Bruce Cockburn — Nicaragua
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Breakfast woodsmoke on the breeze --
On the cliff the U.S. Embassy
Frowns out over Managua like Dracula's tower.
The kid who guards Fonseca's tomb
Cradles a beat-up submachine gun --
At age fifteen he's a veteran of four years of war
Proud to pay his dues
He knows who turns the screws
Baby face and old man's eyes
Blue lagoon and flowering trees --
Bullet-packed masaya streets
Full of the ghosts of the heroes of Monimbo
Women of the town laundry
Work and gossip and laugh at me --
They don't believe I'll ever send them the pictures I took.
For every scar on a wall
There's a hole in someone's heart
Where a loved one's memory lives
In the flash of this moment
You're the best of what we are --
Don't let them stop you now
Nicaragua
Sandino in his tom mix hat
Gazes from billboards and coins
"Sandino vive en la lucha por la paz"
Sandino of the shining dream
Who stood up to the U.S. marines --
Now Washington panics at U2 shots of "Cuban-style" latrines
In the flash of this moment
You're the best of what we are --
Don't let them stop you now
Nicaragua
On the cliff the U.S. Embassy
Frowns out over Managua like Dracula's tower.
The kid who guards Fonseca's tomb
Cradles a beat-up submachine gun --
At age fifteen he's a veteran of four years of war
Proud to pay his dues
He knows who turns the screws
Baby face and old man's eyes
Blue lagoon and flowering trees --
Bullet-packed masaya streets
Full of the ghosts of the heroes of Monimbo
Women of the town laundry
Work and gossip and laugh at me --
They don't believe I'll ever send them the pictures I took.
For every scar on a wall
There's a hole in someone's heart
Where a loved one's memory lives
In the flash of this moment
You're the best of what we are --
Don't let them stop you now
Nicaragua
Sandino in his tom mix hat
Gazes from billboards and coins
"Sandino vive en la lucha por la paz"
Sandino of the shining dream
Who stood up to the U.S. marines --
Now Washington panics at U2 shots of "Cuban-style" latrines
In the flash of this moment
You're the best of what we are --
Don't let them stop you now
Nicaragua
Comments (6)add comment
Gosh, it's been a long time since this song was played! I like this live version ... reminds me of the times I saw Bruce live ... 100 years ago, in the Wax Museum DC. Seats right up front. Cool (literally!).
afromullet wrote:
I don't appreciate this music, for some reason. Maybe I just can't get past the name...cockburn doesnt make me think of good things...
Would it make you feel better to know that his last name is pronounced "Co-burn" (and not the way that one might guess looking at his name!).
afromullet wrote:
I don't appreciate this music, for some reason. Maybe I just can't get past the name...cockburn doesnt make me think of good things...
If thinking of the waterfalls doesn't help, just remind yourself...it's pronounced CO-burn. Thank God.
Originally Posted by afromullet:
I don't appreciate this music, for some reason. Maybe I just can't get past the name...cockburn doesnt make me think of good things...
Try to think of the Nicaragua waterfalls instead. It might help.
I don\'t appreciate this music, for some reason. Maybe I just can\'t get past the name...cockburn doesnt make me think of good things...