Bruce Cockburn Announces 'Rumours of Glory' Autobiography and Box Set

BY Gregory AdamsPublished Sep 8, 2014

If the miracle you were waiting for was Bruce Cockburn to finally issue his long-in-the-works autobiography, than your prayers have been answered. His tome, titled Rumours of Glory, hits bookshelves November 4 through HarperCollins Canada, with a career-spanning box set of the same name arriving October 28 via True North.

  A press release explains that the book finds the singer-songwriter providing an intimate look at both Cockburn's life and the stories behind his eclectic and prolific songbook. It adds that Cockburn "shares his family life, personal relationships, Christian convictions, and the social and political activism that has defined him and his music."

Rumours of Glory weighs in on a variety of topics the artist has supported over the years, from First Nations rights, to environmental issues, to war atrocities, with his songs presenting those themes on musical landscapes encompassing traces of jazz, folk, rock, world beat and more.

"Over the years, the notion that there should be a book about me has popped up now and then, along with offers to write it," Cockburn said in a statement. "It always seemed too soon and I've felt all along that such a book should be mine to author."


 The Rumours of Glory box set, meanwhile, is a nine-disc affair. It contains eight audio discs covering much of his career, with hits amongst the 117-song tracklisting including "Lovers in a Dangerous Time," "If a Tree," "Waiting for a Miracle" and "Wondering Where the Lions Are." Though a few previously unreleased tracks are scattered throughout the set, there is an entire disc's worth of unheard material.

In addition to the audio portion of the box, a DVD concert film is also included. Directed by Joel Goldberg, Bruce Cockburn Live - The Slice O Life Tour contains footage filmed between May 15 and 17, 1988.

You'll find the tracklisting for the entire box down below, where you'll also find a clip from the DVD. An audio sampler from the box set can be heard here.

You can pre-order the box set here and grab a book/box set bundle here.

Rumours of Glory:

Disc 1:

1. The Charity Of Night
2. If A Tree Falls
3. Man of A Thousand Faces
4. One Day I Walk
5. Let Us Go Laughing
6. Bird Without Wings (previously unreleased)
7. Thoughts On A Rainy Afternoon
8. Sunwheel Dance
9. Foxglove
10. Going To The Country
11. It's An Elephant World (previously unreleased)
12. You Don't Have To Play The Horses
13. Creation Dream
14. Shining Mountain
15. Hills Of Morning
16. Change Your Mind
17. He Came From The Mountain
18. Musical Friends


Disc 2:


1. Fall
2. Blues Got The World
3. Mama Just Wants To Barrelhouse All Night Long
4. All The Diamonds In The World
5. Rouler Sa Bosse
6. Don't Have To Tell You Why
7. Red Brother Red Sister
8. Gavin's Woodpile
9. Stolen Land
10. Lord Of The Starfields
11. Silver Wheels
12. Little Sea Horse
13. Celestial Horses
14. Feast of Fools
15. Can I Go With You
16. Wondering Where The Lions Are


Disc 3:


1. Incandescent Blue
2. How I Spent My Fall Vacation
3. What About The Bond
4. Fascist Architecture
5. Rumours Of Glory
6. You Pay Your Money And Take Your Chance
7. All's Quiet On The Inner City Front
8. Justice
9. Broken Wheel
10. The Trouble With Normal
11. Tropic Moon
12. If I Had A Rocket Launcher
13. Waiting For A Miracle
14. Dust & Diesel
15. Yangui Go Home 16. Nicaragua

Disc 4:

1. Peggy's Kitchen Wall
2. Santiago Dawn
3. Maybe The Poet
4. Lover's In A Dangerous Time
5. To Raise The Morning Star
6. People See Through You
7. Planet Of The Clowns
8. Berlin Tonight
9. Where The Death Squad Lives
10. Anything Can Happen
11. Call It Democracy
12. Gospel Of Bondage
13. Shipwrecked At The Stable Door
14. Radium Rain
15. Understanding Nothing

Disc 5:


1.Tibetan Side Of Town
2. Child Of The Wind
3. Great Big Love
4. One Of The Best Ones
5. Soul Of A Man
6. Cry Of A Tiny Babe
7. Kit Carson
8. Indian Wars
9. A Dream Like Mine
10. Someone I Used To Love
11. All The Ways I Want You
12. Live On My Mind
13. Bone In My Ear
14. Listen For The Laugh


Disc 6:


1. The Mines Of Mozambique
2. The Coming Rains
3. Pacing The Cage
4. Night Train
5. The Whole Night Sky
6. Strange Waters
7. The Embers Of Eden
8. Get Up Jonah
9. When You Give It Away
10. Mango
11. Last Night Of The World
12. Use Me While You Can
13. Put It In Your Heart


Disc 7:


1. All Our Dark Tomorrows
2. Trickle Down
3. Postcards From Cambodia
4. You've Never Seen Everything
5. My Beat
6. Tried And Tested
7. Tell The Universe
8. This Is Baghdad
9. Mystery
10. Beautiful Creatures
11. The Light Goes On Forever


Disc 8:


1. Juan Carlos Theme
2. Waterwalker
3. My Hometown Avalon
4. Wise Users
5. Going Down The Road
6. The Whole Night Sky
7. Grinning Moon
8. Song For Touring Around The Stars
9. Come Down Healing
10. Mystery Walk (Instrumental)
11. The Trains Don't Come Here Anymore
12. Ribbon of Darkness
13. Turn Turn Turn
14. Honey Please Let The Deal Go Down

Bruce Cockburn Live - The Slice O Life Tour DVD:


1. Lovers In A Dangerous Time
2. Wait No More
3. How I Spent My Fall Vacation
4. Last Night Of The World
5. If I had A Rocket Launcher 6. Child Of The Wind
7. Night Train
8. Wondering Where The Lions Are
9. If A Tree Falls
10. Mystery
11. King Kong
12. This Is Baghdad
13. Stolen Land
14. Pacing The Cage
15. Going To The Country
16. World of Wonders
17. Tibetan Side Of Town
18. The End Of All Rivers
19. Trouble With Normal
20. See You Tomorrow
21. Put It In Your Heart
22. Tokyo

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