The Tale of Bear and Otter
Shaina Taub Lyrics

Chapter one, tale of Otter and Bear
The beginning of the story of Otter and Bear

An unlikely pair with hearts suspended in the air
Otter and Bear, who are mismatched, love each other deeply

Him just a cub, she just a toddler little otter in the water
Bear is young and Otter is even younger

Where he came to fish for dinner one day
Bear was fishing in the water where Otter lived

Otter said, "Come and swim!" but bear replied,
Otter invited Bear to swim with her, but Bear hesitated

"My Pah won't let me in past my paws"
Bear thinks his father won't approve of him swimming with Otter

And just as bear almost ran away
Bear was about to leave the water

Otter climbed on land, and took his hand, and said
Otter went on land and convinced Bear to stay

"This is what children do, this is what babies do
Otter is telling Bear that it's normal for them to play together

This is what giraffes do, they hide in love
Otter is comparing their love to that of giraffes

This is what spiders do, this is what stingrays do
Otter is giving examples of animals that also show love

This is what raccoons do, they find in love, they try in love"
Otter is saying that even raccoons are capable of finding and trying in love

Chapter two, Bear and Otter, few years older
A few years have passed since they met

Found a spacious place up stream together
They found a bigger place to live in

Trading weeks between land and sea
They took turns living on land and in water

It's heavenly
They were really happy

And Bear hunts nine to five
Bear works a regular job to support their family

While Otter finishes her degree
Otter is pursuing higher education

And they smile over dinners of sea bass and dream of
They share meals and talk about their dreams

Moving to Alaska
They want to move to Alaska

And Bear spends too much on honey
Bear loves honey and buys too much of it

And Otter drowns in her studies
Otter is overwhelmed with schoolwork

But when the day is done
After their work is finished

They have their fun, on and on
They still make time to enjoy each other's company

This is what couples do, this is what creatures do
Otter is saying that everyone, humans and animals alike, behave in similar ways when in love

This is what giraffes do, they hide in love
They are still comparing their love to the love of giraffes

This is what plankton do, komodo dragons too
Otter is giving even more examples of animals that show love

This is what baboons do, they find in love, they try in love
Even baboons are capable of finding and trying in love

Chapter three, accidentally a pregnancy too soon
They have a child unexpectedly

Baby is due in June
The baby is due in June

There's no room
They don't have enough space for the baby

Winter looms a scared, unprepared
They are worried about the coming winter

Bear and Otter wait for someone
They're waiting for guidance

To tell them what to do
They need advice

Bear picks up night shifts
Bear starts working night shifts to make more money

A rift begins to sift
They start to have problems in their relationship

And Otter dreams
Otter is worried and dreaming about the future

In black and white
Her dreams are vivid and scary

When Bears son arrives
Their son is born

He has Bear's brown hair
Their son has the same hair color as Bear

And Otter's little eyes
Their son has Otter's eyes

They cry
They cry tears of joy

Is this what grown ups do, is this what parents do
Bear questions if they're doing the right thing as parents

Is this what adults do
Bear wonders if this is what being an adult is like

Trade time
They sacrifice their time for their child

For love
All their sacrifice is for their love for their child

Chapter four, Bear and Otter
An old Bear and Otter

Well past eighty-four
They're very old

Their kid moved to Alaska, don't ask-uh
Their child moved to Alaska and it's a painful memory

It's a sore subject
Their child moving away is something they don't like to talk about

Bear retired
Bear is no longer working

Bear's pancreas expire
Bear's health is deteriorating

Otter bathes him in the river
As Bear becomes too weak to bathe himself, Otter takes care of him

And holds him through the night
Otter stays with Bear through the night

She says "Remember when we met?"
Otter reminisces about their first meeting

He said "How can I forget?
Bear remembers it well

We rolled a pair of dice
They took a chance on each other

And built our own paradise
They built a happy life together

Life didn't go
Their life was not without challenges

Like we tried
They didn't get everything they worked for

But it was worth it by your side"
Bear is grateful for Otter's company and love

And then he died
Bear dies

This is what hippos do, this is what oysters do
Otter is suggesting that love is universal, even among very different animals

This is what dinosaurs did, they hid in love
Even extinct creatures showed love

This is what grown ups do, this is what babies do
From infancy to old age, love is an important part of everyone's life

This is what giraffes do, they find in love
As they did in the beginning, Otter and Bear's love is still special

Love
Love is the most important thing of all

This is what people do, what else can people do?
People show love and care for each other

I wanna live beside you and die
Otter wants to be near Bear until the end of their lives

In love
Their love is eternal