The most prominent b… Read Full Bio ↴There are at least two bands called The Bears.
The most prominent band called The Bears formed in 1985 in Cincinnati, Ohio, and continue to create new music today. Their sound may be categorized as Power-Pop or Prog Pop, but draws from a diverse pallet of influences, and features the distinctive avant-garde guitar playing of Adrian Belew, the band's most prominent member.
In addition to guitarist, vocalist and producer Belew, The Bears consists of guitarist/vocalist Rob Fetters, drummer/vocalist Chris Arduser, and bassist Bob Nyswonger (without Belew, the three are known as the PsychoDots).
In addition, there is a twee band called Bears (without the "the") from Cleveland, Ohio.
Another band called The Bears were formed in Watford, UK, by former Wire guitarist George Gill and future Julian Cope manager Cally. They released three singles in 1979, including the excellent Insane/Decisions which appeared on the Belfast label Good Vibrations.
Sooner or Later
The Bears Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And the clock on the wall runs down
The plates you've been spinning break on the floor
And the people edge toward the door
You got me going
You got me going around
You got me going around in circles
Chasing my tail - spitting into the wind
Sooner or later
Indian summer is gone
And everything green turns brown
The wind gnaws the tree down to skeleton bones
And the sun's just a shiny cold stone
Sooner or later
We'll be together again
And there's no telling where or when
The chorus of The Bears' song "Sooner or Later" is a warning about life's inevitable defeats. Gravity always wins, time runs out, and eventually, the "plates you've been spinning" will break, no longer in your control. The line "spitting into the wind" suggests a futile effort, a task which will only come back to haunt you. Despite this, the object of the song is "going around in circles," chasing their own tail. This is a sign of a lack of direction, the feeling of being stuck in the same place.
The verse that follows is a metaphor for the passage of time. "Indian summer is gone" and "everything green turns brown," representing the end of something. The wind gnawing the tree down to its skeleton bones is a reminder that even things that seem permanent are not. The sun becomes nothing more than a "shiny cold stone" when you look at it from a different perspective. The final line of the song is an optimistic albeit vague one. "We'll be together again, and there's no telling where or when" indicates that although things may have ended badly, hope remains for a future reunion.
Line by Line Meaning
Sooner or later gravity always wins
No matter how hard you try or how long you resist, gravity will eventually overcome your efforts.
And the clock on the wall runs down
Time always runs out and eventually comes to a halt.
The plates you've been spinning break on the floor
Juggling too many things at once will eventually lead to failure.
And the people edge toward the door
When things start going wrong, people tend to try to escape from the situation.
You got me going
You have me feeling excited and energized.
You got me going around
You have me running in circles and unable to escape.
You got me going around in circles
You have me repeating the same patterns and unable to break free.
Chasing my tail - spitting into the wind
I am stuck in a frustrating cycle of trying to achieve something that is impossible to attain.
Sooner or later Indian summer is gone
The pleasant, easy times will eventually come to an end.
And everything green turns brown
All good things eventually fade away and lose their beauty.
The wind gnaws the tree down to skeleton bones
Over time, the forces of nature will slowly erode even the strongest and most resilient things.
And the sun's just a shiny cold stone
Even the brightest and most powerful things in our lives will eventually lose their warmth and become dull.
Sooner or later we'll be together again
No matter how long we are apart or how much time passes, we will eventually be reunited.
And there's no telling where or when
The future is unpredictable and we can't know for sure when or where this reunion will occur.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
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