The Wakes coming on and the bear he took ill,
We tried him with potion, with brandy and pill,
He died in his sleep at the eve of the Wakes,
The cause, it was said, was strong ale and sweet cakes.
CHORUS:
The cheeses of Cheshire are famed but beware,
Of stories they tell of the Congleton bear,
Congleton bear, Congleton bear,
They sold the church bible to buy a new bear.
He’d served the town well and he’d served the town true,
To lie him in state was the least they could do,
The old bear was dead, a successor they’d need,
A new bear was wanted, and that at great speed.
(chorus)
Now a parson is useful in times of great need,
And imbibed with strong porter he quickly agreed,
The parson, his Bible he gave then and there,
We sold it in Nantwich to buy a new bear.
(chorus)
A new bear, a she-bear, was toast of the town,
To music and laughter she danced up and down,
So loudly the cheering would waken the dead,
It caused the old bear for to rise from his bed.
(chorus)
Pills, potion, and brandy induced a deep trance,
And refreshed by the music he began for to dance,
He danced down the road causing many a gaze,
Word quickly spread that old bear was raised.
(chorus)
He rolled his dark eye as he spied the she-bear,
And with an embrace they danced jigs pair-and-pair,
The cheeses of Cheshire are famed but beware,
Of stories they tell of the Congleton bear.
(chorus)