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."
One Of The Best Ones
Bruce Cockburn Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If I had no choice
It's taken me this long to find you
Done a lot of getting ready for this
Some things we learn so slow
But look at you, you've got plenty behind you
Not many answers to be found
We're faced with mysteries profound
And this is one of the best ones
There are eight million mysteries
In the naked body
Can't even sight on some distant horizon
Like the nine billion names of God
Don't bring you any closer
To anyone you can simply set eyes on
But in the same way it's as real
Don't always recognize what I feel
But of the dancing scenes that life reveals
This is one of the best ones
Say what you will
There's no snake oil or pill
Can make love less painful or fine
There's no theater
Even of the absurd
Can express what goes on in this meeting of hearts and minds
Guess I'd get along without you
If I had no choice
But please never make it so I have to
Paid a lot of dues to get here
And after all this life
I'm a loser if I don't live with you
There's lots of ways to hit the ground
Not many answers to be found
We're faced with mysteries profound
And this is one of the best ones
In "One of the Best Ones," Bruce Cockburn reflects on the nature of love and its importance in his life. He notes that while there are many mysteries in life that remain unsolved, love is one of the best of them. He acknowledges that there are many ways to live life and many things to learn, but he has learned that love is essential for him. He has overcome many obstacles and challenges to get to this point in his life, and now that he has found love, he never wants to lose it.
The lyrics of "One of the Best Ones" suggest that love is one of life's greatest mysteries. Cockburn acknowledges the complexity of the human body and the vastness of the universe, noting that we can never truly know everything. He also notes, however, that there is something special and unique about human love that makes it an exceptional mystery. He states that there are no shortcuts or easy answers when it comes to love, and that it is a challenge that people cannot simply avoid if they want to live a fulfilling life.
Overall, "One of the Best Ones" is a touching reflection on the power of love in the human experience. Through his lyrics, Bruce Cockburn celebrates the mystery of love and notes that while it can be difficult, it is also deeply rewarding.
Line by Line Meaning
Guess I'd get along without you
I could manage to live without you if it was necessary
If I had no choice
If I was forced to do so
It's taken me this long to find you
I spent a lot of time looking for you
Done a lot of getting ready for this
I have prepared myself extensively for this
Some things we learn so slow
We take a long time to understand some things
But look at you, you've got plenty behind you
You have a wealth of experience behind you
There's lots of ways to hit the ground
There are many ways to fail
Not many answers to be found
There are few solutions to be discovered
We're faced with mysteries profound
We encounter deep mysteries
And this is one of the best ones
This is one of the most beautiful and meaningful mysteries
There are eight million mysteries
There are countless mysteries
In the naked body
Inside the human body
Can't even sight on some distant horizon
It is impossible to see or measure from afar
Like the nine billion names of God
Similar to the billions of names of God in a science fiction story
Don't bring you any closer
They won't help you connect with someone in a closer way
To anyone you can simply set eyes on
To whomever you want to meet or get closer to
But in the same way it's as real
But in the same way it is a true experience
Don't always recognize what I feel
I don't always identify what I am feeling
But of the dancing scenes that life reveals
However, of the various beautiful moments in life
This is one of the best ones
This is one of the most beautiful moments
Say what you will
No matter what you say
There's no snake oil or pill
There is no cure for love
Can make love less painful or fine
To make love any less intense and enjoyable
There's no theater
There is no performance or play
Even of the absurd
Not even a story with ridiculous or improbable situations
Can express what goes on in this meeting of hearts and minds
Can really convey the emotions and thoughts involved in a meeting of two people
Guess I'd get along without you
I could manage to live without you if it was necessary
If I had no choice
If I was forced to do so
But please never make it so I have to
Please never make me go through that
Paid a lot of dues to get here
I had to make a lot of sacrifices to get to this point
And after all this life
After everything I've been through in life
I'm a loser if I don't live with you
I would consider myself a failure if I can't be with you
There's lots of ways to hit the ground
There are many ways to fail
Not many answers to be found
There are few solutions to be discovered
We're faced with mysteries profound
We encounter deep mysteries
And this is one of the best ones
This is one of the most beautiful and meaningful mysteries
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BRUCE COCKBURN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Lou Cat
how can you not like Bruce and still have a soul?
Renate Vig
Thank you Bruce for all the years with such songs like this one 🙏 ❤
Matt Lukowitz
Guess I'd get along without you
If I had no choice
It's taken me this long to find you
Done a lot of getting ready for this
Some things we learn so slow
But look at you, you've got plenty behind you
There's lots of ways to hit the ground
Not many answers to be found
We're faced with mysteries profound
And this is one of the best ones
There are eight million mysteries
In the naked body
Can't even sight on some distant horizon
Like the nine billion names of God
Don't bring you any closer
To anyone you can simply set eyes on
But in the same way it's as real
Don't always recognize what I feel
But of the dancing scenes that life reveals
This is one of the best ones
Say what you will
There's no snake oil or pill
Can make love less painful or fine
There's no theatre
Even of the absurd
Can express what goes on in this meeting of hearts and minds
Guess I'd get along without you
If I had no choice
But please never make it so I have to
Paid a lot of dues to get here
And after all this life
I'm a loser if I don't live with you
There's lots of ways to hit the ground
Not many answers to be found
We're faced with mysteries profound
And this is one of the best ones
Renate Vig
1992 was the first concert for us , Quartier Larin Berlin .