that August West in that song is the kind of person who's "lost touch with his bleeding heart," and that the person he tells his story to is the sort of outsider observer role as the subject of this song. I'm sure it's not intentional, but that's just how I've always looked at it.

P.S.: http://www.seeklyrics.com/lyrics/Grateful-Dead/Wharf-Rat.html


EDIT: The juxtaposition of a wharf and a pier, htough obvious, is worth noting.

[The Boar]

Few songs MMJ songs, let alone songs in general, give me as clear a mental picture as this one. If you're looking for a story behind the song, maybe it's something like this.When I was growing up, there was a large pond in the middle of this dense forest behind our houses. It had a long, somewhat derelict pier in one corner of it, with a single lamp post that gave off this eerie, dim red light. We would sneak out there at night to drink beer and tell ghost stories and throw rocks into the dark water, etc. Eventually, however, the dock became a hangout for a bunch of thug-type kids who would do drugs and pop switchblades and stuff like that. We stopped hanging out there, and eventually the dock became so demolished by the delinquents that it was torn down. Anyway, every time I hear this song, I immediately go back to what it was like being 15 and being out on that dark, eerie pier.

[Godfather]

Few songs MMJ songs, let alone songs in general, give me as clear a mental picture as this one. If you're looking for a story behind the song, maybe it's something like this.When I was growing up, there was a large pond in the middle of this dense forest behind our houses. It had a long, somewhat derelict pier in one corner of it, with a single lamp post that gave off this eerie, dim red light. We would sneak out there at night to drink beer and tell ghost stories and throw rocks into the dark water, etc. Eventually, however, the dock became a hangout for a bunch of thug-type kids who would do drugs and pop switchblades and stuff like that. We stopped hanging out there, and eventually the dock became so demolished by the delinquents that it was torn down. Anyway, every time I hear this song, I immediately go back to what it was like being 15 and being out on that dark, eerie pier.

thats awesome, i can get a mental image of that easily.

[EC]

bump for sweetdream.  :)

[TheLink]

Well, I kind of thought from Tenessee Fire that Jim had gotten some stuff from being in Amsterdam a bit.  is it me, or X-mas curtain about the Red Light district in any way?  I felt the same about The Bear, like he is telling all the broken and lost sould that no matter what, there may be a bear around the corner waiting to walk you off that pier.  All so dark and wonderful to me.  Good thoughts all.