Daddy blows the light out when he tucks me in to bed
And kisses me before he goes
Daddy says the angels watch his darling while she sleeps
But do think the angels know?
Cos every night when Daddy's gone there's a rumbling on the stairs
I close my weeny eyes up tight cos I might get a fright from a bear!

Are you there Mr Bear?
Don't you dare to take a bite of me
I shall scream do very quick my papa will fetch a stick
Cos he's not afraid of bears, not he,
But if you're hungry and you want a baby girl
You're hungry and you can't find anymore
I'll tell you where there's plenty
Go and try at No 20 go and bite the little girl next door
Next door go and the little girl next door.

My Mum recited this to me at bedtime... scared the living daylights out of me. This was in the 1950's. I certainly remember it as a poem. I taught it to my niece who recited it at a Storytelling competition at the Sidmouth Folk Festival in the early 80's. It was judged by Packie Manus Byrne and she won the princely sum of ?7 . A fortune then to a five year old!