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."
Spring Song
Bruce Cockburn Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When we come again
To celebrate renewal
At the heart
At the heart of us
Our eyes will touch life
Though we may be hard to find
The mirrors of the past shine
With the light of unborn days
We wander in the flames
With nothing but our names
And no-one for the blame
We love so well to focus on
When we come
When we come again
To search beside the Fool
For the heart
For the heart of us
Our eyes will touch Life
By ornaments entranced
We trace in frenzied dance
The patterns carved by chance
On the pavement of memory
Seasons turning yet again
The Mother's breast is full again
As in heaven, so with men
Is now and ever shall be
Till we come
Till we come again
To recognize renewal
At the heart
At the heart of us
"Spring Song" by Bruce Cockburn is a song about renewal and the cyclical nature of life. The chorus emphasizes this theme with the repetition of “when we come again” and “our eyes will touch life”, implying that life is always coming back around and that it is something to be experienced and celebrated. However, the song also acknowledges the difficulty in tracing our place in time and our tendency to focus on assigning blame for things that have happened. The second verse speaks to our human tendency to become entranced by material possessions and to create patterns out of seemingly random events. Despite this, the song ends on a hopeful note by calling for recognition of renewal at “the heart of us”.
The language and imagery used in “Spring Song” drives home the cyclical theme of the song. The idea of “mirrors of the past shine/with the light of unborn days” captures the sense that our past actions and experiences illuminate a path toward future renewal. The use of the word “ornaments” in the second verse feels particularly apt, as it implies a temporary and non-essential nature to the things that we so often fixate on. The repeated images of "our eyes will touch life” and “the heart of us” emphasize the importance of seeking out renewal and connection in a world that can often feel solipsistic and isolating. Ultimately, “Spring Song” is a call to recognize the cyclical nature of our existence and to embrace the joy and beauty in renewal.
Line by Line Meaning
When we come
As we make our way towards this moment
When we come again
As we return to this point in time
To celebrate renewal
To observe and take part in the process of rebirth
At the heart
In the center of all things
At the heart of us
In the center of our being
Our eyes will touch life
We will finally see the essence of existence
Though we may be hard to find
Even if we are obscured or lost in time
Where we stand in time
The place and moment we currently inhabit
The mirrors of the past shine
The reflections of history still hold meaning
With the light of unborn days
Aspects of the future are revealed through looking back
We wander in the flames
We journey through the trials of life
With nothing but our names
We bring only our identity and purpose with us
And no-one for the blame
There is no one to accuse or assign fault to
We love so well to focus on
Our habit of dwelling on negative aspects of life
To search beside the Fool
To seek wisdom from unlikely sources
For the heart
For the essence
For the heart of us
For the essence at the core of our being
Our eyes will touch Life
Our perception will connect with the reality of existence
By ornaments entranced
Dazzled by the trappings of life
We trace in frenzied dance
We follow the path of life through chaos and motion
The patterns carved by chance
The unexpected designs that emerge from happenstance
On the pavement of memory
Etched into the foundation of our past experiences
Seasons turning yet again
The cyclical nature of time and change
The Mother's breast is full again
Nature is renewed and thriving
As in heaven, so with men
The divine and human realms exist in harmony
Is now and ever shall be
This balance will remain eternal
Till we come
Until we arrive at this point again
Till we come again
Until we return to this moment
To recognize renewal
To acknowledge and appreciate the process of rebirth
At the heart
In the center of all things
At the heart of us
In the core of our being
Contributed by Eli N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Nicole T.
So beautiful ❤️