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."
Messenger Wind
Bruce Cockburn Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sun coming up paints the snow all around with rose light
In front of the house where I'm supposed to be born
I don't think I'm ready to walk through that door just yet
To be one more voice in the human choir
Rising like smoke from the mystical fire of the heart
The wind that blows through everything
Sweeps out the halls of my heart when I sing to you
It carries the moon and the stars and the rain
Carries the seagulls and carries my shame away
Spins me around, stops me running away
From all the things I've been waiting to say But don't
Here
Is bigger than you can imagine
Now
Is forever
Sun coming up paints the snow all around
Rose on the roofs and the trees and the ground
And the stream
In my dream
Messenger wind swooping out of the sky
Lights each tiny speck in my human kaleidoscope
With hope
The lyrics of Bruce Cockburn's song Messenger Wind seems to invoke a sense of pondering and reflection on the nature of existence and one's place in the world. The opening scene of a horse-powered sleigh in a snowy town bathed in rose light sets the tone of a tranquil moment of beauty that is juxtaposed with the impending arrival at the house where the singer is supposed to be born. The hesitation to enter the house suggests a fear or uncertainty of what lies ahead and a desire to hold onto the moment of beauty as long as possible.
The second stanza shifts to a philosophical reflection on the human condition and the desire to connect with others through the commonality of our emotions and experiences. The use of "rising smoke from the mystical fire of the heart" paints a picture of a communal spiritual experience that transcends individuality. The mention of the wind that "blows through everything" takes on a symbolic significance as a vehicle for carrying away negative emotions and allowing for honest expression. This sets up the following line that speaks to the transformative power of confession and honest communication, as the wind carries away shame and allows one to be vulnerable.
The final stanza brings it all together with a call to embrace the present moment, which is fleeting yet eternal. The description of the town bathed in rose light reinforces the idea of beauty in the present, while the reference to the Messenger wind brings the song full circle by suggesting that the transformative power of confession and honest communication can only happen through the willingness to engage with the world around us.
Line by Line Meaning
In a horse-powered sleigh at the top of the town
Traveling on a sled through the town, observing everything that's happening
Sun coming up paints the snow all around with rose light
The sunrise gives a beautiful pink color to the snow and surroundings
In front of the house where I'm supposed to be born
Standing outside the house I was meant to be born in
I don't think I'm ready to walk through that door just yet
Feeling unprepared to face whatever is behind that door or to face the past
To be one more voice in the human choir
To be another person expressing themselves and contributing to the human experience
Rising like smoke from the mystical fire of the heart
Expressing oneself comes from a deep, mysterious and personal place
The wind that blows through everything
The wind that moves through the world and all things living and inanimate
Sweeps out the halls of my heart when I sing to you
Singing clears out the writer's heart with the help of the wind, possibly singing to a loved one or a higher power
It carries the moon and the stars and the rain
The wind carries the different elements of nature in its travels
Carries the seagulls and carries my shame away
The wind can take away negative feelings and emotions, symbolized by shame
Spins me around, stops me running away
The writer is moved emotionally and compelled to confront their feelings rather than run away from them
From all the things I've been waiting to say but don't
The writer has been ready to express their feelings or thoughts, but haven't had the courage to do so
Here is bigger than you can imagine, Now is forever
This moment and place is more significant than one can comprehend, and the present is all there is
Sun coming up paints the snow all around, Rose on the roofs and the trees and the ground, And the stream, In my dream
The sunrise creates a beautiful visual across the writer's environment, maybe existing only spatially in their imagination
Messenger wind swooping out of the sky, Lights each tiny speck in my human kaleidoscope, With hope
The wind comes as a messenger providing a sense of hope and clarity on the writer's life and experiences, shedding light on their personal vision
Contributed by Harper N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Gene Burnett
The fingerpicking alone just blows my mind. I play a version of this with a guitar part that's the equivalent of reducing a string quartet to beating on a log with a stick and it's still a beautiful song. One of my favorites.
Darryl Lesko
I love his work. Part of the soundtrack of my life.
Daniel L. Dingeldein
absolutely love this...