Bruce Cockburn (pronounced "CO-burn") (born May 27, 1945 in Ottawa, Ontario… Read Full Bio ↴Bruce Cockburn (pronounced "CO-burn") (born May 27, 1945 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada) has had a long and distinguished career, with much success in his native Canada. He has written songs in styles ranging from folk to jazz-influenced rock to rock and roll. Cockburn was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 2001. In 2012 he received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal (in Canada the award was to honour "significant contributions and achievements by Canadians").

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."

Someone I Used To Love
Bruce Cockburn Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

All the days we've been together
All the days we've been apart
Add up to a bunch of nothing
If I'm not still in your heart
I never want you to be
Just a page in my history
Someone I used to love

Your voice breathed in my ear
Or on the telephone
All the tender things we've whispered
To keep from feeling alone
May they never come to be
Just cold gems set in memory
Of someone I used to love

This current flows between us
That will not be denied
You draw me in towards you
Like the moon pulls at the tide
May no shadow ever fall

That will make me have to call
You someone I used to love

Overall Meaning

In Bruce Cockburn's song "Someone I Used To Love", he reflects upon his past relationship with someone and what it would mean for them to be no longer in each other's hearts. He begins by acknowledging all the times they've spent together and apart, but realizes that those moments would mean nothing if he wasn't still in her heart. He emphasizes that he doesn't want her to just be a page in his history, but someone who he loved and who loved him back.

Cockburn then reminisces about the times they communicated, whether it was in person or over the phone, and how they shared tender moments to avoid loneliness. He hopes that these memories don't become just cold gems set in memory, but that they continue to hold value in their hearts. As the song progresses, Cockburn deepens his passion for his former lover and admits that there is a current between them that cannot be denied. He compares this connection to the moon's pull at the tide, and hopes that nothing will come between them and force him to call her simply someone he used to love.

Line by Line Meaning

All the days we've been together
The total number of days we spent as a couple

All the days we've been apart
The total number of days we spent away from each other

Add up to a bunch of nothing
The quantity of days spent together or apart is insignificant if you no longer love me

If I'm not still in your heart
I am worried that you no longer have feelings for me

I never want you to be
I'm imploring you not to become

Just a page in my history
A mere footnote in the story of my life

Someone I used to love
A person I no longer have romantic feelings for

Your voice breathed in my ear
The sound of your voice as you whispered to me

Or on the telephone
Or even over the phone

All the tender things we've whispered
The affectionate statements we shared privately

To keep from feeling alone
In an effort to avoid feeling lonely