Music copyright © 1979 by Robert Hazard
Words 2009 by Jim Bearden

The idea for this song first came to me at a somewhat tense moment – we were camped in one of the remote campgrounds in Yosemite National Park (Yosemite Creek), and had finished supper and put our food safely away (fortunately), when a large black bear came right into our campsite and started looking around for any food we might have left out for him. While we were trying to stay out of his way, and waiting for him to leave, I heard someone say “He just wants to have food.” This triggered an association in my mind with the Cyndi Lauper song with a similar theme, and I sat down the next day to write this out. I hope neither Cyndi nor the bears are too offended by what I came up with.

Verse 1:
I wake up in the middle of the night
And see that bear roaming around in our site.
It’s not that he’s got a bad attitude,
But bears — they want to have food.
Oh, bears just want to have food.

Verse 2:
He comes back in the morning light,
And we’re blowing our horns, just to give him a fright.
Oh, Mr. Sasquatch, we don’t mean to be rude,
But bears — they want to have food.
Oh, bears just want to have …

Chorus:
That’s all they really want — some food.
It’s not a matter of bad or good:
But bears — they want to have food.
Oh, bears just want to have food.

Verse 3:
Some folks give in to their fear,
And never go anywhere they might see a bear;
I don’t wanna miss that walk in the sun,
Oh, bears just want to have food.
Oh, bears just want to have …

Chorus

End:
Bears, they want to have food,
Bears, they want to have…

They just wanna, they just wanna.
They just wanna, they just wanna,
Oh, bears just want to have food.
Oh, bears just want to have food.

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