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."
Justice
Bruce Cockburn Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
What's been done in the name of Buddha?
What's been done in the name of Islam?
What's been done in the name of man?
What's been done in the name of liberation?
And in the name of civilization?
And in the name of race?
And in the name of peace?
Loves to see
Justice done
On somebody else
Can you tell me how much bleeding
It takes to fill a word with meaning?
And how much, how much death
It takes to give a slogan breath?
And how much, how much, how much flame
Gives light to a name
For the hollow darkness
In which nations dress?
Everybody
Loves to see
Justice done
On somebody else
Everybody's seen the things they've seen
We all have to live with what we've been
When they say charity begins at home
They're not just talking about a toilet and a telephone
Got to search the silence of the soul's wild places
For a voice that can cross the spaces
These definitions that we love create --
These names for heaven, hero, tribe and state
Everybody
Loves to see
Justice done
On somebody else
The lyrics to Bruce Cockburn's song "Justice" are a reflection on the abuse and violence that has been committed in the name of religion, freedom, race, and peace. The song opens with the question "What's been done in the name of Jesus? What's been done in the name of Buddha? What's been done in the name of Islam? What's been done in the name of man?" It sheds light on the atrocities committed in the name of these ideologies and the fact that people seem to enjoy seeing justice being done to others more than they actually care about justice.
The lyrics then move on to question the value of words and slogans in a world filled with death, suffering, and darkness. "Can you tell me how much bleeding it takes to fill a word with meaning? And how much, how much death it takes to give a slogan breath? And how much, how much, how much flame gives light to a name for the hollow darkness in which nations dress?" These lines are profound and are indicative of the truth that we often use words and slogans to create illusions of justice, freedom, and peace, even when these things are far from reality.
The final verse speaks to the need to search within ourselves for a voice that can cross the spaces created by narrow definitions of heaven, hero, tribe, and state. It can be seen as a call to seek a deeper understanding of ourselves, and to strive for justice within ourselves before seeking it in others.
Line by Line Meaning
What's been done in the name of Jesus?
The singer questions the terrible things that have been done in the name of Jesus Christ throughout history.
What's been done in the name of Buddha?
The singer questions the terrible things that have been done in the name of Buddha throughout history.
What's been done in the name of Islam?
The singer questions the terrible things that have been done in the name of Islam throughout history.
What's been done in the name of man?
The artist questions the terrible things that have been done in the name of humanity throughout history.
What's been done in the name of liberation?
The artist questions the terrible things that have been done in the name of defining freedom throughout history.
And in the name of civilization?
The singer questions the terrible things that have been done in the name of human advancement throughout history.
And in the name of race?
The singer questions the terrible things that have been done in the name of race and skin color throughout history.
And in the name of peace?
The artist questions the terrible things that have been done in the name of creating peace among nations throughout history.
Everybody
Loves to see
Justice done
On somebody else
People love seeing others punished for their wrongdoings, rather than receiving punishment themselves.
Can you tell me how much bleeding
It takes to fill a word with meaning?
The artist questions the impact that painful experiences have on shaping the meaning behind certain words or phrases.
And how much, how much death
It takes to give a slogan breath?
The singer questions how many lives lost it takes to make a slogan meaningful and motivate action.
And how much, how much, how much flame
Gives light to a name
For the hollow darkness
In which nations dress?
The artist questions how much violence and destruction it takes for countries to flaunt their power and glory, even if their actions are destructive.
Everybody's seen the things they've seen
We all have to live with what we've been
Everyone has witnessed disturbing events and are forever shaped by such experiences.
When they say charity begins at home
They're not just talking about a toilet and a telephone
Charity starts with family and loved ones, but it goes beyond the material needs of things like bathrooms and phones.
Got to search the silence of the soul's wild places
For a voice that can cross the spaces
One must explore deep within their soul to find a meaningful voice that can relate to others in spite of differences.
These definitions that we love create --
These names for heaven, hero, tribe and state
Preconceived definitions of words and names such as heaven, hero, tribe, and state allow us to form judgments based on certain associations.
Everybody
Loves to see
Justice done
On somebody else
People love seeing others punished for their wrongdoings, rather than receiving punishment themselves.
Contributed by Adalyn Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@edgreen8140
Socially conscientious artist!
@dannygravel2938
can't get enough of this song!
@PamelaDrake215
I LOVE this song. A friend put it on a mix tape for me shortly after it was released and I was grateful because I've liked Bruce ever since CIRCLES IN THE STREAM (that's a long way back!). Few songwriters are great guitarists (I'm the former and not the latter); this guy is rare for excelling at both. He's pretty matchless. Held a large audience spellbound playing solo at Clearwater a couple years ago, a privilege to watch I appreciated. Thanks for posting.
@edgreen8140
Rock on!
@johncurtis920
Oh boy there's nothing like a bit of harmonic lyrical truth to drive the stake in is there? Nicely done Sir Bruce. Nicely done.
@JoeFLash41
I always love how Bruce was never afraid to speak up in his song and today this song proves a point
@edgreen8140
The socially conscious muscian.
@unclejay1000
Few words more truer spoken
@willmcnaught3919
From 1981 amazing lyrics still stand out today.
@nigelparry
perfect for all time. salaamat, Bruce.