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."
Tropic Moon
Bruce Cockburn Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Away from the smoke of the burning
Fearful survivors
Subject of government directives
One sad guitar note
Echoes of the wall of the jungle
Seen from the air they're just targets with nowhere to run to
Raised on malnutrition
Men in camouflage
Filled with a sense of mission
And the light through the wire mesh
Plays on the president's pistol
Like the gleam of a bead of sweat in the flow of a candle
Hear the cry in the tropic night
Should be the cry of love but it's a cry of fright
Some people never see the light
Till it shines through bullet holes
Till it shines through bullet holes
The tropic moon
Bathing a beach fringed with palms
Glitters on shells
And beach tar and coke cans
And on the night-coloured boat
And on the barrels of guns
In the rage in the hearts of these men is the seed of a wind they call kingdom
Come
Hear the cry in the tropic night
Should be the cry of love but it's a cry of fright
Some people never see the light
Till it shines through bullet holes
Till it shines through bullet holes
Hear the cry in the tropic night
Should be the cry of love but it's a cry of fright
Some people never see the light
Till it shines through bullet holes
Till it shines through bullet holes
The lyrics of Bruce Cockburn's "Tropic Moon" paint a vivid, haunting picture of violence and despair in a tropical jungle. The opening lines, "Away from the river / Away from the smoke of the burning / Fearful survivors / Subject of government directives," suggest that the song is about a military conflict or other kind of violence, perhaps in a country where the government is carrying out atrocities against its citizens. The reference to a "wall of jungle" emphasizes the sense of isolation and entrapment felt by those in the area.
As the song continues, Cockburn paints a picture of the people caught up in this violence: "Children of rape / Raised on malnutrition / Men in camouflage / Filled with a sense of mission." The contrast between the horror of what has happened to these people and the sense of duty felt by those perpetrating the violence is stark and chilling. The final lines of the song, "Some people never see the light / Till it shines through bullet holes / Till it shines through bullet holes," underline the brutal, senseless nature of the conflict and the fact that hope and love seem all but extinguished in this environment.
Overall, "Tropic Moon" is a powerful meditation on the devastation wrought by war and violence, particularly on innocent civilians who are caught up in it.
Line by Line Meaning
Away from the river
In a place far away from the river
Away from the smoke of the burning
Away from the pollution from the burning
Fearful survivors
People who survived in a state of constant fear
Subject of government directives
Controlled by government laws and regulations
One sad guitar note
A single melancholic guitar sound
Echoes of the wall of the jungle
Sounds of the jungle's barrier resonating
Seen from the air they're just targets with nowhere to run to
From a bird's eye view, they are simply targets with nowhere to escape
Children of rape
Offspring born from forced sexual intercourse
Raised on malnutrition
Grown up in a state of being undernourished
Men in camouflage
Males disguised in military clothing
Filled with a sense of mission
Being driven by a strong purpose
And the light through the wire mesh
Light that passes through a wire grid
Plays on the president's pistol
Reflects on the leader's gun
Like the gleam of a bead of sweat in the flow of a candle
Similar to a droplet of sweat shimmering as if it were moving in the flame of a candle
Hear the cry in the tropic night
Listen to the loud noise during the tropical night
Should be the cry of love but it's a cry of fright
It ought to be a sound of affection, but instead, it's a sound of terror
Some people never see the light
There are individuals who never experience hope
Till it shines through bullet holes
Until they witness it through the openings created by firearms
The tropic moon
The moon in the tropics
Bathing a beach fringed with palms
Covering a shoreline consisting of palm trees
Glitters on shells
Sparkles on shells
And beach tar and coke cans
And on the tar and cans of soda pop on the beach
And on the night-coloured boat
And on the dark-colored boat
And on the barrels of guns
And on the cylindrical containers of firearms
In the rage in the hearts of these men is the seed of a wind they call kingdom Come
Within the fury harbored in these men's hearts lies the root of a power they deem as the arrival of paradise
Hear the cry in the tropic night
Listen to the loud noise during the tropical night
Should be the cry of love but it's a cry of fright
It ought to be a sound of affection, but instead, it's a sound of terror
Some people never see the light
There are individuals who never experience hope
Till it shines through bullet holes
Until they witness it through the openings created by firearms
Hear the cry in the tropic night
Listen to the loud noise during the tropical night
Should be the cry of love but it's a cry of fright
It ought to be a sound of affection, but instead, it's a sound of terror
Some people never see the light
There are individuals who never experience hope
Till it shines through bullet holes
Until they witness it through the openings created by firearms
Lyrics © Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Bruce Cockburn
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Tallen Pelegrin
Only the second best song on this album, but still easily in the top-10 of Bruce's songs. :-) You're the best Mr Cockburn.
Cat McNichol
Some people never see the light, 'til it shines through bullet holes. Thank you Bruce.
Johnston Ralston
In the rage in the hearts of these men is the seed of a wind they call kingdom
Come . Great song Bruce !