The Good, Better, Best Chant › The words
The Good, Better, Best Chant: The Full Words
Four lines, called and echoed. Here is exactly what the Bears say, how the older proverb differs, and which version to use.
The Bears' version
This is the chant as head coach Ben Johnson calls it in the locker room after a win. He shouts each line; the team shouts it back. People search for these as the chant's "lyrics," and that's fair: it rhymes, it has a beat, and the whole room sings it.
Good, better, best!
Never let it rest.
'Til your good gets better,
And your better gets best.
Then the break: Johnson says "Bears on three," the team counts "one, two, three," and everyone yells "BEARS!" The whole thing takes about fifteen seconds (ABC7 Chicago).
Copy the words
As a call and response
The classic proverb
The chant is a schoolroom rhyme that is well over a century old (see who said it). The traditional wording is slightly different:
Good, better, best.
Never let it rest.
'Til your good is better
And your better is best.
The difference is "is" versus "gets." Johnson's version uses "gets" on both lines, which turns the rhyme from a description into an instruction. His high school coach Bobby Poss used the same "gets" wording at A.C. Reynolds, where the chant ended "Big. Green. Machine." instead of "Bears on three" (ESPN, Greensboro Sports).
Every variant you'll hear
| Line | Bears / Reynolds | Traditional | Also seen |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Good, better, best! | Good, better, best. | Good. Better. Best. |
| 2 | Never let it rest. | Never let it rest. | Don't let it rest; Never let them rest (Julia Richman); May I never rest |
| 3 | 'Til your good gets better, | 'Til your good is better, | Until your good is better; Till your good becomes your better |
| 4 | And your better gets best. | And your better is best. | And your better, best; And your better becomes your best; And your better is your best (Tim Duncan) |
Marquee Sports Network transcribed Johnson's first regular-season version as "'Til your good becomes your better and your better becomes your best" (Marquee); most clips since use the shorter "gets" lines above. Greensboro Sports rendered the Reynolds version with "don't let it rest" (source). Tim Duncan's mother's version added a second "your": "and your better is your best" (VI Consortium). All of them are in circulation, and all of them are fine. If you're printing it, pick one and keep it.
Which version should you use?
For a team: the Bears' "gets" version. It's imperative, it's what people now recognize, and it rhymes just as well. For a classroom wall or a quote card: the traditional "is" version, which is how most people over forty learned it. Either way, the chant is a public-domain proverb; you can print it freely. Team names, logos and league marks are a different matter, so keep those off anything you make. Ready-made cards are on the quotes page and a printable poster is on the coaches page.
FAQ
What are the words to the Bears' good, better, best chant?
"Good, better, best! Never let it rest. 'Til your good gets better, and your better gets best." Then "Bears on three."
Is it "'til your good gets better" or "is better"?
The Bears say "gets." The traditional proverb says "is." Both are correct; "gets" is the version you'll hear in the locker-room clips.
Is it "never let it rest" or "don't let it rest"?
The Bears say "never let it rest." "Don't let it rest" appears in some older and regional versions, including one transcription of the A.C. Reynolds chant.
What does the team say at the end?
"Bears on three" — the coach counts one, two, three, and the team yells "Bears!" At A.C. Reynolds the ending was "Big. Green. Machine."
Are there lyrics to the good better best chant?
It isn't a song, but the four rhyming lines above are what people mean by the lyrics. A Chicago hip-hop group did release a song built on the chant in 2026.
Can I print the words on a shirt or poster?
Yes. The saying itself is a traditional proverb with no owner. Keep team names, logos and league marks off anything you print.