The Antlers - Bear Meaning

Bear Lyrics

There's a bear inside your stomach
The cub's been kicking from within
He's loud, though without vocal chords
We'll put an end to him
We'll make all the right appointments
No one ever has to know
And then tomorrow I'll turn 21
We'll script another...

1. anonymous

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   Jan 19th 2020 !⃝

   First thought hearing this song was it is about abortion, but after reading comments about this album I believe the bear represents cancer
2. anonymous

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   Sep 27th 2012 !⃝

   Maybe the wife with cancer got pregnant and because of the dissease they decided to have an abortion, even if it was hard.
3. anonymous

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   Nov 30th 2011 !⃝

   While I agree with the other comments about how this song is about a baby it doesn't seem to fit in with the rest of the album. Hospice is supposed to be about the songwriter's experiences watching his wife die from bone cancer, so I want to say it has something to do about that (like every other song is the album is, true fact), but the idea of a baby just works too well. Maybe I'm just overthinking it
4. anonymous

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   May 31st 2011 !⃝

   This song is about abortion- the bear is a baby. At first the couple continues to live irresponsibly and dismisses the problem of pregnancy by deciding to get rid of it ("we'll put an end to him");however, after it's done they are hit with the consequences of their rash decision ("When we get home we're bigger strangers than we've ever been before"). Very interesting to hear it from a guy's perspective- It seems like he can grasp the situation better than the girl can.

   This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
5. anonymous

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   Mar 13th 2011 !⃝

   After many times listening to this song knowing that it had a deeper meaning than a cute little bear, the connection just came to me. I was just lying down and listening to the song the way I usually do, and I just randomly thought of abortion. When I thought about the lyrics for awhile it all seemed to click. I hope if anyone actually reads this it will reveal to them the same idea, and that they now can apply the meaning of this song to everyday life. :)