# The Bear Went Over the Mountain

“The Bear Went Over the Mountain” is an English-language children’s song printed in the United States by 1920 in which a bear’s climb ends with the same landscape on every side.

## At a glance

| | |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | Unknown |
| Sung in | English |
| Words by | Traditional |
| First known | Printed in the United States by 1920; earlier origin not established |
| Best for ages | 2–7 |
| Mood | playful, traditional |
| Page | https://littlesongbook.com/songs/the-bear-went-over-the-mountain/ |

## Lyrics

### Verse 1 (en)

The bear went over the mountain,
The bear went over the mountain,
The bear went over the mountain,
To see what he could see.

And all that he could see,
And all that he could see,
Was the other side of the mountain,
The other side of the mountain,
The other side of the mountain,
Was all that he could see.

So he went back over the mountain,
He went back over the mountain,
He went back over the mountain,
To see what he could see.

But all that he could see,
But all that he could see,
Was the other side of the mountain,
The other side of the mountain,
The other side of the mountain,
Was all that he could see.
All that he could see!

## How to sing it

1. Begin slowly so everyone can hear the repeated words and the action cue.
2. March fingers or feet upward for the climb, shade the eyes at the summit, then point across to the other side.
3. Repeat the song once and invite a different child to lead the cues.

## Common questions

**What does the bear see over the mountain?**

The bear sees only the other side of the mountain. The return journey produces the same answer, so the repeated climb forms the song’s circular joke.

**Who wrote The Bear Went Over the Mountain?**

No named author or proven country of origin was established. The earliest printing located by James J. Fuld was an American songbook issued in 1920, but an American printing does not prove an American origin.

## Sources

- [James J. Fuld — The Book of World-Famous Music (3rd ed., 1985), “The Bear Went over the Mountain”](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/BOOKSHELF-ARH/Radio-Programming/The-Book-of-World-Famous-Music-Fuld-3rd-1985.pdf)
- [Sing Up — The Bear Went Over the Mountain](https://www.singup.org/song-bank/song/119-the-bear-went-over-the-mountain/)
- [BBC Music Magazine — expanded return version](https://www.classical-music.com/articles/the-bear-went-over-the-mountain-lyrics)