© 1996 Denver Post
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One, "The Mines of Mozambique" fell flat. But several other new ones featured outstanding writing. There was "Pacing the Cage" an aptly imagist metaphor for the frustrations and anxieties of a life perceived as stalled. It contained such poignant lyrics as "I’ve proved who I am so many times the magnetic strip has worn thin."
At times Cockburn has been called a politically left singer/songwriter, but I find that his "political" songs can be so personal that he is hard to label. He’s a highly principled humanist who can be despairing about the world, but also awed by its beauty. He’s true to himself, and his observations can be far more astute and complex than you’re used to getting in contemporary songwritting.
One new political song won my admiration. I didn’t hear him announce the title, but its key point was "everybody wants justice on somebody else." [ed: The song is "Justice" and is not new; it was released in 1981.] In decrying the various causes of politically inspired violence, Cockburn listed terms like "justice," "revolution," "liberation’ and even "peace" that people use to excuse acts of murder and vengeance. Its a gutsy thing for someone out of the folk tradition to sing --- so many others use those words as clichés to get an easy rise out of an essentially liberal audience. But Cockburn won’t look away when something troubles him, and that continually makes him someone worth hearing. Actually it elevates him --- he’s one of our best.