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 Cockburnās characteristic blend of folk, blues, jazz and rock."
Hills Of Morning
Bruce Cockburn Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A bunch of us were busy waiting,
Watching the people looking ill-at-ease,
Watching the fraying rope get closer to breaking
Women and men moved back and forth
In between effect and cause
And just beyond the range of normal sight
Let me be a little of your breath
Moving over the face of the deep --
I want to be a particle of your light
Flowing over the hills of morning
The only sign you gave of who you were
When you first came walking down the road,
Was the way the dust motes danced around
Your feet in a cloud of gold
But everything you see's not the way it seems --
Tears can sing and joy shed tears.
You can take the wisdom of this world
And give it to the ones who think it all ends here
Let me be a little of your breath
Moving over the face of the deep --
I want to be a particle of your light
Flowing over the hills of morning
The lyrics of the song "Hills of Morning" by Bruce Cockburn tell a story of a group of people waiting, watching, and observing their surroundings. They describe the world as being covered with a "sulphur sky," which is a metaphor for the heavy and oppressive atmosphere around them. As this group watches their world fall apart, they see the people around them looking uneasy, and they begin to feel the fraying rope of their emotions getting closer to breaking.
This group of people then witnesses a beautiful and mysterious character dancing amongst the chaos. This glittering joker is described as being just beyond the range of normal sight, suggesting a spiritual or mystical quality to their presence. The lyrics then take a poetic turn, as the singer asks to be a part of this being's breath and light, and to flow over the hills of morning.
The overall message of the song seems to be one of finding hope in the midst of chaos and uncertainty. Even when everything seems to be falling apart, there is beauty and light to be found if one is willing to look for it.
Line by Line Meaning
Underneath the mask of the sulphur sky
Amidst the clouds and skies colored by sulfur and other gases, there were people waiting and watching.
A bunch of us were busy waiting,
There were a group of people who were occupied by waiting for something.
Watching the people looking ill-at-ease,
The group was watching as other people showed signs of discomfort and uneasiness.
Watching the fraying rope get closer to breaking
The people were spectators as a tense situation was slowly reaching its breaking point.
Women and men moved back and forth
People were moving around aimlessly or with a purpose.
In between effect and cause
In the midst of all this movement, the group recognized that there was a connection between cause and effect.
And just beyond the range of normal sight
The group noted there were things happening that were beyond what they could easily perceive or comprehend.
This glittering joker was dancing in the dragon's jaws
There was an incongruous, seemingly unimportant figure behaving in a dangerous or threatening environment.
Let me be a little of your breath
The artist is requesting to be a part of someone else's life, in a small way.
Moving over the face of the deep --
The artist wants to flow over a vast plain or environment.
I want to be a particle of your light
The singer desires to be a small component of another person's positive influence or energy.
Flowing over the hills of morning
The artist wants this energy to be a constant, flowing presence in a beautiful landscape.
The only sign you gave of who you were
When someone arrived, the only way they showed their identity was through an effect that was caused by their presence.
When you first came walking down the road,
The individual arrived by foot, introducing themselves to those around them solely through their actions.
Was the way the dust motes danced around
The dust kicked up by the individual's feet caused a beautiful visual display that people noticed.
Your feet in a cloud of gold
The dust caused by the individual's footsteps seemed to shimmer like the color gold.
But everything you see's not the way it seems --
The group observed that not everything can be taken at face value and that there is always more to a situation than meets the eye.
Tears can sing and joy shed tears.
Unexpected feelings can arise, such as sadness that can seem to be singing or happiness that can cause tears to fall.
You can take the wisdom of this world
The singer thinks it is possible to learn from the world around us and become wiser because of it.
And give it to the ones who think it all ends here
This knowledge can be shared with those who believe that there is nothing beyond the current state of things.
Contributed by London N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Timothy Swartz
Underneath the mask of the sulphur sky, A bunch of us were busy waiting, Watching the people looking ill-at-ease, Watching the fraying rope get closer to breaking
Women and men moved back and forth, In between effect and cause, And just beyond the range of normal sight, This glittering joker was dancing in the dragon's jaws
Let me be a little of your breath, Moving over the face of the deep, I want to be a particle of your light, Flowing over the hills of morning
The only sign you gave of who you were, When you first came walking down the road, Was the way the dust motes danced around, Your feet in a cloud of gold
But everything you see's not the way it seems, Tears can sing and joy shed tears. You can take the wisdom of this world, And give it to the ones who think it all ends here
Let me be a little of your breath, Moving over the face of the deep, I want to be a particle of your light, Flowing over the hills of morning
yrsoclvr2
This and "Creation Dream" were the songs that got me hooked on Bruce. I just fell in love with the line, "let me be a little of your breathe / moving over the face of the deep / I wanna be a particle of your light/ rolling over the hills of morning..." no one writes poetry and lyrics like him.
Robert Davidson
Creation dream my fave to!
Melanie Griffin
Oh Lord - as America goes up in flames and down the drain, this song is all I needed to remind me of who I am, who I can be, and how to get back to center. Thank you, Bruce. What a healing, beautiful song. It moves me as much as it did when it first came out. Blessings.
David Dyke
Love this guy. Read "Rumours of Glory" while in hospital; recovering from serious surgery and I think it kept me going in recovery. Spiritually keeps me going.
Bob Rosneck
Wow! Really spine tingling to see him perform this about 35 years after the original release.
Energy with Grace
Merci beaucoup Bruce! You've given us over 40 years of some of the best damn music I've ever heard. Your songwriting is pure poetry. Your words and how you put them together are deep and profound. As a guitarist...you are the best. Thank you for sharing your music. It's obvious to me that music is your passion. Thank you! I'm grateful I discovered you so long ago. You've made me cry, laugh, ponder, reflect, change my mind, stand my ground, and everything in between.
Chip Lands
You can take the wisdom of this world and give it to the ones who think it all ends here, indeed. Right on, Bruce.
Full-Tech Ahead
Bruce, this song has sustained my joy through 6 years in Korea...on busses, in taxis, and downtown Seoul...now continues to help me keep a light on in China...with traffic, directives almost daily, and longing for a stream in Nova Scotia...home.
Robert O'NEal
One of my favorite tunes of all time.
Matthew Giffin
I can't think of another artist who approaches spirituality with such awareness and learned musicality.