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 Point To The Sky
Bruce Cockburn Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The sky
Is reflected in your eyes
And I
Want to fly
On a carpet of brown leaves
We retrace the steps of change
Construct a tapestry of what will come
You point to the sea
I see
What seems to be so free
Bound by
Empty sky
On a tower of gray earth
Far above the spray-struck stone
We climb toward the melting point of time
Here we tumble down the path
Comic beggars trading laughs
For scraps from the tables of the wise
In this song by Bruce Cockburn, the singer is walking with someone who he admires and who is pointing to the sky. As they walk, the singer notices that the sky is reflected in the person's eyes and feels a sense of inspiration to fly. They continue to walk and the singer sees the sea, noticing how it seems to be so free but is bound by the empty sky. The two keep walking towards a tower of gray earth and above the spray-struck stone, they climb towards the melting point of time. Along the way, they fall down a path but they embrace the fall with joy in finding the scraps from the tables of the wise. These lyrics can be interpreted in a few different ways, but the theme of finding inspiration and joy in exploring the world around us is strong.
One interpretation is that the person who is pointing to the sky represents a mentor or someone who the singer looks up to. This person's inspiration is reflected in their eyes, which is reflected in the sky. They are walking together and constructing a tapestry of what will come in the future, which may refer to their hopes and dreams. They continue on, admiring the sea and climbing towards the unknown. The path they take may have obstacles or challenges, but they are able to find joy in it by trading laughs and scraps with the wise. This may represent the idea that life is a journey, and we should embrace the obstacles and challenges as opportunities to learn and grow.
Another interpretation is that the song is about creativity and the process of artistic creation. The person who is pointing to the sky may represent inspiration, and the singer is trying to capture that inspiration in his art. They construct a tapestry of what will come, which could be the narrative of the song. The sea could represent the vast, infinite expanse of creative potential, and the tower of gray earth represents the effort and discipline required to realize that potential. The fall down the path could represent hardships, writer's block, or other obstacles in the creative process. The singer embraces these struggles as a part of the process and finds scraps from the tables of the wise, which could be insights or inspiration from other artists.
Overall, the lyrics of this song offer a great deal of room for interpretation and thought. The theme of finding inspiration and joy in exploring the world and embracing challenges is a powerful one that resonates with many.
Line by Line Meaning
You point to the sky
Your finger aims at the endless blue above us.
The sky
The vast expanse containing stars, clouds, and endless beauty.
Is reflected in your eyes
I see the sky reflected in your pupils, like two little mirrors.
And I
I feel a pull, a desire to experience a similar view from way up high.
Want to fly
I crave the sensation of soaring, suspended in mid-air with nothing but the sky all around.
On a carpet of brown leaves
I dream of flying over a soft, rustling blanket of autumn leaves.
We retrace the steps of change
Together, we walk again the path we've already traveled, remembering and gaining perspective on changes we've encountered.
Construct a tapestry of what will come
From our collective experiences, we weave something beautiful that will create new possibilities and opportunities for the future.
You point to the sea
You direct my attention towards the vast blue-green body of saltwater lapping at the shore.
I see
I perceive something that seems almost infinitely unrestricted and unconstrained.
What seems to be so free
The ocean feels like a vast, uncharted frontier, unfettered by mans' earthly shackles and limitations.
Bound by
But upon closer inspection, there are evidently certain fixed boundaries that constrain and limit the sea.
Empty sky
Like the sky above, the sea seems void of any substantial, tangible mass or structure.
On a tower of gray earth
Perched high above the sea is a tower of cold, hard rock and soil- a definite fixture in this fleeting world.
Far above the spray-struck stone
Up here, we're safe from the splashing water and the stinging pebbles that line the shore.
We climb toward the melting point of time
Together, we endeavor to reach a state of timelessness, a state where we're living purely and naturally in the present moment.
Here we tumble down the path
We may stumble and fall along the way, but such is the nature of our journey.
Comic beggars trading laughs
As we make our way, we may trade smiles, stories, and laughs with total strangers, but it's all part of the rich tapestry of the human experience.
For scraps from the tables of the wise
We may pick apart the words, teachings, and musings of people wiser than ourselves, in the hopes of gaining some morsel of insight or inspiration.
Lyrics © CARLIN AMERICA INC
Written by: BRUCE COCKBURN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jeanie
This must be my all-time favorite song by Bruce Cockburn. It is beautiful and will always remind me of a dear friend and kind soul, Rock, a true gentleman and poet.
anonymous
Such a genius is Mr. Bruce Cockburn. Definitely and guitarist's guitarist. Lyric writer extraordinaire.. No one can touch this .. no one. Brilliant. .
tom wray
The mold for Cockburn was rendered asunder at birth. A unique and irreplaceable talent.
Rollin' WithTheFlow
Thank you. :)