you got lamentation
you got dislocation
sirens wailing and the walls come down
you got revelation
you got felt relation
door creaks open and the trumpet sounds
we're taking a stab at matter
taking a stab at matter
taking a stab at matter
set the spirit free
we're taking a stab at matter
taking a stab at matter
taking a stab at matter
set the spirit free
you got incantation
you got quantum vibration
temple trembles as the Lord draws nigh
you got transformation
thunder shaking
seal is broken and the spirit flies
we're taking a stab at matter
taking a stab at matter
taking a stab at matter
set the spirit free
we're taking a stab at matter
taking a stab at matter
taking a stab at matter
set the spirit free
Musicians
Bruce Cockburn - Guitar and Vocal
John Dymond - Bass
Gary Craig - Drums & Percussion
John Aaron Cockburn - Accordian
Colin Linden - Slide Guitar
Ruby Amanfu & The San Francisco Lighthouse Chorus - Vocals
Known comments by Bruce Cockburn about this song, by date:
13 November 2017
In inimitable Bruce Cockburn fashion, the songs from Bone On Bone have that extraordinary depth and thought and complexity that are staples of his work. Take the breakdown of his process for writing the catchy but startling “Stab At Matter” for example, it’s a description which opens a window into how Cockburn often comes up with themes for his often miraculous music.
"The original Stabat Mater is a Latin hymn from the 1300’s or earlier, maybe the 1100’s, it’s ancient,” Cockburn passionately describes. “In Latin, ‘Stabat Mater’ means basically that the ‘Mother is standing’ or ‘stand there, Mother.’ It’s really about Mary standing at the foot of the cross, watching her son die. It intrigued me, so I started obsessing over the phrase ‘stab at matter’. It just seemed to offer all kinds of possibilities and what came out was what you hear. It’s the destruction of ego, or the inevitable destruction of the stuff we surround ourselves with, depending on how you wanna look at it. It’s based on the notion that you don’t grow very far spiritually without getting your ego heavily in check. You waste a lot of energy, we all do, when being attached to things that do get destroyed. Or that just have their deaths built in. So it’s kinda getting free of all that. And I don’t know why it took that musical form, the words just seemed to want that. That’s how those things go."
~ from Bruce Cockburn Rediscovers His Muse - by Steve Houk.
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This page is part of The Cockburn Project, a unique website that exists to document the work of Canadian singer-songwriter and musician Bruce Cockburn. The Project archives self-commentary by Cockburn on his songs and music, and supplements this core part of the website with news, tour dates, and other current information.
