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."
Gospel of Bondage
Bruce Cockburn Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hail the return of the Teutonic knights
Inbred for purity and spoiling for a fight
Another little puppet of the New Right
See-through dollars and mystery plagues
Varied detritus of Aquarium Age
Shutters on storefronts and shutters in the mind
That's the gospel of bondage
We're so afraid of disorder we make it into a god
We can only placate with state security laws
Whose church consists of secret courts and wiretaps and shocks
Whose priests hold smoking guns and whose sign is the double cross
But God must be on the side of the side that's right
And not the right that justifies itself in terms of might
Least of all a bunch of neo-Nazis running hooded through the night
Which may be why He's so conspicuously out of sight
Of the gospel of bondage
You read the Bible in your special ways
You're fond of quoting certain things it says
Mouth full of righteousness and wrath from above
But, when do we hear about forgiveness and love?
Sometimes you can hear the spirit whispering to you
But, if God stays silent, what else can you do
Except listen to the silence?
If you ever did, you'd surely see
That God won't be reduced to an ideology
Such as the gospel of bondage
Bruce Cockburn's Gospel of Bondage is a scathing critique of the state of the world and its obsession with control and power. The lyrics reveal the corruption and moral decay in contemporary society. The song begins with Cockburn criticizing the media's sensationalism and its portrayal of the New Right as Teutonic knights. The lyrics question the inbreeding of purity and the obsession with combat, all of which are associated with modern-day puppetry.
Cockburn goes on to denounce the Aquarium Age and the detritus found therein, along with the fear of disorder that turns into a god that can only be appeased through state security laws. The gospel of bondage is the fear of disorder and the state's need for control that leads people to live in fear and insecurity constantly. With the proliferation of secret courts, wiretaps and shocks, the church of the gospel of bondage operates, but it is not the church of God.
Cockburn is critical of those who have become fixated on specific biblical quotes and ideology, advocating for forgiveness and love rather than righteousness and wrath from above. According to the song, God can't be reduced to an ideology, given that the gospel of bondage results in silence from God. Gospel of Bondage is an indictment of society's failure to hear God whispering, with Cockburn suggesting that listening to the silence might reveal a God beyond ideology.
Line by Line Meaning
Tabloids, bellowing raw delight
The media is sensationalizing and glorifying bad news to sell more papers.
Hail the return of the Teutonic knights
People are celebrating the resurgence of far-right, white supremacist ideologies.
Inbred for purity and spoiling for a fight
These groups believe in the idea of being of pure race, and they are always looking to fight against anyone who is different from them.
Another little puppet of the New Right
These groups are being manipulated by those on the political far-right who are using them to gain more power.
See-through dollars and mystery plagues
People are obsessed with money and are constantly living in fear of disease and other threats.
Varied detritus of Aquarium Age
This is a reference to the New Age movement, which focuses on spirituality and personal growth but has become watered down and commercialized.
Shutters on storefronts and shutters in the mind
People are constantly closing themselves off from others, either by physically closing their stores or by mentally shutting themselves off from other ideas and people.
We kill ourselves to keep ourselves safe from crime
People are so scared of crime that they are willing to give up their own freedom and privacy to feel safe.
That's the gospel of bondage
All of these ideas and attitudes together make up what Cockburn calls the 'gospel of bondage' - a way of thinking that keeps people scared and trapped.
We're so afraid of disorder we make it into a god
People are so scared of chaos that they have turned their own fear into a kind of religion.
We can only placate with state security laws
Governments are passing more and more laws to keep people feeling safe, even if those laws restrict their freedom and privacy.
Whose church consists of secret courts and wiretaps and shocks
Governments are using secret courts, wiretaps, and other tactics to keep tabs on citizens and make sure they stay in line.
Whose priests hold smoking guns and whose sign is the double cross
Those in power are willing to use violence and other dirty tactics to keep their grip on society.
But God must be on the side of the side that's right
Those who think they are on the 'right' side of this conflict often assume that God is on their side as well.
And not the right that justifies itself in terms of might
But the idea that 'might makes right' is not a good enough reason for God to take a side.
Least of all a bunch of neo-Nazis running hooded through the night
At the very least, God would not endorse groups like neo-Nazis who use violence and secrecy to achieve their ends.
Which may be why He's so conspicuously out of sight
God is not taking a visible role in this conflict, perhaps because humans have created such a mess of things.
You read the Bible in your special ways
People are interpreting the Bible to suit their own political and ideological views.
You're fond of quoting certain things it says
They are often using selectively chosen quotes to justify their own beliefs.
Mouth full of righteousness and wrath from above
Those who think they are on the right side are often filled with passionate conviction and anger.
But, when do we hear about forgiveness and love?
But they are missing the most important aspect of the Christian message, which is forgiveness and love for all people.
Sometimes you can hear the spirit whispering to you
The voice of God can be heard if you are open to listening for it.
But, if God stays silent, what else can you do
But if you don't hear God's voice, there is not much you can do except wait and listen more.
Except listen to the silence?
Perhaps the silence itself is a message from God, telling us to stop and think and wait for guidance.
If you ever did, you'd surely see
If you were able to listen to God's voice, you would understand what he really wants from you.
That God won't be reduced to an ideology
But God is not something that can be easily explained or put into a box - he exists beyond our human ideas and ideologies.
Such as the gospel of bondage
So Cockburn is calling us to reject these harmful, fear-driven ideas and to embrace a more open and loving approach to the world and to God.
Lyrics © CARLIN AMERICA INC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Bruce Cockburn
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Catherine Tàmmaro
In light of the horrendous treatment of Indigenous children and recent discoveries in Canada (unmarked and mass graves) I found myself returning to this song. My favourite verse is the last..... "Sometimes you can hear the Spirit whispering to you, but if God stays silent what else can you do, except listen to the silence because if you ever you'd surely see that God won't be reduced to an ideology, such as the gospel of bondage".....
Vicki B.
One of my favorite Cockburn tunes, and one of my favorite songs period. Love the whole CD and he was amazing during this tour as well.
Eugene Iovine Jr.
Saw the tour in New Haven Connecticut.
He really let the audience have it for continually and LOUDLY shouting out for him to play Rocket Launcher. Was a great show...and he was right. The Playlist was his to make...lol. Memories of just getting there and parking are too numerous to list here
☺😁
Chuck Maccabee
one of my all-time favorite songs, that really speaks to the times in which we live. It truly is time to love G-d with all our hearts , and love our neighbor as our self.
MrUnidyne
He reportedly wrote this in response to Christian bookstores in the USA pulling his records from inventory after he started writing songs critical of USA involvement in Latin America ("Call It Democracy", "If I Had A Rocket Launcher")