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."
Homme brûlant
Bruce Cockburn Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Quelque chose
Peut etre le vent
Ou l'ouverture d'une rose
Moi je suis en courant
En courant
La cite
Semble de boire
La voie lactee
Moi je suis un homme brûlant
Homme brulant
Et dans la lueur
Tu m'appele
Habillee
Des arcs en ciel
Et je brule
Chatoyaut
Vert de mer
Je deviens
Une riviere
Et toi
Tu es l'ocean que je cherche
Que je cherche.
TRANSLATION: 'Burning Man'
They're waiting
For something
Maybe the wind
Or the opening of a rose
Me, I'm flowing,
Flowing
The city
Open-mouthed
Seems to be drinking
The milky way
Me, I'm a burning man
Burning man
And in the glow
You call me
Dressed in
Rainbows
And I'm burning
Sparkling
Sea green
I become
A river
And you,
You are the ocean I'm seeking
I'm seeking.
The lyrics to Bruce Cockburn's song "Homme Brûlant," which translates to "Burning Man," evoke a poetic and surreal image of a man running through a cityscape that seems to be alive and drinking the stars from the Milky Way. The opening lines express a sense of anticipation and waiting, as if something important is about to happen. The singer imagines that it might be the wind or the blossoming of a flower, but he himself is already in motion, rushing forward in anticipation.
As the song progresses, the city takes on a strange, almost mystical quality. It is "open-mouthed," as if waiting to swallow something up. The singer, meanwhile, is a "burning man" who seems to be on fire with some kind of inner passion. When the woman he's searching for appears, she's "dressed in rainbows" and seems to be calling him forward. He feels himself changing, becoming fluid and flowing like a river, until he finally becomes one with the vast and endless ocean.
Line by Line Meaning
On attends
They're waiting
Quelque chose
For something
Peut etre le vent
Maybe the wind
Ou l'ouverture d'une rose
Or the opening of a rose
Moi je suis en courant
Me, I'm flowing,
En courant
Flowing
La cite
The city
Bouche-bee
Open-mouthed
Semble de boire
Seems to be drinking
La voie lactee
The milky way
Moi je suis un homme brûlant
Me, I'm a burning man
Homme brulant
Burning man
Et dans la lueur
And in the glow
Tu m'appele
You call me
Habillee
Dressed in
Des arcs en ciel
Rainbows
Et je brule
And I'm burning
Chatoyaut
Sparkling
Vert de mer
Sea green
Je deviens
I become
Une riviere
A river
Et toi
And you,
Tu es l'ocean que je cherche
You are the ocean I'm seeking
Que je cherche.
I'm seeking.
Contributed by Olivia M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
guitarmainly
This is a magnificent record in its entirety. Wow do we need Bruce now more than ever.
Bajoobie Cuzican
... I am but a droplet of water <3 This song is my river <3
Catherine Tàmmaro
Beautiful....
Theflowoflove
"Burning Man" they're waiting for something maybe the wind or the opening of a rose me, i'm flowing, flowing the city open-mouthed seems to be drinking the milky way me, i'm a burning man burning man and in the glow you call me dressed in rainbows and i'm burning sparkling sea green i become a river and you, you are the ocean i'm seeking i'm seeking. (Quebec, 8/3/77