Bear's Vision of St. Agnes

Here's what I am piecing together:

Since the album is a story, this song should be looked at in the context of the rest of the album. This is something I will take into account somewhat, but there is likely more that could be learned from looking closely at other songs.

Bear and Fox are wandering together, and, as noted in "Fox's Dream of a Log Flume", they have already had a discussion where (I think) Bear seems to recount a tale of unrequited love and Fox depicts his dream of Bear's suicide ("...and that you jumped from the top of the log flume.")

"Bear's Vision..." brings us back to Fox and Bear, now wandering and apparently growing weak from hunger. The fox feels that it is a burden to Bear ("you've worn me like an albatross, I've only slowed you down") this could be referring to their physical journey, but also relationally

"You could've long traded in your braided crown (virginity?) by now you could've found that Anabaptist girl you always used to go on about".

Apparently, Bear has talked to Fox about a girl he was interested in throughout their time in the circus. It's likely that their starving is somehow thematically related to celibacy and the unfulfillment of each of their relational/sexual desires towards others and each other (also: "we burned like fevers under carriage masks").

The pair approach the Asbury Cliffs (referenced in Fox's dream). Here, Bear says that his brother has passed away and has been laid at the bottom. Mention is made of St. Agnes (saint of virginity/chastity, among other things) and how she was present at the hospital where his brother died. The saint averted her eyes at Bear's brother's death (possibly due to some sort of sexual impurity, or to assume purity and and avoid disappointment?). Bear tells Fox his brother is located at the bottom of the cliff, and that Fox should climb down where "there'll be enough to fill your cup for days". It may be that Bear is telling Fox to eat the remains of his brother to avoid starvation (though Bear says of himself "I'll stay up here and rest"). "There'll be enough to fill your cup for days" might be a reference to the traditional story of the death of St. Agnes, where believers soaked up her spilt blood with rags (insinuating that Bear's brother was indeed a virgin at his death).

Presumably, Bear is trying to get some privacy from Fox so that he can throw himself from the top of the cliff to join his brother and fulfill Fox's earlier dream. In his aside, Bear descibes his fall and his return to his beginnings (which ties in with the next song on the album):

"We'll fly in straight lines as from carronades we'll crash like tidal waves, decimate the islands as our hollowed lumber falls like water, ends where I start in that tattered rag shop back in Asbury Park"

While it looks like Bear is trying to preserve Fox's life, Bear does say "We'll" when describing his death. Not sure what to think about that. The song ends with a stanza I am somewhat clueless on. It seems that Bear may be describing how quickly his strength is leaving him and telling Fox that his survival will make Bear's death and sacrifice (more food for Fox?) worthwhile. If my theory of Bear offering his brother and himself as sustenance is correct (it may not be), this song is slightly dark, but also beautiful.

Further thoughts/corrections welcome.

Aaron said this in an interview about the song:

"...on the new record, there is a song called “Bear's Vision of St. Agnes,” which is super melancholy throughout and has a big, dramatic ending. Well, this music fit perfectly with an idea I’ve wanted to write a song about for years, about an animal throwing itself from a cliff to feed its starving friend (taken from a story my buddy told me, which he said had Buddhist origins — though I don’t know). So in that case, there was a concept waiting around for a while, and when the music came along that fit the concept’s mood, it unfolded pretty easily."

I was about to reference that same interview.

cbay is spot on in my humble opinion, except that I don't think there really was a brother.

I actually get the impression the story about Bear's "brother" is misdirection... I think Bear intends to throw itself from the cliff to provide food for Fox, but knows Fox won't eat him. So he gives him this story about how his brother (who looks "just like me") is at the bottom, and will "fill your cup for days".

"I'll stay up here and rest" is, I think, a white lie intended to cover for Bear long enough for it to make its sacrifice for Fox.

My interpretation of the song's ending ("Look how soon my hands won't move") is that this verse is the last set of thoughts that go through Bear's mind as he falls to his death. It is often said that in those last seconds, our whole lives flash before us. Having been a performer in the circus his whole life, Bear's last thoughts are related to this... and perhaps falling to his death is meaningful because Bear's livelihood in the circus involved walking (or bicycling) across balance beams, where he had surely imagined falling to his death before. "If you improve, we all improve," would have been something that was drilled into Bear's head throughout his life of rehearsing with the other animals. The Circus is a collective effort. This interpretation also squares nicely with many of Aaron's lyrics about community and realizing one's identity in relation to others (going back to the theme of Solipsism). As Bear falls, his body is gradually and then with the last line ("ten foot more and nothing moves") totally surrendered to death. In between these lines about losing control of his body, his Bear instincts kick in, and his body tells him he is going into hibernation ("fill our den with acorn mast, I'll wake before the salmon pass").

This song is so sad and beautiful. I wonder what happens to Fox? She apparently the only Circus animal still who we dont really know what happens to.

I think Fox is supposed to be Aaron himself? Or is that Bear?

SO GOOD AGHHHH. The guitar at the end and onward is so beautiful. Love hearing Aaron sing a bit.

@cbay that makes a lot of sense! Good interpretation!

I also just realized my comment plays havoc with pronouns. I don't know what genders Bear and Fox are intended to be, sorry I made a hash of that.

Is the lyric after 'barren rocks and sand' supposed to be 'our wooden sculpture hands'? It sounds like that, but no lyrics I have read say that.

And I believe that last stanza is supposed to be about Bear's fall toward the rocks below, just him counting the feet before impact.

My favorite line are the last two:

I'll wake before the salmon pass Ten foot more and nothing moves"

I am not a native speaker so I just may not interpret it as it should, however for me it seems that just for a second bear hopes to think that it is just a dream, from which he wakes up as if it was the end of winter. "I wake before the salmon pass". But in the nick of time he realizes that he is not dreaming, but passing away in ten more feet.