The band's first record, Fatboy (1992), established the band as a favorite of the same 1990s scene that became popular through bands such as the Dave Matthews Band, Phish, and Widespread Panic. moe. has toured with the 1997 Furthur Festival, appeared at Woodstock '99, have played in Central Park, were the opening band for The Allman Brothers and The Who, and performed at Radio City Music Hall on New Years Eve 2006 and 2007.
They also host the annual festival moe.down at Snow Ridge Ski Area in Turin, NY. Started in 2000, the festival runs for three days and occurs every Labor Day weekend. The festival has attracted a wide variety of musical talent. Acts range from newer bands just emerging onto the scene (such as Tea Leaf Green, Nellie McKay and Raq) to big name acts and jam rock staples, such as Les Claypool, Blues Traveler, and Mike Gordon (of Phish fame); to pop rock icons, such as Leo Kottke, The Flaming Lips, The Violent Femmes; and most recently, Perry Farrell. Each year, the amount of moe.down attendees has steadily increased. moe.down I attracted around 3,000 people while moe.down VI in 2005, had attracted close to 7,000.
During an interview, guitarist Al Schnier was asked to describe moe. for those who have never heard their music: "It's an amalgamation of a wide variety of the history of rock, all regurgitated and recycled through the eyes, ears, hands, whatever of the guys in our band and all of that with a sense of adventure, a sense of humor, also a constant desire to push the envelope. All in this arena of taking chances, improvising live, and making things up on the spot."
Their official site can be found at www.moe.org
Bearsong
moe. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Days are cold
Into the woods a bear must go
Digging up rocks and stumps and trees
Looking for something
Anything to eat
To brave the snow
The bears will fry ?
And end up frozen (frozen, frozen, frozen)
When the honey is dry
Days are cold
Into the woods a bear must go
Days are filled with ice and snow
Into the bed
A bear must go
Stuffed to the gills with nuts and berries
Sleeping pills, with guts and berries
Well he tried and he tried to get to sleep
And he tossed
And he turned
And he dreamed of little sheep
When the honey is dry
Days are cold
Into the woods
A bear must go
Off to the woods
Into the night
Drawn like a moth
Into the twinkling, shimmering light
Digging up rocks
And stumps and trees
Looking for soul-food and a place to eat*
Off to the night the big bear marches
Hypnotized by the golden arches
Arches, arches, arches, arches
Shot down cold
And broke
And hungry
Needed some dough to buy some honey...honey!
Into the ranks
He was promoted
Working nights his brain exploded
Burgling ham from nine to five
Waiting for his first paycheck to arrive
Well lets suck it up son
And call me Larry
Sweeping up son
And disciplinary
When the honey is dry
Days are cold
Into the woods
A bear must go
Digging up rocks
And stumps and trees
Looking for something
Anything to eat
???
???
???
???
Gleebin, globin, globin**
When the honey is dry
Days are cold
Into the woods
A bear must go
*This line is from Lou Reed's "Walk On The Wild Side."
**Strikingly similar to the "gunter glieben glauten globen" introduction to Def Leppard's "Rock of Ages" from the album PYROMANIA (1983), a phrase which has absolutely no meaning.
The lyrics of "Bearsong" by moe. tell a story of a bear's struggle to survive in the cold winter days when the honey is dry. The bear is forced to venture into the woods to dig up rocks, stumps, and trees to find anything to eat. The song describes the bear's attempts to sleep, its hunger pangs, and its eventual decision to go out during the night to find food. The song uses metaphors to convey the hardships that the bear endures while emphasizing the importance of persistence and resilience in the face of adversity. The line "When the honey is dry, days are cold, into the woods a bear must go" is repeated throughout the song, serving as a refrain that emphasizes the bear's plight.
Overall, "Bearsong" is a song that uses poetic language to tell a story. The repeated refrain adds a rhythmic quality to the song, and the metaphorical language is thought-provoking. The song creates an image of the bear as a resilient figure that is able to survive despite being surrounded by difficulty.
Line by Line Meaning
When the honey is dry
In times of scarcity and want, one must not stay idle.
Days are cold
These times of hardship are marked by bitter coldness.
Into the woods a bear must go
In order to survive, one must venture out into the wilderness.
Digging up rocks and stumps and trees
When hungry, one must search high and low for sustenance.
Looking for something Anything to eat
One must be resourceful in order to find any sort of nourishment.
The bunnies will try To brave the snow
Other creatures will attempt to weather the tough times as well.
The bears will fry ? And end up frozen (frozen, frozen, frozen)
However, many will perish in the face of harsh conditions.
Days are filled with ice and snow Into the bed A bear must go
As it gets colder, the only comfort is to retreat into slumber.
Stuffed to the gills with nuts and berries Sleeping pills, with guts and berries
The bear must consume whatever it can find to sustain itself, including substances that may not be natural.
Well he tried and he tried to get to sleep And he tossed And he turned And he dreamed of little sheep
Even in sleep, the bear's mind is tormented by hunger and the search for food.
Off to the woods Into the night Drawn like a moth Into the twinkling, shimmering light
Despite the dangers, one must continue on the search for sustenance.
Looking for soul-food and a place to eat*
The bear searches not only for physical nourishment, but for something to revitalize its spirit.
Off to the night the big bear marches Hypnotized by the golden arches Arches, arches, arches, arches
The bear becomes fixated on an object of desire, or a symbol of hope in dark times.
Shot down cold And broke And hungry Needed some dough to buy some honey...honey!
Even with determination and resilience, times may become so desperate that one must resort to theft for survival.
Into the ranks He was promoted Working nights his brain exploded Burgling ham from nine to five Waiting for his first paycheck to arrive
The bear may eventually find some modicum of success, but at the cost of its own wellbeing and sanity.
Well lets suck it up son And call me Larry Sweeping up son And disciplinary
The success may be minor and unfulfilling, as the bear is relegated to menial tasks and authoritarian supervision.
???
This line is missing, because the lyrics are incomplete.
???
This line is missing, because the lyrics are incomplete.
???
This line is missing, because the lyrics are incomplete.
Gleebin, globin, globin**
This line is nonsensical and has no true meaning, similar to other catchy phrases from popular music.
Contributed by Caroline E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.