By: David Allan Coe and Larry Murray

BETTY DROVE THE SEMI, SHE PULLED UP TO THE PUMP
I THOUGHT I WANTED A COCA-COLA AND I STARTED OUT ON THE JUMP
SHE SAID, "HOLD IT DAVE, COME QUICK, THERE'S SOMETHING YOU GOT TO SEE
THAT MAN HAD GOT A DANCING BEAR TIED UP TO THAT OLD TREE"

I SAID, "DANCE, DANCE, DAKOTA DANCE ALL AROUND THE COUNTRY STORE"
ME AND SWEET BETTY AIN'T NEVER SEEN
A BEAR THAT COULD DANCE BEFORE
WELL, IT'S ONE STEP, TWO STEPS, THREE STEPS FOUR
A BOTTLE OF SODA AND HE'LL DANCE SOME MORE
DANCE, DANCE DAKOTA DANCE ALL AROUND THE COUNTRY STORE

WELL, THESE HIPPIES WALKED UP TO THE CAGE
GIVING' PILLS TO THAT OLE BEAR
I DON'T KNOW WHAT IT WAS THEY WAS GIVING TO HIM
IT HAD HIM PULLING OUT HIS HAIR
I TRIED TO KEEP TIME WITH THE MUSIC,
LORD WITH THE BEAT ON MY TAMBOURINE
GAVE HIM SOME WINE FROM A MASON JAR AND WE ALL BEGAN TO SING

RECITATION:

WELL, I WENT OUT TO LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA AND I SAW A SEMI TRUCK ALONG THE SIDE OF THE ROAD IT SAID 'DAKOTA THE DANCING BEAR' ON THE SIDE OF IT NOW THEY CHARGED YOU 50 CENTS TO WATCH THIS BEAR DANCE AROUND A TRUCK SO I TURNED TO ARLO AND I SAID "ARLO, WE OUGHT TO GET DOWN OFF THESE MOTORCYCLES AND WALK OVER THERE AND SEE IF THAT'S THE SAME BEAR THAT BETTY TOLD US ABOUT WHEN SHE WAS DRIVING THE SEMI TRUCK FOR US BACK IN NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE" SO WE GOT DOWN OFF OUR MOTORCYCLES AND WE WALKED OVER THERE EATEN' OUR PICKLES NOW THERE WAS FOUR OR FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND OF THESE HIPPIES FREAKS STANDING' AROUND WAITING' ON A ROCK FESTIVAL IT APPEARED THAT DAVID ALLAN COE, KRIS KRISTOFFERSON AND THE GRAND FUNK RAILROAD WAS PLAYING' IN TOWN THAT DAY AND THEIR AIRPLANE HAD GOT HIJACKED SOMEWHERE OVER CHICAGO, ILLINOIS SO IT TURNED OUT THAT THE PEOPLE WITH SHORT HAIR STARTED THROWING' ROCKS AT THE PEOPLE THAT HAD LONG HAIR