It never actually states that the bear is shedding her skin or fur or transcending her body in any way. I think the last few verses simply mean that she is shedding her costume, which metaphorically is like shedding her skin I suppose, but not necessarily by literal interpretation. She simply swims until the costume (that has burdened her for so long) literally falls off her body, allowing her stomach and shoulders to stretch and breathe with unbridled, new-found freedom.
Then she uses the discarded threadbare coat to catch minnows in the sea to finally eat bountifully like the monkey always promised she would.
The final verse, when Bear left Bear, seems to imply that she is leaving her old role (and the costume that represented it) behind to become a new bear, a free bear, no longer oppressed or controlled.
The song sees to be a fable depicting the nature of freedom, the illusion of control, and the futility of trying to make someone (or some animal) be someone they are not, or act in ways against their nature.
The very last line about burying your teeth, almost seem to imply that she might eventually seek revenge on that damned monkey. Or it could just mean that she is finally free to act like a real bear rather than a hay-fed circus act.
@hudsucker
The song says her legs fell off and she shed her shoulders and allowed the burden of her belly to drop like dropping boulders and all that's left is her empty coat of fur. Her body literally comes apart as she transcends physical reality. The only way for her to be not oppressed is to leave this earthly existence. This is a great article on the song: allthebirds.tumblr.com/post/14974282311/sooner-or-later-youll-bury-your-teeth-the and it references the myth of Callisto the bear, who transcends earth to become Ursa Major.
@hudsucker
The song says her legs fell off and she shed her shoulders and allowed the burden of her belly to drop like dropping boulders and all that's left is her empty coat of fur. Her body literally comes apart as she transcends physical reality. The only way for her to be not oppressed is to leave this earthly existence. This is a great article on the song: allthebirds.tumblr.com/post/14974282311/sooner-or-later-youll-bury-your-teeth-the and it references the myth of Callisto the bear, who transcends earth to become Ursa Major.
@grayson116
I interpret her legs and shoulders falling off as the legs and shoulders of her costume, not her actual body parts, as evidenced by the following stanza that has her using that same costume to catch minnows. While I do love the idea that she eventually transcends her body to become one with the stars, I don't think the lyrics imply her body is falling apart in that verse or that the song implies her leaving her physical body... yet. The entire song is very literal and straightforward in tone and verse up until this point, and to suddenly become...
@grayson116
I interpret her legs and shoulders falling off as the legs and shoulders of her costume, not her actual body parts, as evidenced by the following stanza that has her using that same costume to catch minnows. While I do love the idea that she eventually transcends her body to become one with the stars, I don't think the lyrics imply her body is falling apart in that verse or that the song implies her leaving her physical body... yet. The entire song is very literal and straightforward in tone and verse up until this point, and to suddenly become cerebral and murky at the end would seem out of place in my opinion. But metaphorical stuff is always open for interpretation I suppose.
@grayson116
I interpret her legs and shoulders falling off as the legs and shoulders of her costume, not her actual body parts, as evidenced by the following stanza that has her using that same costume to catch minnows. While I do love the idea that she eventually transcends her body to become one with the stars, I don't think the lyrics imply her body is falling apart in that verse or that the song implies her leaving her physical body... yet. The entire song is very literal and straightforward in tone and verse up until this point, and to suddenly become...
@grayson116
I interpret her legs and shoulders falling off as the legs and shoulders of her costume, not her actual body parts, as evidenced by the following stanza that has her using that same costume to catch minnows. While I do love the idea that she eventually transcends her body to become one with the stars, I don't think the lyrics imply her body is falling apart in that verse or that the song implies her leaving her physical body... yet. The entire song is very literal and straightforward in tone and verse up until this point, and to suddenly become cerebral and murky at the end would seem out of place in my opinion. But metaphorical stuff is always open for interpretation I suppose.
@grayson116
I interpret her legs and shoulders falling off as the legs and shoulders of her costume, not her actual body parts, as evidenced by the following stanza that has her using that same costume to catch minnows. While I do love the idea that she eventually transcends her body to become one with the stars, I don't think the lyrics imply her body is falling apart in that verse or that the song implies her leaving her physical body... yet. The entire song is very literal and straightforward in tone and verse up until this point, and to suddenly become...
@grayson116
I interpret her legs and shoulders falling off as the legs and shoulders of her costume, not her actual body parts, as evidenced by the following stanza that has her using that same costume to catch minnows. While I do love the idea that she eventually transcends her body to become one with the stars, I don't think the lyrics imply her body is falling apart in that verse or that the song implies her leaving her physical body... yet. The entire song is very literal and straightforward in tone and verse up until this point, and to suddenly become cerebral and murky at the end would seem out of place in my opinion. But metaphorical stuff is always open for interpretation I suppose.
@grayson116
I interpret her legs and shoulders falling off as the legs and shoulders of her costume, not her actual body parts, as evidenced by the following stanza that has her using that same costume to catch minnows. While I do love the idea that she eventually transcends her body to become one with the stars, I don't think the lyrics imply her body is falling apart in that verse or that the song implies her leaving her physical body... yet. The entire song is very literal and straightforward in tone and verse up until this point, and to suddenly become...
@grayson116
I interpret her legs and shoulders falling off as the legs and shoulders of her costume, not her actual body parts, as evidenced by the following stanza that has her using that same costume to catch minnows. While I do love the idea that she eventually transcends her body to become one with the stars, I don't think the lyrics imply her body is falling apart in that verse or that the song implies her leaving her physical body... yet. The entire song is very literal and straightforward in tone and verse up until this point, and to suddenly become cerebral and murky at the end would seem out of place in my opinion. But metaphorical stuff is always open for interpretation I suppose.
It never actually states that the bear is shedding her skin or fur or transcending her body in any way. I think the last few verses simply mean that she is shedding her costume, which metaphorically is like shedding her skin I suppose, but not necessarily by literal interpretation. She simply swims until the costume (that has burdened her for so long) literally falls off her body, allowing her stomach and shoulders to stretch and breathe with unbridled, new-found freedom.
Then she uses the discarded threadbare coat to catch minnows in the sea to finally eat bountifully like the monkey always promised she would.
The final verse, when Bear left Bear, seems to imply that she is leaving her old role (and the costume that represented it) behind to become a new bear, a free bear, no longer oppressed or controlled.
The song sees to be a fable depicting the nature of freedom, the illusion of control, and the futility of trying to make someone (or some animal) be someone they are not, or act in ways against their nature.
The very last line about burying your teeth, almost seem to imply that she might eventually seek revenge on that damned monkey. Or it could just mean that she is finally free to act like a real bear rather than a hay-fed circus act.
@hudsucker The song says her legs fell off and she shed her shoulders and allowed the burden of her belly to drop like dropping boulders and all that's left is her empty coat of fur. Her body literally comes apart as she transcends physical reality. The only way for her to be not oppressed is to leave this earthly existence. This is a great article on the song: allthebirds.tumblr.com/post/14974282311/sooner-or-later-youll-bury-your-teeth-the and it references the myth of Callisto the bear, who transcends earth to become Ursa Major.
@hudsucker The song says her legs fell off and she shed her shoulders and allowed the burden of her belly to drop like dropping boulders and all that's left is her empty coat of fur. Her body literally comes apart as she transcends physical reality. The only way for her to be not oppressed is to leave this earthly existence. This is a great article on the song: allthebirds.tumblr.com/post/14974282311/sooner-or-later-youll-bury-your-teeth-the and it references the myth of Callisto the bear, who transcends earth to become Ursa Major.
@grayson116 I interpret her legs and shoulders falling off as the legs and shoulders of her costume, not her actual body parts, as evidenced by the following stanza that has her using that same costume to catch minnows. While I do love the idea that she eventually transcends her body to become one with the stars, I don't think the lyrics imply her body is falling apart in that verse or that the song implies her leaving her physical body... yet. The entire song is very literal and straightforward in tone and verse up until this point, and to suddenly become...
@grayson116 I interpret her legs and shoulders falling off as the legs and shoulders of her costume, not her actual body parts, as evidenced by the following stanza that has her using that same costume to catch minnows. While I do love the idea that she eventually transcends her body to become one with the stars, I don't think the lyrics imply her body is falling apart in that verse or that the song implies her leaving her physical body... yet. The entire song is very literal and straightforward in tone and verse up until this point, and to suddenly become cerebral and murky at the end would seem out of place in my opinion. But metaphorical stuff is always open for interpretation I suppose.
@grayson116 I interpret her legs and shoulders falling off as the legs and shoulders of her costume, not her actual body parts, as evidenced by the following stanza that has her using that same costume to catch minnows. While I do love the idea that she eventually transcends her body to become one with the stars, I don't think the lyrics imply her body is falling apart in that verse or that the song implies her leaving her physical body... yet. The entire song is very literal and straightforward in tone and verse up until this point, and to suddenly become...
@grayson116 I interpret her legs and shoulders falling off as the legs and shoulders of her costume, not her actual body parts, as evidenced by the following stanza that has her using that same costume to catch minnows. While I do love the idea that she eventually transcends her body to become one with the stars, I don't think the lyrics imply her body is falling apart in that verse or that the song implies her leaving her physical body... yet. The entire song is very literal and straightforward in tone and verse up until this point, and to suddenly become cerebral and murky at the end would seem out of place in my opinion. But metaphorical stuff is always open for interpretation I suppose.
@grayson116 I interpret her legs and shoulders falling off as the legs and shoulders of her costume, not her actual body parts, as evidenced by the following stanza that has her using that same costume to catch minnows. While I do love the idea that she eventually transcends her body to become one with the stars, I don't think the lyrics imply her body is falling apart in that verse or that the song implies her leaving her physical body... yet. The entire song is very literal and straightforward in tone and verse up until this point, and to suddenly become...
@grayson116 I interpret her legs and shoulders falling off as the legs and shoulders of her costume, not her actual body parts, as evidenced by the following stanza that has her using that same costume to catch minnows. While I do love the idea that she eventually transcends her body to become one with the stars, I don't think the lyrics imply her body is falling apart in that verse or that the song implies her leaving her physical body... yet. The entire song is very literal and straightforward in tone and verse up until this point, and to suddenly become cerebral and murky at the end would seem out of place in my opinion. But metaphorical stuff is always open for interpretation I suppose.
@grayson116 I interpret her legs and shoulders falling off as the legs and shoulders of her costume, not her actual body parts, as evidenced by the following stanza that has her using that same costume to catch minnows. While I do love the idea that she eventually transcends her body to become one with the stars, I don't think the lyrics imply her body is falling apart in that verse or that the song implies her leaving her physical body... yet. The entire song is very literal and straightforward in tone and verse up until this point, and to suddenly become...
@grayson116 I interpret her legs and shoulders falling off as the legs and shoulders of her costume, not her actual body parts, as evidenced by the following stanza that has her using that same costume to catch minnows. While I do love the idea that she eventually transcends her body to become one with the stars, I don't think the lyrics imply her body is falling apart in that verse or that the song implies her leaving her physical body... yet. The entire song is very literal and straightforward in tone and verse up until this point, and to suddenly become cerebral and murky at the end would seem out of place in my opinion. But metaphorical stuff is always open for interpretation I suppose.
Ouch, I didn't mean to post that reply five times. Stupid IE.
Ouch, I didn't mean to post that reply five times. Stupid IE.