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."

You Get Bigger As You Go
Bruce Cockburn Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

So I find out what the luxury of hate is
As exciting maybe as doing the dishes
Face toward window, light received
You walk away to see a film
See some people see a man
Stab in throat twist in gut all too clear
Not too new, all been done before
Planet breathes exhaustion

Staggers on
Enemy anger impotent gun grease
Too many thoughts
Too dogshit tired
One small step for freedom
From foregone conclusion

You get bigger as you go
No one told me, I just know
Bales of memory like boats in tow
You get bigger as you go

You get bigger as you go
Spent all day afraid to talk
Redneck children laugh out loud
I being target live and walk

You get bigger as you go
Telephone snarls, 'don't touch me'
You move in waves like the midnight blues
You vector of this weird dis-ease

You get bigger as you go
News reruns, dawn comes rainbow

Pain takes shape of grimy window
You get bigger as you go

Overall Meaning

The opening lyrics of Bruce Cockburn's song, You Get Bigger As You Go, immediately grab the listener's attention. The phrase "luxury of hate" is intriguing, and the line that follows, "As exciting maybe as doing the dishes," creates an interesting contrast. The singer seems to be referring to a feeling of bitterness or resentment, possibly towards someone or something they perceive as an enemy. This emotion is described as a kind of "luxury," which suggests that the singer recognizes the indulgence and perhaps even the danger of this feeling.

The next few lines add to the sense of tension and unease. The mention of a man being stabbed in the throat and gut creates a disturbing image, and the words "all too clear" emphasize the brutality of the act. The line "Not too new, all been done before" suggests that violence and cruelty are sadly familiar and perhaps even expected. The image of the planet breathing exhaustion suggests a kind of weariness with this cycle of violence and one could interpret it as a commentary on the state of the world.

As the song continues, the singer seems to be reflecting on their own feelings of fear and vulnerability. The line "Spent all day afraid to talk" reveals a sense of unease or discomfort, and the reference to "redneck children" laughing suggests a feeling of being singled out or mocked. The refrain "You get bigger as you go" is repeated throughout the song, and seems to suggest that experiences, both positive and negative, shape us and make us stronger.

Overall, the lyrics of "You Get Bigger As You Go" are dense and thought-provoking. They touch on themes of violence, fear, and resilience, and leave the listener with much to ponder.

Line by Line Meaning

So I find out what the luxury of hate is
I am discovering the indulgence of hateful thoughts and emotions.

As exciting maybe as doing the dishes
Hate can be as trivial and mundane as daily chores like washing dishes.

Face toward window, light received
Facing towards the window, I receive the sunlight.

You walk away to see a film
You leave to see a movie.

See some people see a man
Some people only see a man.

Stab in throat twist in gut all too clear
Seeing someone getting hurt can be extremely unsettling and clear in the mind.

Not too new, all been done before
Acts of violence have been perpetrated before, and are not new.

Planet breathes exhaustion / Staggers on
The planet is exhausted and persevering despite the challenges.

Enemy anger impotent gun grease
The anger of the enemy is impotent and useless like gun grease.

Too many thoughts / Too dogshit tired
There are too many thoughts to process, and the artist is exhausted.

One small step for freedom / From foregone conclusion
The singer takes one small step towards freedom, breaking away from a predetermined outcome.

You get bigger as you go / No one told me, I just know
One's perspective and understanding of the world grows and expands as they experience more, even if no one explicitly tells them so.

Bales of memory like boats in tow
Memories are being carried along like boats in tow.

You get bigger as you go
Again, the singer reiterates that one's experiences can lead to growth.

Spent all day afraid to talk / Redneck children laugh out loud / I being target live and walk
The singer spent the day feeling too scared to talk, while redneck children laugh at them. Despite being a target, they continue to live and walk on.

Telephone snarls, 'don't touch me'
The artist hears someone on the phone saying 'don't touch me' in a snarling tone.

You move in waves like the midnight blues / You vector of this weird dis-ease
The artist moves through life feeling like they're in tune with the midnight blues, and that they carry a sense of discomfort and dis-ease with them.

News reruns, dawn comes rainbow / Pain takes shape of grimy window
The news cycles repeat, but a new day brings a sense of hope. The pain the singer feels is visualized through a dirty windowpane.

You get bigger as you go
The final repetition of the line emphasizes the theme of growth through personal experience.

Lyrics © CARLIN AMERICA INC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Bruce Cockburn

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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