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."
Dialogue 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 lyrics of Bruce Cockburn's dialogue with the devil seem to be about choices and regret. The singer is faced with several situations where he could give in to temptation or give up because of past mistakes. In the first stanza, he's standing on a rock in a river looking down at what he's won but realizing that it's not worth the personal cost. In the second stanza, he's sitting on a mountain of ashes facing his past regrets and the possibility of giving up on life. But the devil questions why he can't embrace life's sadness and celebrate it instead of letting it bring him down.
The third stanza takes the singer to the city, where people are constantly chasing after success, and he feels like there's a buried sun that they can't find. Again, the devil tells him to celebrate love and let it drive him mad instead of giving up. Finally, in the last stanza, the singer is once again standing on a rock in a river, but this time it's raining, and he sees the beauty in the moment. He decides to kiss the sun in spite of the devil, celebrating life and its hardships.
Line by Line Meaning
Standing on a rock in a river
Contemplating about his life's journey and standing still amidst the flow of life
Staring at the splintered sun
Looking at the broken pieces of his dreams, hopes and aspirations
You could drown yourself in jewels
One can get lost in the materialistic world and lose the essence of life
Like a thousand other fools
People who blindly pursue wealth without realizing its true worth
While you stand there looking down at what you've won
Reflecting on one's achievements and wondering if they were worth sacrificing the more meaningful things in life
Sitting on a mountain of ashes
Pondering about past failures and regrets
Face to face with past regrets
Confronting one's mistakes that led to the current state of life
You could roll down to the canyon
Giving up and sinking further into despair
Piss away this incarnation
Wasting this precious life by indulging in self-destructive behavior
But remember that you pay for what you get
Reminding himself that every action has consequences
And he says, 'But don't you know
The voice of the devil tempting him with empty promises
How hard it is
How difficult it is to achieve true happiness and contentment
To hit the ground and mean it.
To stay grounded and true to oneself without getting swayed by temptations
And mean it?'
Questioning the singer's sincerity and determination
Walk the jangling streets of the city
Navigating through the chaos and confusion of life in the city
Trying to find the buried sun
Searching for the hidden pleasures and joys of life amongst the mundane
While you wander waiting for it to be done
Passively waiting for life to unfold instead of taking control of it
And he cries, 'Why don't we celebrate?
The voice of the devil tempting him with worldly pleasures
Love can make you sad.
Warning him about the challenges of love and relationships
Come on, let's drive ourselves mad.'
Urging him to indulge in reckless behavior without regard for consequences
And he's aware
The devil knows the artist's vulnerabilities
How hard it is
Emphasizing the difficulty of finding true satisfaction in life
To kiss the sun and mean it.
To attain true success and happiness without compromising on one's values
And mean it.
Questioning the artist's ability to achieve his goals
And he screams, 'Why don't we celebrate?
Echoing the devil's previous temptations
Life can make you sad.
Reminding him that life is full of hardships and struggles
Come on, let's drive ourselves mad.'
Encouraging him to indulge in reckless behavior as a coping mechanism
On the surface flashing diamonds
Surface-level successes and accolades
Rolling down the twilight canyon
Emphasizing the fleeting nature of success and the inevitability of death
And we shall kiss the sun in spite of him
Undertaking the difficult journey towards true success despite the devil's temptations
So why don't we celebrate?
A rhetorical question to emphasize the fleeting nature of life and need to find joy amidst the chaos
Why don't we celebrate?
Reiterating the need to find joy and beauty amidst life's struggles
Why don't we celebrate?
Encouraging the artist to embrace life and find meaning and purpose
Contributed by Zoe Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.