On a misty morning cold and gray
Right before the break of day
Rolled up in his bedroll tight
Jerry Jing-Jang had spent the night
Underneath a gnarled old oak
When with a start he awoke.

Something rustled and something thumped
Out from his bedroll the cowboy jumped
Aimed his gun at the awful sound
When the food he'd stowed hit the ground.
"It's just some critter in that tree
Near scared the bejeebers out of me."

With the fire blazing and the sun on the rise
Jerry Jing-Jang was able to focus his eyes
By the fire he gave his head a rub
And up in the tree saw a brown bear cub
Eating the sausages he'd gleaned on the sly
And the cowboy laughed with a gleam in his eye.

"I ain't gonna shoot no little cub
Even iff'n he ate up all of my grub
You're gonna learn what a bellyache means
'Cause you even ate up the coffee beans
You're lucky my belly don't care for bear
Or you might be steaks, medium rare."

He doused his fire and packed his gear
Knowing Mama Bear was somewhere near
"There's a fishin' hole in a mile or two
Moving the herd is the thing to do.:"
Roundup the dog with his baleful eyes
Wanted his breakfast at sunrise.

"I knows that you done like I told you to
Watchin' them cows is what you was a-s'posed to do
But that bear ate everything what could be ate
So both of our breakfasts will have to wait."
It took some time with cattle to drive
Mighty hungry they did arrive.

Jerry Jing-Jang caught fish for himself and his dog
Filled up the pan and relaxed on a log.
He figured he'd need more food for his ride
And caught more fish to hang till they dried
Then took a ride along the shore
To try and hunt up something more.

"Gee willikers!" he exclaimed when he saw
That little brown bear with his Ma.
"Some days life just ain't fair
Tonight we might be eatin' bear!"
Then from above he heard a yelp
And a frightened call for help.

Looking up he saw a head of rusty hair
And a second little bear.
"Well, flummoxed I'll be if it ain't old Rusty
A-hidin' hisself up a tree
Them bears has earned their grub today
For not lettin' Rusty get away."

"But there ain't no law against runnin' from a bear or two
Whatever he was plannin' he didn't do.
Meetin' them bears was a lucky break
Guess I won't be turning 'em into steak
They ate up the grub but I ain't beat
A cowboy can always find something to eat.