Songs:
-- States I'm In --
San Francisco - 21 May 2016


Found on:
Bone On Bone (2017)
Greatest Hits (1970-2020)
(2021) [compilation album]
Lyrics:

seen rose gold haze at the end of the day
ragged-winged hawk swooping down on prey
curtain going up on the night time shadow play.
seen sun going down set the sea on fire
black smoke boiling from burning tires
and bones in the mud -- was the blood sacrifice required?
Oo-ee all the sights I've seen
in the depth of the world and the heart of a dream
Oo-ee all the places I've been
each one reflected in the states I'm in, uh huh
states I'm in

one day fit and one day fat
one day flush and one day flat
reality distorted like a sat-on hat.
one day I feel like I'm in control
the next I'm suspended in a bottomless hole
a drunk trying to shinny up a greased pole
Oo-ee all the sights I've seen
in the depth of the world and the heart of a dream
Oo-ee all the places I've been
each one reflected in the states I'm in, uh huh
states I'm in

I'm slick as a dealer in a green eyeshade
aces up his sleeve and he's not afraid
the mayor and his uniformed monkeys have been well paid.
climbing up the ivy to the balcony above
where pines the heart of my one true love
obsession, delusion -- all that waits is the fateful shove
Oo-ee all the sights I've seen
in the depth of the world and the heart of a dream
Oo-ee all the places I've been
each one reflected in the states I'm in, uh huh
states I'm in

crows in the treetops motors in the road
structures of darkness that the dawn corrodes
into the title montage of a new episode.
whisper wells up from the deeps untrod
overflows its channel and spreads abroad
gathers in power like a lightning rod
Oo-ee all the sights I've seen
in the depth of the world and the heart of a dream
Oo-ee all the places I've been
each one reflected in the states I'm in, uh huh
states I'm in



Musicians
Bruce Cockburn - Guitars, Percussion and Vocal
John Dymond - Bass
Gary Craig - Drums & Percussion
Colin Linden - Guitars, Mandotar and Harmony
John Whynot - Organ
Brandon Robert Young - Harmony




  • From the Bone On Bone press release:

    "States I’m In," which opens the album, conjures up feelings of mystery and dread. "It’s literally a ‘dark night of the soul’ kind of song," Cockburn explains, “as it starts with sunset and ends with dawn. It passes through the night. The song is about illusion and self-delusion, looking at the tricks you play on yourself." He adds: "Maybe it’s also a play on words about me living in the States."




    Known comments by Bruce Cockburn about this song, by date:

  • 13 November 2017

    Cockburn credits the intense experience of writing his memoir for providing the basis for “States I’m In” which, along with a nod towards his disdain for the current administration, is also deeply personal.

    "I don’t think there woulda been a song like ‘States I’m In’ without having written a book. You’re standing back, taking stock, and it gave me a sort of perspective on things. In a certain way, ‘States I’m In’ is a sort of encapsulation of the whole book. The song itself is not entirely autobiographical, I’ve never been a card shark. But it represents places I’ve been in myself and in the exterior world also. From being in war zones to watching beautiful sunsets over the Pacific. The sun going down in the West, over the ocean, is perhaps the most current thing in there. The sense of the divine creeping up at the end, like welling up. The whisper that has all that power at the end of the song. You could see the song as kind of a depiction of the dark night of the soul, in a metaphoric way, cos it starts with sunset and ends with dawn. I don’t know."

    ~ from Bruce Cockburn Rediscovers His Muse - by Steve Houk.

  • 2021

    "Reflections on a life. Maybe a kind of sequel to Night Train..."

    ~ from the liner notes of Greatest Hits (1970-2020)


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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.