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."
Dialog with the Devil
Bruce Cockburn Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Staring at the splintered sun
You could drown yourself in jewels
Like a thousand other fools
While you stand there looking down at what you've won
Sitting on a mountain of ashes
Face to face with past regrets
Piss away this incarnation
But remember that you pay for what you get
And he says, 'But don't you know
How hard it is
To hit the ground and mean it.
And mean it?'
Walk the jangling streets of the city
Trying to find the buried sun
You could drown yourself in jewels
Like a thousand other fools
While you wander waiting for it to be done
And he cries, 'Why don't we celebrate?
Why don't we celebrate?
Love can make you sad.
Come on, let's drive ourselves mad.'
And he's aware
How hard it is
To kiss the sun and mean it.
And mean it.
And he screams, 'Why don't we celebrate?
Why don't we celebrate?
Life can make you sad.
Come on, let's drive ourselves mad.'
Standing on a rock in a river
Staring at the rain made one
On the surface flashing diamonds
Rolling down the twilight canyon
And we shall kiss the sun in spite of him
So why don't we celebrate?
Why don't we celebrate?
Why don't we celebrate?
The song "Dialog with the Devil" by Bruce Cockburn portrays a conversation between a person and the devil. The song highlights three settings - river, mountain, and city. The person standing on a rock in a river and staring at the splintered sun has won everything but is not happy, and could drown themselves in jewels like a thousand other fools, but they are not satisfied. The devil tells the person that it's hard to hit the ground and mean it. The person sitting on a mountain of ashes and face to face with past regrets is in a predicament where they could roll down to the canyon and piss away this incarnation. The devil warns them that they have to pay for what they get.
The last setting is the jangling streets of the city, where the person is trying to find the buried sun. The devil cries out, asking why they don't celebrate since love can make someone sad, and they should drive themselves mad. The devil knows that it's hard to kiss the sun and mean it. Finally, the person standing on a rock in a river and staring at the rain made one is aware of the devil's presence, but he is not affected by the devil. They decide to kiss the sun in spite of him and celebrate.
Line by Line Meaning
Standing on a rock in a river
In a moment of introspection while standing on a rock in a riverbed
Staring at the splintered sun
Looking at the sun with a feeling of being shattered
You could drown yourself in jewels
You can get lost in material riches and become one of many people who make this mistake
Like a thousand other fools
Just as many others have fallen into this same trap as well
While you stand there looking down at what you've won
While you look down at what you have won through material pursuits
Sitting on a mountain of ashes
Reflecting on past regrets and actions that led to ruin
Face to face with past regrets
Confronting life decisions that were not the best
You could roll down to the canyon
You could give up and descend to the depths of despair
Piss away this incarnation
Squander this opportunity in life to make a difference
But remember that you pay for what you get
Be aware that there are consequences to actions and decisions that are made
And he says, 'But don't you know
How hard it is
To hit the ground and mean it.
And mean it?'
The Devil speaks, reminding us of the challenge of committing to something significant and genuine
Walk the jangling streets of the city
Wandering aimlessly through the noisy streets of the city
Trying to find the buried sun
Struggling to rediscover the light and vitality that has been lost
While you wander waiting for it to be done
Passing time, and expecting something to happen on its own
And he cries, 'Why don't we celebrate?
Why don't we celebrate?
Love can make you sad.
Come on, let's drive ourselves mad.'
The Devil urges us to celebrate life and to let go of the negative emotions that come with love and the pain of living
And he's aware
How hard it is
To kiss the sun and mean it.
And mean it.
The Devil is cognizant of the fact that it is difficult to seek out something greater and remain true to its essence
And he screams, 'Why don't we celebrate?
Why don't we celebrate?
Life can make you sad.
Come on, let's drive ourselves mad.'
The Devil reiterates his call to embrace the joy and excitement of life while acknowledging its pain and sorrows
Standing on a rock in a river
Returning to the initial image of reflection and introspection
Staring at the rain made one
Looking at the rain as a symbol of unity and wholeness
On the surface flashing diamonds
Seeing something beautiful and breathtaking even in the midst of darkness
Rolling down the twilight canyon
Going towards the unknown under the veil of dusk, a moment between light and darkness
And we shall kiss the sun in spite of him
Despite the Devil's temptation, we will embrace life with all its joy and pain
So why don't we celebrate?
Why don't we celebrate?
Why don't we celebrate?
The Devil's repeated refrain, urging us to seize life's precious moments
Contributed by Adam V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.