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."
Called Me Back
Bruce Cockburn Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
called me back, called me back
my so-called buddy never called me back
I don't know what to think about that
I coulda been croaking on the floor of my flat
floor of my flat, floor of my flat
I coulda been croaking on the floor of my flat
Then again he could have troubles himself
troubles himself, troubles himself
then again he could have troubles himself
I better try him once more
He could be going through a bitter divorce
bitter divorce, bitter divorce
he could be going through a bitter divorce
or a quadruple bypass
Maybe his mother ran afoul of the law
afoul of the law, afoul of the law
maybe his mother ran afoul of the law
you never know with that gang
He coulda slid into a society scene
society scene, society scene
he coulda slid into a society scene
and left his old friends behind
My so-called buddy never called me back
called me back, called me back
my so-called buddy never called me back
I don't know what to think about that
the bugger never called me back
I better try him once more
The song "Called Me Back" by Bruce Cockburn talks about a situation where his friend and he had agreed to meet up, but his friend never called him back. Through the lyrics, Cockburn describes the various scenarios that might have made his friend not call him back. He starts by expressing his frustration and confusion about why his friend never called him back. He then goes on to speculate on possible reasons why his friend might not have called him back. He even suggests that his friend could have been going through his troubles, both personal and family, and that's why he never called him back.
Cockburn goes on to explore his friend's unpredictable nature, stating that he could have left his old friends and slid into a new, more posh society scene. In the end, however, he decides to try his so-called buddy one more time before he entirely gives up on him. Overall, the song "Called Me Back" reflects on the unpredictability and fickleness of friendship and how easily people can be forgotten.
Line by Line Meaning
My so-called buddy never called me back
My supposed friend didn't return my call
called me back, called me back
Repeated the fact that the friend didn't call back
I don't know what to think about that
This lack of response left me unsure what to think
I coulda been croaking on the floor of my flat
I could have been dying on the ground in my apartment
floor of my flat, floor of my flat
Reiterated the location where I could have died
the bugger never called me back
That scoundrel didn't get back to me
Then again he could have troubles himself
It's possible that he is having issues of his own
troubles himself, troubles himself
Rephrased the idea that he might have problems of his own
I better try him once more
I should make another attempt to contact him
He could be going through a bitter divorce
He might be experiencing a painful separation from his partner
bitter divorce, bitter divorce
Restated the possibility of him going through a tough divorce
or a quadruple bypass
He could also be recovering from a serious medical procedure
Maybe his mother ran afoul of the law
It's possible that his mother got into legal trouble
afoul of the law, afoul of the law
Reiterated the notion that his mother got in trouble with the law
you never know with that gang
His social group is unpredictable and surprising
He coulda slid into a society scene
He might have become involved in an upscale social environment
society scene, society scene
Rephrased the possibility of him joining an affluent group of people
Contributed by Keira M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Nathan Miller
love this damn song