Cockburn's early albums were fairly straight ahead folk music spotlighting his brilliant guitar playing. In fact, there were a good number of instrumental guitar numbers on those early recordings. A Christian element came into his music around the time of the album Salt, Sun and Time, and over time his writing has taken on a stronger and stronger political orientation.
Perhaps the most consistent element of Cockburn's music has been his willingness to change and evolve over time. In this way, he is similar to fellow Canadians Joni Mitchell and Neil Young.
He has had a couple of radio hits in the United States, including (Wondering Where the Lions Are and If I Had a Rocket Launcher).
His albums in the 80s are considered some of his strongest, including Humans, Inner City Front, Stealing Fire, and Big Circumstance. After Big Circumstance he struggled with writer's block, and his output began to slow down; but he recovered with the formidable Nothing But a Burning Light, which led the way back to a sparer, more folk-oriented form of music. His later album The Charity of Night contains one of his most thoughtful songs, Pacing the Cage.
His 2006 album Life Short Call Now was preceded by Speechless, a collection of instrumentals, many of them from earlier albums. The album highlights Cockburn's prodigious abilities as a guitarist.
Cockburn's 31st studio album,Small Source of Comfort was released in March, 2011. BruceCockburn.com called the album "an adventurous collection of songs of romance, protest and spiritual discovery. The album, primarily acoustic yet rhythmically savvy, is rich in Cockburn’s characteristic blend of folk, blues, jazz and rock."
Boundless
Bruce Cockburn Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
and a Church of Christ in a double-wide
clouds overhead are ghostly gray
it snowed a little but it didn't stay
Red-winged blackbird on a mileage sign
ghost town gutted like a dried-up mine
stark faces in the windows of a speeding train
Standing by the lake sucking poison mist
lungs clenched tight like an angry fist
picking at sores in the hope they heal
hungry and harrowed and caught in the wheel
I feel these serpents of desire
ripple my skin like ropes of fire
all I ever wanted, all along,
was to be the "you" in somebody's song
Seven dances for the spirits
running a race, running a race
seven dances for the saints
running a race, running a race
looking for the stillness in the womb of space
Boundless
Boundless
The howling wind, it sings to me
the sky looks troubled but I feel free
visions and feeling and ink on my hands
you can travel forever and never land
In the crashing chaos where stars are born
the strong get fed and the weak get torn
look at that cosmos eating its tail
circled like the lip of the holy grail
Seven dances... etc.
In this song, Bruce Cockburn gives a poignant commentary on the human experience, reflecting on the beauty and pain of life. The first stanza sets the scene with horses grazing by the highway, a church in a double-wide, and ghostly grey clouds overhead. Cockburn juxtaposes this natural beauty with a stark image of a ghost town gutted like a dried-up mine, and the faces of people in a speeding train who seem to be caught up in their own blindness and pain.
The second verse is more personal as he describes standing by a lake and sucking in poison mist, feeling the pain of his lungs clenching like an angry fist. He talks about picking at sores in the hope that they will heal, while feeling hungry, harrowed, and trapped in a never-ending cycle. He also admits to feeling the serpent of desire rippling through his skin like ropes of fire, and expresses his longing to be the “you” in somebody’s song.
The chorus offers a glimmer of hope, as he talks about seven dances for the spirits and seven dances for the saints, all running a race, and all looking for the stillness in the womb of space. He repeats the word “boundless” as if to suggest that there is a limitless potential for growth and evolution, that even in the darkest moments, we can find a way to transcend our current circumstances.
Line by Line Meaning
Horses in the meadow by the highway side
There are horses grazing in a field near the highway.
and a Church of Christ in a double-wide
There is a church that is held in a double-wide trailer.
clouds overhead are ghostly gray
The clouds in the sky are a pale, eerie gray color.
it snowed a little but it didn't stay
It snowed briefly, but the snow did not accumulate.
Red-winged blackbird on a mileage sign
There is a sign indicating mileage that has a red-winged blackbird on it.
ghost town gutted like a dried-up mine
A once-abandoned town looks like a depleted and abandoned mine.
stark faces in the windows of a speeding train
People on a fast-moving train look tired and worn, peering out of train windows.
we love our blindness and we love our pain
People often have a preference for staying unaware of things or indulging in unhealthy behavior even when it hurts.
Standing by the lake sucking poison mist
There is a person standing by a lake in a toxic mist.
lungs clenched tight like an angry fist
The person feels breathless and frustrated.
picking at sores in the hope they heal
A person tries to heal wounds by tearing at them.
hungry and harrowed and caught in the wheel
The person feels drained, drained, and stuck in a rut.
I feel these serpents of desire
There are desires that are slow and hard to discern.
ripple my skin like ropes of fire
These desires feel intense, almost painful.
all I ever wanted, all along, was to be the "you" in somebody's song
The person's ultimate desire was to be the subject of someone else's artistry.
Seven dances for the spirits
This is a phrase alluding to a set of spiritual practices.
running a race, running a race
This is part of a chant or mantra associated with the spiritual practices.
seven dances for the saints
This is another line in the chant or mantra associated with the spiritual practices.
looking for the stillness in the womb of space
This is a reference to a search for inner peace and calmness.
Boundless
This is a one-word expression of the feeling of endlessness and limitlessness.
The howling wind, it sings to me
The sound of the wind feels like music to the person.
the sky looks troubled but I feel free
Although the sky looks ominous, the person feels unencumbered.
visions and feeling and ink on my hands
The person feels they have creative vision and the ability to act on it.
you can travel forever and never land
The person reflects on the idea that meaning can continually elude us, despite striving to achieve it.
In the crashing chaos where stars are born
This is a reference to the creation of the universe.
the strong get fed and the weak get torn
In the natural cycle of life, some thrive while others suffer.
look at that cosmos eating its tail
This is a reference to the image of a serpent or dragon eating its own tail- a symbol of cyclicality.
circled like the lip of the holy grail
This final line refers to the mystical, elusive search for fulfillment and meaning.
Contributed by Eli S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.