Bruce Cockburn has always been more famous among musicians than the general public. Most people who recognize his name know “Wondering Where the Lions Are,” that one song that got radio play back in the day. But talk to songwriters like Patty Griffin or Jonatha Brooke, and you’ll hear a different story. They’ll tell you about his guitar work, the fingerstyle mastery, the way he can make an acoustic sound like three instruments at once. They’ll mention the political songs, which some listeners find a little heavy-handed, even sophomoric. Fair enough. But when Cockburn writes about individuals rather than causes, when he focuses on the person inside the larger story instead of lecturing about the machinery around them, that’s when his voice becomes something else entirely.

 

“Night Train” is one of those tracks. It’s not as well-known as “Rocket Launcher” or “Pacing the Cage,” but there’s something about it that pulls you in. Maybe it’s Rob Wasserman’s bass line, percussive, snaking, thumping like the train itself. It’s perfect music for starting a road trip, that restless forward motion. But the lyric has this furtive quality underneath, something unsettled even as the song propels you down the highway. Listen closely, and you’ll hear what I mean.

Musician and poet Bruce Cockburn is known to you. Most likely, he is on the periphery of your awareness or perhaps known to you for his mainstream radio hit, “Wondering Where the Lions Are”. Mr. Cockburn is a favorite among other established singer-songwriters for his guitar mastery and politically aware lyricism.  You will find many notable artists (Patty Griffin, Jonatha Brooke) in vocal supporting roles on quite a few of his recent recordings. Some find his political songs pedantic and somewhat soph·o·mor·ic.  I find his voice most resonant when he focuses on the individual narrative within a broader socio-economic and geopolitical context.

Night Train, a lesser-known song, is one of my favorite BC tracks. This may have something to do with the prominent, percussive, snakeline Rob Wasserman bass-thumping standin for the Night Train, perfect for the beginning of a long road trip. Yet there is something viscerally furtive in the lyric.  Decide for yourself. The studio version is the second of these two videos.