We all grow up with anger. It's part of the human condition. But what do you do with that? It seems obvious to me that you've got to use it for something, but you have to separate it from your ego. Bruce Cockburn More Quotes by Bruce Cockburn More Quotes From Bruce Cockburn Most of the time, our deeper, stronger feelings are things we all have in common. Bruce Cockburn stronger common feelings Sun's up, uh huh, looks okay - Bruce Cockburn looks world thinking I'm not a pacifist. I feel that there are situations where fighting is inescapable, but we don't go looking for those things. Bruce Cockburn pacifist situation fighting I woke up one morning with this song in my head, and the opening line of the song: My name was Richard Nixon, only now I'm a girl. Bruce Cockburn girl song morning I'm particularly attuned to lyrics, and very often a bad set of lyrics will ruin a song for me, while my friends will be just grooving on the music. I don't mean that it has to be about anything in particular, but there has to be some art applied to it, simple or otherwise. Bruce Cockburn song mean art I'd always loved poetry and I'd always loved writing music and composing music, but I hadn't thought of putting the two together until around that time. Bruce Cockburn together writing two I like to think that if it hadn't gone as well as it has, if I wasn't able to make a living off of playing music, I would still be playing the music. But, of course, I wouldn't likely have had the opportunity to travel, and a lot of the places have inspired songs. Bruce Cockburn opportunity song thinking I can't imagine my life any other way than it's been. Bruce Cockburn imagine i-can way The invitation for artists to compete to see who can be the most charitable is a wonderful thing. Bruce Cockburn charitable artist wonderful In between effect and cause and just beyond the range of normal sight, this glittering joker was dancing in the dragon's jaws. Bruce Cockburn dragons sight philosophy I did a lot of writing for a lot of different kinds of bands that I was in and out of during those five years and that left me with a little body of songs that I liked better when I played alone, so I ended up going out solo and very soon made my first album. Bruce Cockburn writing song years It sounds strange to say it, but you can be in a war zone and have a lot of fun. Even though war is essentially pain on all sides, human beings have the capacity to enjoy themselves. The soldiers are mostly young people, full of enthusiasm and energy, and that's an exciting thing for an old guy like me. Bruce Cockburn pain fun war The second half of the '60s really was a kind of learning period, in terms of writing, for me. Bruce Cockburn kind half writing I always write the lyrics first. There are one or two exceptions over the years, but that's pretty much the way it's been. The process of applying music to words is a bit like scoring a film. You've got imagery. Bruce Cockburn writing two years A number of Iraqis told us they had welcomed the U.S. forces as liberators initially but in the intervening months, they had come to feel that they had swapped one oppressive regime for another. The Iraqis did exchange one oppression for a lighter kind, in some ways. Bruce Cockburn months numbers way Abu Ghraib, as bad as it was, can't be compared to what Saddam was doing to people. Bruce Cockburn saddam abu-ghraib people Everything that makes a society run is broken in Iraq. The only real structure is the people's own sense of themselves as Iraqis, which was very strong. They're a proud people, and they trace their historic roots way, way back. Bruce Cockburn strong real running Here's Iraq, where irrigation was invented, where law was invented, where writing was invented. All these things that we consider necessities of civilization started there. And the people who live there damn well know that. Bruce Cockburn law writing civilization Music itself isn't enough to completely wear down my stash of anger. And I don't have all that much more to be angry about than anyone else. It's not like I was abused as a kid or anything. I had a pretty comfortable childhood with parents who took good care of me. But resentment exists, and some of it goes into the music. Some of it goes into physical activity. Bruce Cockburn childhood parent kids Anger is energy, and you've got to find a place to put it that works for you. Bruce Cockburn energy
