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."
He Came From The Mountain
Bruce Cockburn Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To walk among the wounded
They couldn't see him
But the snow did melt whenever he passed by
He came behind winter
His face was like the sun
They wouldn't see it
In his world we wait
In his hands our fate
Keep on climbing
We shall see his gate
In good time
He came to the lowlands
He said we must have faces
So we could see like him
Before our wings would ever come to fly
In his world we wait
In his hands our fate
Keep on climbing
We shall see his gate
In good time
The song He Came From The Mountain by Bruce Cockburn is a spiritual and mystical song that talks about a divine entity who comes to visit the people in the world. The lyrics suggest that the person who comes from the mountain is a spiritual leader who walks among the wounded. Though the people could not see him, the snow melted whenever he passed by, which indicates his presence. The person is believed to be from a higher plane of existence, where he has an important role to play in the world. The person is also believed to have a face that is like the sun, which the people cannot see.
The lyrics go on to say that the person is associated with nature and the elements. He comes behind the winter, which represents the end of a difficult phase, and his presence brings sunshine and warmth. He also sings on the bank and makes the waters run, indicating his power over nature and his ability to manipulate it for the benefit of the people. The people are asked to wait in his world and trust him to lead them to a better place.
The song then says that the person comes to the lowlands and tells the people that they must have faces so that they can see like him. This suggests that the divine entity has a unique way of looking at the world and the people must learn from him to gain a better understanding of the world. He also tells them that they must learn to fly before they can reach their true potential.
Overall, this song talks about a spiritual entity who comes to guide the people to a better understanding of the world and their place in it. It uses poetic language and imagery to convey a sense of mystery and wonder.
Line by Line Meaning
He came from the mountain
He descended from the mountains
To walk among the wounded
He came to be with those who are suffering
They couldn't see him
People were unaware of his presence
But the snow did melt whenever he passed by
The environment responded to his presence in an extraordinary way
He came behind winter
He came after the seasons of scarcity
His face was like the sun
He had a radiant appearance
They wouldn't see it
People were unsuspecting of his greatness
But he sang on the bank and made the waters run
His song had the power of causing the water to flow
In his world we wait
We are waiting for him to take us to his world
In his hands our fate
Our destiny is in his control
Keep on climbing
Persevere to arrive at where he is
We shall see his gate
We will eventually come to a place where he awaits us
In good time
At the right time
He came to the lowlands
He descended to the valleys
He said we must have faces
He instructed that we need to be more perceptive
So we could see like him
In order that we may have his perspective
Before our wings would ever come to fly
Before we can take flight
Contributed by Sydney G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Darryl Lesko
Love his music !
Big part of my life…. 👍