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."
Tried and Tested
Bruce Cockburn Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tried and tested
By the cries of birds
By the lies I've heard
By my own loose talk
By the way I walk
By the laws of priests
By the glutton's feast
By the word police
By the planet's arc
By the falling dark
By the state of the art
By the beat of my heart
By dark finance
By the marketing dance
By the poverty trance
By the fateful glance
Tried and tested
Tried and tested
By the pressure to rhyme
By the wages of crime
By the drop of a dime
By the ghost of the times
By the spurs of desire
By What does love require
By what I waited for
By what showed up at the door
Tried and tested
Tried and tested
By the nation wide
By the tears I've cried
By the lure of false pride
By the need to take sides
By the weight of choice
By the still small voice
By things I forget
By what I haven't met yet
Tried and tested
Tried and tested
Pierced by beauty's blade and skinned by wind
Begged for more, was given
Begged again
I'm still here
I'm still here
Tried and tested
Tried and tested
In "Tried and Tested," Bruce Cockburn reflects on the challenges and hardships that have shaped and tested his character. He uses a range of metaphors to convey the various sources of pressure and temptation that he has faced, from the cries of birds to the marketing dance of dark finance. He acknowledges his own faults and weaknesses, such as loose talk and false pride, but he also celebrates his resilience and perseverance, which have enabled him to endure trials such as the lure of desire and the pressures of rhyme. Ultimately, Cockburn suggests that he has been shaped by a combination of internal and external forces, including his own choices, the influence of others, and larger social and environmental factors.
The repetition of the phrase "Tried and tested" emphasizes the idea that the challenges Cockburn has faced have been a form of testing or purification, a process of forging his identity and values. The use of diverse imagery, including animals, social institutions, and internal feelings, suggests the complexity and diversity of the forces that shape our lives, as well as the interconnectedness of different domains of experience. The final lines of the song, "Pierced by beauty's blade and skinned by wind/Begged for more, was given/Begged again/I'm still here/I'm still here," suggest that despite the pain and struggle, Cockburn remains open to the beauty and mystery of life, and continues to seek deeper meaning and purpose.
Line by Line Meaning
By the cries of birds
My experiences have been shaped by the sounds of nature, such as the crying of birds.
By the lies I've heard
Through false information I've received or been told, I have grown and learned.
By my own loose talk
How I speak and present myself has taught me lessons through time.
By the way I walk
I have learned from how I carry myself and move through the world.
By the claws of beasts
Being confronted with the dangers of animals and their strength has taught me about myself and the world.
By the laws of priests
I have been influenced by religious teachings and practices, some of which have helped guide me in life.
By the glutton's feast
Experiences with greed and materialism have tested and shaped me as a person.
By the word police
My own use of language and how it has been policed and influenced by society has taught me about communication and freedom of expression.
By the planet's arc
My experiences have been influenced and tested by the environmental changes on this planet and the movement of the planet itself.
By the falling dark
I have been through times of struggle and hardship, as if the world has become darker.
By the state of the art
Being witness to ever-changing advanced technology has tested my beliefs and ideas of how technology can impact humankind.
By the beat of my heart
My own physical well-being and ability to use my body has tested me in different ways throughout my life.
By dark finance
My experiences have taught me about the potentially harmful and unfair nature of financial systems and practices.
By the marketing dance
The influence of marketing and the way it can manipulate consumers has tested my own ability to make decisions about what is important to me.
By the poverty trance
Seeing poverty and its effects has tested and shaped my concepts of the world and my place in it.
By the fateful glance
One brief moment or encounter can have a significant impact on one's life, and I have been tested by such fateful events.
By the pressure to rhyme
As a songwriter, I have been tested by the challenge of creating music and lyrics that fit and flow together smoothly.
By the wages of crime
My experiences have taught me about the effects of criminal behavior and the repercussions that come with it.
By the drop of a dime
I have been tested by the unpredictable nature of life and the need to adapt quickly to new situations or decisions.
By the ghost of the times
The memories and history of past generations and events have tested and shaped my own beliefs and ideas of the world.
By the spurs of desire
The drive and passion I have for certain pursuits have tested me in different ways and motivated me to achieve my goals.
By What does love require
I have been tested by the complex and often ambiguous notions of love, and what it requires of me and others.
By what I waited for
My experiences have tested my patience and my ability to persevere and wait for the things I want in life.
By what showed up at the door
I have been tested by the unexpected events and encounters in my life.
By the nation wide
The events and issues facing our nation have tested and impacted me as an individual.
By the tears I've cried
My own experiences with pain, loss, and heartbreak have tested and shaped me as a person.
By the lure of false pride
I have been tested by the temptation of false pride and the desire to inflate my own ego.
By the need to take sides
Being faced with issues and conflicts has tested me and forced me to take a stand and form an opinion.
By the weight of choice
The decisions and choices I have made throughout my life have tested and shaped me as an individual.
By the still small voice
My own intuition and inner voice have tested me and guided me in making important decisions.
By things I forget
The things I have forgotten or overlooked have tested and sometimes haunted me throughout my life.
By what I haven't met yet
I have been tested by the unknown and what the future may bring.
Pierced by beauty's blade and skinned by wind
The beauty and power of nature have tested and inspired me throughout my life, sometimes in harsh and damaging ways.
Begged for more, was given
I have been tested by my desire for more, and sometimes I have received what I asked for.
Begged again
I have been tested many times and still continue to ask for more from life.
I'm still here
Through all of these experiences and tests, I am still here and have persevered.
I'm still here
Through all of these experiences and tests, I am still here and have persevered.
Tried and tested
My experiences have tested and shaped me in various ways throughout my life.
Tried and tested
My experiences have tested and shaped me in various ways throughout my life.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Bruce Cockburn
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Daniel L. Dingeldein
everything he does is at least good and most of it is pure genius
George Leonard
LOVE IT!!!
Lat Blaylock
This is such a wonderful song. Tried and tested by 'what does love require?' Tried and tested by what showed up at the door. By the still small voice.'
S Jensen
Tried and tested
Tried and tested
By the cries of birds
By the lies I've heard
By my own loose talk
By the way I walk
By the claws of beasts
By the laws of priests
By the glutton's feast
By the word police
By the planet's arc
By the falling dark
By the state of the art
By the beat of my heart
By dark finance
By the marketing dance
By the poverty trance
By the fateful glance
Tried and tested
Tried and tested
By the pressure to rhyme
By the wages of crime
By the drop of a dime
By the ghost of the times
By the spurs of desire
By What does love require
By what I waited for
By what showed up at the door
Tried and tested
Tried and tested
By the nation wide
By the tears I've cried
By the lure of false pride
By the need to take sides
By the weight of choice
By the still small voice
By things I forget
By what I haven't met yet
Tried and tested
Tried and tested
Pierced by beauty's blade and skinned by wind
Begged for more, was given
Begged again
I'm still here
I'm still here
Tried and tested
Tried and tested
Matt Arnold
guys been around as long as Dylan, and is every bit as effective. that's a groove!