Fans of Andy's early comedy records will no doubt remember the funny song "The
Preacher and the Bear," in which a preacher, while hunting, gets treed by a
bear. The chorus goes like this:
Oh LORD, didn't You deliver Daniel from the lions' den?
Also delivered Jonah from the belly of the whale, and then,
The three Hebrew children from the fiery furnace, oh the Good Book do declare.
But oh LORD, if You can't help me, for goodness' sake don't You help that bear!
You folks may not believe this, but I actually heard this song on the radio a
few days ago, on my favorite local station, which plays all comedy. This song
was probably the inspiration for the funny TAGS scene in which Mayor Stoner
gets treed by a bear.
Anyway, I am a big fan of barber shop quartet music, and not long ago I
discovered another recording of this song by The Buffalo Bills (no, not the
football team, the legendary quartet best known today for their appearance The
Music Man, a movie which stars quite a lot of Mayberry cast members -- but I
digress.) Anyway, this version of the song includes another verse not used in
Andy's version, in which the preacher escapes, is chased into the water, and
ends up baptizing the bear. Funny stuff!
Paul Mulik
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