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Bears Lyrics by Peter Mulvey

Letters From A Flying Machine

0

[airplane ambiance]

Seventh of September 2008, over Alaska

Dear Lucy
[guitar music]
Off the left wing, I can see Denali, the tallest mountain in North America, rearing up through the clouds. You rarely get a good look at it, from the air or from the ground, because it is so large that it makes its own weather and then hides behind it. In fact, when it's very clear, people up here have an expression. They say, "The mountain is out today." I'll be landing in Fairbanks in about an hour. Last week, in your backyard, your father was manning his station at the grill, your aunts and uncles were all standing around, your brother was practicing his karate on the dog, and I was talking to your grandparents about a bear some scientists had found recently in the Arctic that was half polar bear and half grizzly bear. From your perch on the wooden swingset, you joined the conversation. "How do they know?" you said. "How do they know what?" I said. "How do they know it was half polar bear and half grizzly bear?" "Well," I said, "I guess they checked its DNA." "What's DNA?" you asked, and I blinked. We have all at one time or another been caught in the spotlight of your six-year-old mind. "Um... well... y-you know that cake you made this morning with your mom? You know the little pieces o-of flour and sugar that went into it? Well, DNA is kinda like that. I- it's, uh, it's like the little pieces that go into making living things, like people and bears and-" "And ducks?" you said. "Yes! Exactly! And ducks." You sought to clarify. "But not wood." "Oh, no," I said. "Wood has DNA, too, because wood is made from trees, and trees are living things, so they have DNA, and- and when trees die, as all living things do, we make trees into wood." "Not us," you said. I wasn't sure what you meant, so I just looked at you. The swing had come to a stop. "We don't die," you said. *sigh* All of a sudden, everyone in the yard was listening a bit more closely to our little chat. "Well... uh, Lucy... w-we... we die. We're living things, and- and living things die-" "Not babies," you asserted, flatly. I elected to punt. "Yes. Yes, you're right, babies usually don't die. I mean- *inhale* we-we usually live a-a long, long time." Now, we all knew that you knew your question had not been answered directly. We know you. So, when you said, "Yeah. Lok at Grandma and Grandpa. They're 62 and 64 and that's old," we all laughed, the way adults do when they've been let off the hook. And when you went in the house to get some juice, we all looked at each other and shook our heads and smiled. Anyhow, kiddo, the landing gear are coming own and I gotta put up this tray table. You keep up the good work, and next time, maybe go easy on us, okay?
Love
Uncle Peter

[guitar music stops, ambiance continues]
Credits
Peter Mulvey

Peter Mulvey

About “Bears” by Peter Mulvey

Read the complete lyrics to "Bears" by Peter Mulvey from the album "Letters From A Flying Machine". On Lyrks you can follow along with the full text, explore the artist's discography, and discover related songs. The track is often categorized under Country.

"Bears" is performed by Peter Mulvey. from the album "Letters From A Flying Machine" This page provides the full lyric text for fans who want to sing along, study the songwriting, or compare versions across releases. Lyrks organizes lyrics by artist and song slug so you can bookmark and share a stable URL. Music lyrics help listeners connect with emotion, narrative, and rhythm in a track. Whether you are learning English, researching a favorite chorus, or preparing for karaoke, having accurate line breaks and section labels (verse, chorus, bridge) makes the experience easier. We link to the official artist profile on Lyrks where available, including biography snippets, top songs, and chart placements when we have that data. If you enjoy "Bears", explore more songs by Peter Mulvey using the links below. Chart and trending pages on Lyrks highlight what listeners are searching for this week. For copyright or correction requests, see our DMCA and contact pages.

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Frequently asked questions

"Bears" is credited to Peter Mulvey. Songwriting credits may include additional writers listed on the release; check the credits section on this page for linked collaborators.

"Bears" appears on "Letters From A Flying Machine".

Visit the Peter Mulvey artist page at /artist/peter-mulvey for biography, popular tracks, and links to more lyric pages.

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