Isn't That What Friends Are For?
Bruce Cockburn Lyrics

Heavy northern autumn sky
The sky is dark and gloomy as if it's about to rain, which sets a somber tone.

Mist-hung forest, dark spruce, bright maple
The forest is covered in mist, and the trees are a mix of dark and bright colors, which creates a beautiful yet eerie atmosphere.

And the great lake rolling forever to the narrow gray beach
The lake seems endless as it rolls towards the shore, which could symbolize the passage of time or the inevitability of change.

I look west along the red road of the frail sun
The sun appears weak and hangs low in the sky like a red road, signaling the end of the day and possibly the end of something bigger.

Where it hovers between shelf of cloud and spiky trees
The sun appears to hang between the clouds that resemble shelves and the spiky trees, creating an image of something suspended and unsure.

Receding shore
The shore slowly fades away, signaling that something is disappearing or fading into the past.

The world is full of seasons of anguish, of laughter
Life is full of moments of pain and joy, and this realization spurs the singer to reach out to a friend.

And it comes to mind to write you this
The artist feels compelled to reach out to their friend and show support through tough times.

Nothing is sure
Uncertainty is a constant in life and can make things difficult to handle.

Nothing is pure
Things are often complicated and hard to understand, without simple solutions or explanations.

And no matter who we think we are
People may have a sense of identity but life has a way of shaking it up and challenging that sense of self.

Everyone gets his chance to be nothing
At some point, everyone experiences a sense of nothingness, insignificance or purposelessness in their lives.

Love's supposed to heal, but it breaks my heart to feel
The singer recognizes that love is meant to provide healing, but it can be painful to witness pain and sadness in someone they care about.

The pain in your voice
The singer can hear their friend's pain and feels empathy for it.

But you know, it's all going somewhere
There is a sense that the pain and struggle is a part of a larger, meaningful journey.

And I would crush my heart and throw it in the street
The artist is willing to put aside their own pain and make a huge sacrifice to help their friend.

If I could pay for your choice
The artist recognizes that they cannot make choices for their friend, but is willing to support them regardless of the outcome.

We're the insect life of paradise
Humans are insignificant in the grand scheme of the universe, and could be compared to small insects in a larger paradise.

Crawl across leaf or among towering blades of grass
Humans navigate through life like insects crawl along leaves or blades of grass, making their way through the world.

Glimpse only sometimes the amazing breadth of heaven
Very few people are able to fully understand or comprehend the vastness and complexity of all that exists in the universe.

You're as loved as you were
Despite life's challenges, the artist wants their friend to know that they are still loved and supported.

Before the strangeness swept through
Before things got complicated or went wrong, the friendship was pure and unaffected.

Our bodies, our houses, our streets
Life has a way of changing everything, including the physical and social environment around us.

When we could speak without codes
Before the difficulties of life, communication between friends was straightforward and didn't require any pretense or deception.

And light swirled around like
At one point, everything seemed so perfect and that light and positivity seemed to fill the air.

Wind-blown petals
This could represent the fleeting nature of good times, where they come and go like petals in the wind.

Our feet
The memory of those perfect times remains, and serves as something to hold onto.

I've been scraping little shavings off my ration of light
The artist is trying to collect whatever positivity and light they can find, no matter how small.

And I've formed it into a ball, and each time I pack a bit more onto it
The artist is creating a small ball of positivity, and adding to it whenever they can.

I make a bowl of my hands and I scoop it from its secret cache
The singer is very protective of this positivity, and safeguards it like a treasure.

Under a loose board in the floor
The singer is hiding this positivity under the floorboards, which could represent the hidden aspects of our emotions or thoughts.

And I blow across it and I send it to you
The artist is sending this positivity to their friend, in the hopes that it will help.

Against those moments when
This positivity is meant to be used in moments when their friend is feeling down or upset.

The darkness blows under your door
The pain and sadness that their friend is feeling is like darkness seeping into their space, and the positivity is meant to overcome it.

Isn't that what friends are for?
The overall song is a declaration of what friends are willing to do for each other, which can include giving support and spreading positivity in times of need.