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."
Rainfall
Bruce Cockburn Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Wavy lines and peacock sheen
Rainfall on rolling green
Prettiest world I've ever seen
Faces and places in a highway land
Beads strung on a silver strand
Quick silver in a callused hand
Born under a rainbow sign
Flash of wave in space and time
Molten glass and hearts that shine
Stone to gold in fire refined
The song Rainfall by Bruce Cockburn is a beautiful and poetic celebration of the natural beauty of the world. The lyrics paint a picture of rolling green fields, shimmering with the iridescent colors of peacock feathers, and the gentle rain that falls upon them. The singer marvels at the breathtaking sight before him, declaring it the prettiest world he has ever seen.
However, this idyllic scene is juxtaposed with the harsh realities of life in a modern, industrialized society. The highway that cuts through the landscape is described as a string of beads on a silver strand, a stark contrast to the natural beauty that surrounds it. The people who inhabit this world are calloused and rough, and there is no room for the Son of Man, a reference to Jesus Christ.
Despite this, the song ends on a hopeful note, with the singer proclaiming that he was born under a rainbow sign, suggesting that he has been blessed with a sense of wonder and appreciation for the natural world. He sees beauty and value in everything, from the flash of a wave to the hearts that shine, and believes that even the most ordinary things can be transformed into something precious and refined.
Overall, Rainfall is a powerful and evocative song that speaks to our innate human desire to connect with nature and find meaning and beauty in the world around us.
Line by Line Meaning
Rainfall on rolling green
The sound of rain falling on the lush green landscape
Wavy lines and peacock sheen
The undulating lines of the land reflected in the shining, colorful feathers of a peacock
Rainfall on rolling green
The beauty of rainfall on the ever-moving, never-ending greenery
Prettiest world I've ever seen
This world is the most beautiful place I have ever seen, and rainfall only adds to that allure
Faces and places in a highway land
The multitude of faces and places encountered in this world that resembles a busy highway
Beads strung on a silver strand
A metaphorical way of saying that people and places interconnect like beads on a string – a string of fate, perhaps?
Quick silver in a callused hand
Materialism rules this world, often in the hands of working-class people
Never a place for the Son of Man
There seems to be no place in this world for Jesus, aka the Son of Man, who preached love and compassion but is often shunned and misunderstood
Born under a rainbow sign
Being born under the sign of the rainbow represents emergence or rebirth, signifying a bright future
Flash of wave in space and time
Life is fleeting and ephemeral, like a wave in the cosmic sea
Molten glass and hearts that shine
Just like molten glass can become a beautiful object when molded, our hearts can also be refined and shine when we go through difficult times
Stone to gold in fire refined
Perseverance and hard work can turn our rough lives into something beautiful, like turning a simple stone into a piece of gold that glimmers with hope and joy.
Contributed by Allison C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Burt472
Beautiful track....Great artist
moonlitme
"....prettiest world I have ever seen..."