"Waltzing with Bears" ~ Diane Linn (the Bard O'Neill) ~ 2012 Texas Renaissance Festival

Diane Linn, The Bard O'Neill, performs the wonderfully whimisical "Waltzing with Bears", based on a poem by Dr. Seuss, at the 2012 Texas Renaissance Festival in Todd Mission, Texas.

Filmed live during the Bard O'Niell's first morning set on November 23, 2012.

For more great music by Diane Linn, check out her website at:
www.dianethebard.com

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This popular children's song is adapted from a poem by the late Dr. Theodore Seuss Giesel (the famous "Dr. Seuss" of children's literature), with music by Eugene Poddany and Dale Marxen.

A number of variants of this song have been recorded by many artists, including Seamus Kennedy, Kevin Evans and Brian Doherty, Ann Mayo Muir, Ed Trickett and Gordon Bok, and the band Willowgreen, To the best of my knowledge, this song first appears as "My Uncle Terwilliger Waltzes With Bears" in the Dr. Seuss "Cat in the Hat Songbook", but with a substantially different tune (not a waltz), whereas the current arrangement with the waltz tune appears to be credited to Eugene Poddany and Dale Marxen.


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Lyrics to one variant of "Waltzing with Bears"
(from Seamus Kennedy):

(chorus:)
He goes wa-wa-wa-wa, waltzing with bears,
Raggy bears, shaggy bears, baggy bears, too.
There's nothing on earth Uncle Walter won't do,
So he can go waltzing, wa-wa-wa-waltzing,
So he can go waltzing, waltzing with bears!

I crept upstairs in the middle of the night,
I tiptoed in, and I turned on the light;
To my surprise, there was no one in sight,
My Uncle Walter goes waltzing at night!

(chorus:)
He goes wa-wa-wa-wa, waltzing with bears,
Raggy bears, shaggy bears, baggy bears, too.
There's nothing on earth Uncle Walter won't do,
So he can go waltzing, wa-wa-wa-waltzing,
So he can go waltzing, waltzing with bears!

We bought Uncle Walter a new coat to wear,
When he came in it was covered with hair;
Lately I've noticed several new tears,
I'm afraid Uncle Walter goes waltzing with bears!

(chorus:)
He goes wa-wa-wa-wa, waltzing with bears,
Raggy bears, shaggy bears, baggy bears, too.
There's nothing on earth Uncle Walter won't do,
So he can go waltzing, wa-wa-wa-waltzing,
So he can go waltzing, waltzing with bears!

We told Uncle Walter that he should be good,
And do everything that we say he should;
I think he would rather be off in the wood,
I'm afraid we might lose Uncle Walter for good!

(chorus:)
He goes wa-wa-wa-wa, waltzing with bears,
Raggy bears, shaggy bears, baggy bears, too.
There's nothing on earth Uncle Walter won't do,
So he can go waltzing, wa-wa-wa-waltzing,
So he can go waltzing, waltzing with bears!

We begged and we pleaded, "Please won't you stay?"
We managed to keep him at home for a day;
But the bears all barged in and they took him away,
Now he's waltzing with pandas, he can't understand us,
The bears all demand at least one waltz a day!

(chorus:)
He goes wa-wa-wa,wa waltzing with bears,
Raggy bears, shaggy bears, baggy bears, too.
There's nothing on earth Uncle Walter won't do,
So he can go waltzing, wa-wa-wa-waltzing,
So he can go waltzing, waltzing with bears!

One more time!

He goes wa-wa-wa-wa, waltzing with bears,
Momma bear, poppa bear, baby bear, too;
Yogi and Boo Boo, and Winnie the Pooh,
He loves to go waltzing, wa-wa-wa-waltzing,
He loves to go waltzing, waltzing with bears!