Bruce Cockburn Live ...If I Had A Rocket Launcher

[1roxannity]

I have a hard time concieviing of this mans talent when I hear his lyrics..and the perfect harmony..OMG!!! Stay Down, BRUCE!!!

[TheRivergin]

Musical Genius :)

[Quaaludedude714]

The Helliocoptors keeps flying around my house man :) QC

[Jules7892]

COMRADE "BRUCE COCKBURN" I AM A CANADIAN JULES7892. COMRADE "BRUCE COCKBURN" MAYBE I CAN TALK TO "VLADIMIR PUTIN of THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION AND GET OUR "ROCKET LAUNCHERS" GO DOWN TO CENTRAL AMERICA AND "BLOW UP LASER MISSILE-ROCKET SHOULDER MOUNTED ROCKETS" BLOW UP THOSE C.I.A.-PENTAGON BUTCHER HELICOPTERS Murdering Innocent, Old Men, Women and Children of Central America and BECOME THE NEW ERNESTO CHE GUEVERA SUCCESS MILITARY SOCIALIST VICTORIES OVER CAPITALIST-FASCISM which Murders JFK and RFK!

[kshorns]

It's obvious that there's 11 people who have viewed this that don't know squat about music....

[drumsyeah]

A true musical genius..........

[daddygat308]

Comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable

[tonypata]

i'm going to see him tonight. he doesn't allways do this song. i hope he does.

[ldavidkruse]

Just heard of this guy about a week ago (and I'm 35 yrs old). Blown away. What a talent.

[Livewire965]

This may be the last true protest song. Bruce Cockburn is a very gifted musician. I would love to he and Mark Knoeffler play together but geographic location probably prohibits that. Dont misconstrue this as a hate song. It is a song about hating unjust treatment. He is shouting out angainst brutality of any kind. This beautifully played and his sentiments are true. The world needs to stop being such an ugly place and unfortunately you cant just say please stop.

[amerikanprincess]

I used to think, "He should be more Christian..." But lately I've been thinking about my local police precinct. It's a half mile from me, and the year I moved to Brooklyn, 1997, it was the scene of the most sickening bias crime I can imagine short of murder. Amadou Diallo was sodomized there by cops in the station bathroom. When I think about that, I'm glad I don't own a rocket launcher. There'd be a hole on Lawrence Avenue where the 7-0 used to be.

[timjonesart]

This is better than the studio version, which is one mark of a great musician. Bodacious.

[frederickus]

Who voted this down???

[LightSnowOvernight]

a Canadian treasure..saw him recently in DC (and saw him as early as 70)..great as always

[stevegadz]

Loved this song when it first came out, loved it when I saw him live 20 years ago and this version is AWESOME!!! Truly a fantastic singer/songwriter

[TJTele]

Antoni Scalia thinks we should be allowed Rocket Launchers under his interpretation of the 2nd Amendment I'm beginning to agree..Cabish..?

[bucketheadistheman]

Certainly a force to be reckoned with. One badass guitarist with a voice worth listening to. WAKE UP PEOPLE!

[mddg1515]

The man can jam on the guitar and sing well with good lyrics at the same time. He has some interesting and unique music that sets him apart of the mainstream.

[etymon2]

This song is a "release of ugly emotions"? Since when is righteous anger and defending the innocent ugly? Wish more felt this way, less innocents dead probably. At least the target in this case is basically evil.

[whwoowee]

Unfortunatly many Americans think rocket launchers are ok as long as they are pointed in the other direction. When we think of war we should consider how green the grass must feel on the other side of the fence!

[Mesaman44]

Hate is Stronger & More Powerfull than Death

[goforkt]

I thought it was illegal for civilian Canadians to express an opinion condoning violence under any circumstances?  To do so takes away from their god given right and indeed duty to diss the US on an hourly basis.

[brelfan]

Oh my God, I hate haters!  I'd blow them to fucking bits if I could!!! I'd take all those murderers and murder their fucking murdering selves!!!!

Amen.

[reahlswede]

Great song.....

[Salty4568]

Patriotism and Nationalism mean the same thing to me .....

[Salty4568]

Patriotism is a fatal sickness.

[slingshot657]

@Salty4568 Don't confuse patriotism with nationalism, they a two very different things.

Peace

[Salty4568]

@slingshot657 They mean the same thing to me. How would you define the difference?

[slingshot657]

@Salty4568 Well, take for example Germany pre WWII. Most Germans simply loved their country, it's heritage etc. (Patriotism). Hitler came into power & used rhetoric & outright deceit to foment blind faith in him & his actions (Nationalism). Many Germans followed, blindly (Nationalism)... many just went along out of fear of reprisal if they didn't, but still loved Germany (Patriotism).

One can love ones brother, even if one doesn't always agree with what the other does, says, or believes.

Peace

[TheHandOfFear]

@slingshot657 well said

[MsKancho]

It is courageous of Bruce to sing about his outrage at the crimes that continue to be committed against our fellow human beings. Elie Wiesel:"Remeber: silence helps the killer, never his victims."

[MsKancho]

I am with Bruce. What has happened in parts of the world like Central America is just crimes against humanity by US backed "torture states"....we should all be outraged and if anyone is talented like Bruce, in any way, they should be speaking out against what happens and continues to happen today... Good for Bruce for having the courage to sing and write about this...

[forrealdog2]

@MsKancho Hey, if you dont like what the U.S. does why dont u move to one of these countries and join up with them....??

[sonicbetrayal]

in an early MTV interview they asked Eddie Van Halen what it felt like to be the greatest guitar player ever, he said I dont know, ask Bruce Cockburn.

Awesome!

[ben909ben]

This is one of my favourite songs to play

starts with an E on the 7th fret, with a drop C bass

it took me two years to get behind this song when it came out

another 25 and I like it more every day

I went to a Peace March in Washington of Central America during Contragate,

and wished Bruce had been there that day to sing this

to 100,000 people

Desmond Tutu was a good speaker,

Bruce would have been perfect though

[FullersDuck]

Thanks for posting. Stunning song by the best guitarist. Can't believe eleven people disliked this.

[gavincheese]

hehehehe cock burn

[mate6mty]

@gavincheese shot up bevis.....!!!lol

[vcMalice]

one of the greatest riffs to any song

[MsTubbytube]

Guitar heaven for me starts at about 4:00 into this -- I know EC is supposed to be the guitar "god" but this is where JC takes over Bruce's guitar as far as I can tell...

[whyitsfunny]

I would so love to see this guy do a blues/jazz trio gig!!

[ben909ben]

@whyitsfunny check out the song "mama just wants to barrelhouse" for a jazz/blues feel...

[awsomefox]

he has a way with a guitar his is one of the best

[StewartHaasNewman]

Fuck yeah he is so fluid on the guitar

[JohnEBMcC]

Brilliant as always! Bruce the singer, song writer and musician delivering a heart felt message in ways that many cannot.

[funktuall]

So grateful for people like this. Not only talented but a thinking feeling artist who needs to get out the truth the only way they know. With that in mind, RIP George Carlin, we miss you old man!

[edgarsterling]

Best performance and sound quality I've seen of this song on YouTube! Thanks for sharing.

[234helenrose]

It's not supporting war. It's the compassionate response of a peaceful man in the face of atrocity. His conflict is heartwrenching.

This man is a doctor, a humanitarian, and a Christian. His soul is on display in this song.

[RedDotRampage]

"if I had a rocket launcher" kind of supporting war lol.

[NoMoPoPo]

One of the greatest anti-war tunes of all time. Thanks for posting!!!

[jostler10]

Genius!! Go Bruce

[RustySacks]

not bad

[minoux02]

This is gay, listen to hell awaits by slayer

[go4john]

Awesome, what year is this?

[tarkineWild]

Thanks, Montreal 2000

[MsTubbytube]

A friend of mine told me that, at the Rio Lacantun (border between Mexico and Guatemala), people trying to swim or wade across the river where shot at from helicopters. So people were stuck on the Guatemalan side where they had fled to escape the massacres, and there by the river some of them "fell down from starvation", or were orphaned. (The original video shows little kids sitting aimlessly by the side of a river).

[MsTubbytube]

My favorite music video on Youtube! What an awesome performance. (note I've mostly listened to BC's stuff online so I can't speak for how he compares to other guitarists posted on Youtube.)

[fulls787]

what a phenomenal sound this guy and a guitar makes...the drummer and bassist are sounding great backing him up.

BC is an artist that always impresses me.

thank you for posting this one.

[rockinroller7]

So many words to live by.

Perhaps the understatement of the year, if not for all time.

Peace.

Rock

[succumb2me]

Excellent song! Great guitarplaying, spinechilling lyrics...

As is stated below, he really knows what he's talking about.

What he did, is something a lot of people only talk about.

In such dictatorial regimes a lot of people don't agree, but they comformate. About 90 % will act without questioning, 5 % will question the regime but obey when told, 5 % will keep questioning and most likely disappear (cfr. concentration camps in nazi Germany)

[hockeyguy0264]

na na na nieteen

[Regal1800]

alright Bruce! stickin it to the man

[bmohr37]

He released his anger. In a musical fashion. Nice To See Someone Exercising There Rights As A Fellow Human Being .Without Being Arrested. Blessed Are The Free To Express There Emotions Without Being Condemned By The Power Of Corruption That Surrounds us All In This World Today I Liked It.

[GreenSangha]

I don't think Bruce was at all foolhardy when he wrote this. Everyone of us has felt rage and the desire to retaliate. It is a normal human reaction to seeing horrors perpetrated on the innocent. Feeling it and singing about it is not the same thing as doing it. This song is a release of ugly emotions, a cleansing of sorts, in my opinion. Oh, and amazing guitar work! Bruce is an astoundingly gifted musician.

[JaxShores]

Amazing guitarwork indeed! The solo at 5:00 blows my mind. Lyrics, emotion, musicality, all excellent. I want to see him live~~~

[readerwriter]

@GreenSangha Yea I agree, he has always called them how he sees them, a big part of his success I think, well that and he has got that great mix of skills and feel in his performance. Always a story to be had if you're listening.

[gorillabelly1]

Great song, but, I must admit, it'd have been nice to hear those 80's keyboards ringing out loud above the fray. Are they takin' the power-trio approach here?

[villastrangiato]

UnfamiliarPlace suggests Bruce was young and foolhardy when he wrote this - sounds like the fool is UnfamiliarPlace. Unlike most people UFP, Bruce volunteered to enter a war zone to help the helpless victims caught in the crossfire. Bruce wasn't a heavily armed mercenary killer - just a brilliant singer/songwriter armed with pen, paper, his beloved guitar, and an extraordinary conscience. With your comment UFP, you demonstrate seemingly unfathomable ignorance.

[jn1ch0ls0n]

Cockburn is a fantastic musician. Underrated as a guitar player, song writer, singer and performer. As for this version of the song: Best. Digital. Delay. Use. Ever. Understated, timed perfectly, compliments the piece rather than distracting.

If you know what's he's singing about, and don't understand the sentiment he's expressing, you're part of the problem, as far as I'm concerned.

[duggandeep]

Wonderful song - I used to love the video -Such an under-rated guitar player

[hoosierhobbies]

Sounds like he had hope until the last part, IF I HAD A ROCKET LAUNCHER SOME SON OF A BITCH WOULD DIE. Like Rambo says, somes things you just can't change through being a pacifist!

[UnfamiliarPlace]

The whole lyric "if I had a rocket launcher" kinda carries the weight of a death threat, even before the last part. ("I would retaliate" -- how else, with a rocket launcher?)

However, I'd say that he's certainly a pacifist, but this song is an odd exception to his usual type of lyrics. I seem to recall him saying on radio once that it was "a cry for help" rather than "a call to arms". Though I don't know what kind of help this generates.

Lastly, he wrote it when he was young and fooldhardy. ;)

[addaadollah]

How old are you again? Do you even know what this song is about? Can you tell us a story about the things that were happening during the time this was written? If you saw a violent crime in progress would you calmly finish your lunch, go back to work, punch in, and then ask your supervisor for permission to go call the cops? Terrible atrocities were being committed, with the knowledge and sometimes abettment of the US government. You would feel differently were it your family, I assure you!

[rwwagsneb]

@hoosierhobbies --I agree whole heartedly.....some people just don't get it. Pacificsm has it's limits.

A rocket Launcher is a good (but extreme) device for capturing a miscreant's attention...or if necessary, for blowing their ass up!

Wow--A Canadian with an angry streak...? Shoot, now I can die knowing real people live north of us....even if they are Liberal.

Bruce can play!!

g'nite.

[OldDunc]

@rwwagsneb - Pacifism may have its limits, but most people aren't pacifists anyway. (And it's worth pointing out, I think, that as far as I know, Cockburn himself has not picked up a rocket launcher to fire it at anyone. Are people getting their pants in a bunch over a song, when people are really being killed by armies every day?) And if a rocket launcher is "extreme," what do you call an attack helicopter, napalm, and the other weapons that the US uses or supplies to its clients?

[rwwagsneb]

@OldDunc

Thanks,... we'll send the deluded amoral terrorists North and you can give them a nice little Canadian "Lecture" and set 'em straight ..... NOT!

You forgot to include "Britain" in your little ..." uses or supplies to it's clients"... moment of arrogance.

"God Save the Queen, and all that rot, ....ehh ??"

[OldDunc]

@rwwagsneb -- Erm, I'm not a Canadian. I'm a Murrican. So I'm talking about my own country first, though of course Britain has its own lovely history of international terrorism. But nowadays the clients are mostly American clients, and the US dominates the international arms trade. The attack helicopters used by the Guatemalan military to massacre people in the 80s were supplied by the US.

Leaving all that aside, though, I think my point still stands.

[wesselklooster]

this one was even better live on a dutch radioprogram called 'twee meter sessies'

[bushna2007]

He looks like Woodstock on the Peanuts comic strip!

[TrainmasterCurt]

Good performance, but it needs the keyboards

[itsmyland2]

The original recording has no keyboards. It is a Midi-Stick

[TrainmasterCurt]

Really, but i am pretty sure Making Contact does

[itsmyland2]

According to the liner notes only "Maybe the Poet" And "Peggy's Kitchen Wall" have Keyboards. The rest of the album is all Stick.

[brutalhumandeath]

the bass and drums kind of ruin it

[hamish9900]

No!

[bux7749]

i prefer this to the original...

is there any live album with this version on?

[phenomenoit]

yes it's on this double cd just come out

BRUCE COCKBURN Slice O Life (True North 2009). A wonderful acoustic version, maybe his best performance of this song.

[allgrainbrewer10]

While I come from the "other side" of the issues from Bruce, it is songs and lyrics like this that make me consider, and reconsider my views of this world. Thanks for this video, amazing guitar player.

[lancers46]

Hell of guitar player,but his hatred tainted it a bit.

[tarkineWild]

Removed the last post for obvious reasons. I dont mind dissenting views, but cut the vulgarity .

[vausie9]

Another intelligent comment from someone knowing nothing ablout the song.

[vausie9]

Another intelligent comment from someone knowing nothing about the song. Is that betterer?

[movie8492]

Yes, you still need to enlighten me on how I can not possibly understand this song. He's got a porcupine in his pee hole

[wcgottschall]

This song is so serious but yet at the same time this version is so mellow and lax

[ppl2120]

Bruce is a Fantastic guitarist!! His guitar playing ability is easily right up there with the likes of Eric Clapton and Mark Knopfler. You have any idea of how hard it is to play a guitar like that?? it takes thousands and thousands of hours of practice...if you're already really good that is...

[revjt3]

Fantastic lyrics! Cockburn's guitar playing is a lot like Mark Knopfler's.

[GFY19545]

This song was about the war in south America.

[DollyzDaggerz]

I dig it!

[yippiedoors]

Sorry ran out of room. As I was saying, it's not that there's "weird stuff" going on in Canada; that is not the point.

Finally - don't take this is a criticism, but I sincerely hope that you weren't narrow-minded enough to judge all Canadians by one person. Basic ethics here.

[yippiedoors]

ttmct99: Bruce is a Canadian. Canada is a peaceful country - the thing is that we don't necessarily live in a peaceful world. The song isn't about Canada, per say. It's in the sake of unity. As far as an over-reaction goes...I feel that that's the point. There's emphasis on violence, i.e. "some son of a bitch would die", is meant to juxtapose his message with reality. The unfortunate tendency is for humans to react with violence, and he is rather criticizing this.

[doctorbeethelawyer]

this guy is a good guitar player isint he! i like him hes good.

[ttmct99]

I don't understand - he's Canadian, right? I've never visited, but I thought it was a fairly peaceful country. This guy makes it sound like the place is like a 3rd world country or something.

I've met a Canadian and he seemed pretty normal. Either this guy is waaayyy overreacting or there's some weird stuff going on up there.

[Trebornworb]

the song is not about canada.

[Zippercdrr]

Try halo!

[tqug24tq]

The song is about the U.S. backed war on Guatemala in the 80's.

[StMatthew2432]

Actually if you listen close the guy says We Love You. I have no idea what the girl says. He is very loved in Canada and in the States also. On a side note for being 63 years old Bruce sounds as good now as he did 25 years ago or whenever this song came out.Great deterity in his fingers. I'm 43 and mine cramp up.

[addaadollah]

StMattthew? Thank you for that! Well spoken! I am just older than you, and feel the same when I hear it. I can only imaging how he deals with it everyday.

[kipperboy51]

at 0:28 did someone yell fuck you? That pisses me off.

[hotrod101303]

Yeah I think someone did, I would fight them if i was there

[kipperboy51]

Yeah I would've pounded the living fuck out of them.

[CesMan83]

I think Bruce himself had said it best..."If I had a rocket launcher...that son of a bitch would die!"

I'm talking about that douche-bag that yelled "fuck you" of course

[kipperboy51]

LMAO!Yeah that's the best way to put it lol ^_^

[craigndp]

Is it possible to buy him a rocket launcher?

[kipperboy51]

I would but it might be a little hard to send it in the mail lol

[tarkineWild]

Its standard tuning

[jeffkahl]

anyone happen to know if he's in an alternate tuning for this one or is it standard?

[majornext111]

more relevant now then then

[Belphegor83]

tous les dictateurs d'amerique latine ont été supportés par les gouvernements americains.

[storms13]

I love this song and Bruce Cockburn.....

Amazing vocals and guitar talents....

[moepthethird]

what guitar is he playing?

[Bozinorbit]

It's a Charvel Surfcaster

[fngrpckr]

What an amazing show this must have been! He is unreal. Next chance I get to see him I'm there! Thank's for these videos!

[Dionysos37]

"Canada's Best-Kept Secret"! A pure virtuoso

[opp1231]

Oh my God......you people who don't appreciate this man are the people who should burn is hell. This man is an amazing artist. Now maybe i do not agree with his views today, but back then.....well he hit everything on the head. The shit music today, always talking about grinding on a girls ass or what ever the hell else...that stuff is disgusting. It is a disgrace to true music and it is a disgrace to Bruce. People like him continue to bring truth through music How can that not be appreciated??

[TheHandOfFear]

It took bravery to write this song. He did something that too few people do. He opened his eyes and looked at the pain going on in the world around him. He didn't hide from it, he didn't pretend it doesn't exist, or pretend it's someone else's problem. Instead he stood up, cried out and said that this situation was wrong.

[stealthy17]

@TheHandOfFear bravery? what? it takes more bravery to stay calm and find out the truth and dont judge and above all not to resort to aggressive behavior

stupid americans and their socalled "patriotic behavior" and their retarded cliché's

[TheHandOfFear]

@stealthy17 Do realize he is talking about feelings of anger? Do realize these are metaphors and he is not actually suggesting that people take up arms? He is actually talking about frustration at being powerless to stop injustice.

"I don't believe in guarded borders, I don't believe in generals" - Hardly "patriotic behaviour". And FYI Cockburn is not American.

[stealthy17]

@TheHandOfFear Obviously my reply was directed towards TheHandOfFear.

as for the song - no i did not pay attention to the lyrics, not literally and not metaphorically.

i listen to this because i like the guitar playing.

[stealthy17]

@stealthy17 and apparently it's you.

my response was directly aimed at what you said and not the song itself.

[TheHandOfFear]

@stealthy17 Apparently WHAT is me? It's not clear what exactly you are criticizing.

You say you didn't listen to the lyrics, so what "patriotic behaviour" and "retarded clichés" are you referring to? This seems to be some sort of personal attack against me but it's not clear.

[stealthy17]

@TheHandOfFear it's not an attack but a reply to what you said, yes, personally, not the song.

I'm not going to bother explaining it again. Learn to read.

[TheHandOfFear]

@stealthy17 I always find it funny when somebody tries to dismiss their own bad grammar and incoherent responses by telling the other person to learn to read.

You say you are accusing me personally and not the song lyrics of "patriotic behaviour" and "retarded clichés". How about you highlight the exact things I said that were either "patriotic behaviour" or "retarded clichés". Cut and paste the exact line. Can you do that?

[stealthy17]

@TheHandOfFear

There is a difference between reading and writing.

Secondly, english is not my native language.

And thirdly, yes, you should learn to read as in getting the point, not the literal words.

[TheHandOfFear]

@stealthy17 Firstly, I can read fine both the words as well as reading comprehension. That's not the problem here. Neither is English not being you native language.

The problem here is that you are not making any point at all. You accused me of "patriotic behaviour" and "retarded clichés". But the problem is I haven't said anything resembling either one. You made that accusation and then didn't answer me when several times I asked you what specific things I said you were referring to.

[stealthy17]

@TheHandOfFear then go cry me a river. i cbf responding and explaining to someone this dumb.

ciao

[TheHandOfFear]

@stealthy17

The fact is you made a stupid comment, and then have utterly failed to back it up with anything. I asked you a simple question: What EXACTLY did I say that you call "patriotic behaviour" and "retarded clichés"? What?

Either you realize your comment was dumb and made no sense, and are now trying to distract from that fact, or you just can't grasp the concept of what I am asking you. Either way I think it's very apparent which one of us is actually "this dumb".

[TheHandOfFear]

'''This guy is a total piece of shit. He will burn in hell. He has no idea what he is even singing about.'''

The song was inspired by his visit to Guatemalan refugee camps in Mexico following the military torture campaign of dictator Efraín Ríos Montt.

He knows exactly what he is singing about.

[Revumch]

Excellent and informed response from TheHandOfFear--I couldn't have said it better. Cockburn does indeed know exactly what he's singing about, and he continues to place himself in places that challenge him and challenge us. And the bottom line, in this context, anyway--he's a brilliant musician.

[chetdude]

One of the millions of the victims of the USAmerikan Empire speaks out...

Still just as relevant and needed in the time of bush/clinton/bush/obama-mcsham­e as it was in the time of that waste of skin saint ronny ray-gun.

[99wheels99]

skagsig40/canonninja should stick to listening to justin timberlake, because you don't have a clue about real music

[SkagSig40]

This guy is a total piece of shit. He will burn in hell. He has no idea what he is even singing about.

[CanonNinja]

this guy wouldn't know personal sacrifice if it slapped him in the face. piece of shit would probably run away if he was faced with saving 20 people by giving his own life.

[kvnbrn]

Thanks very much for taking the time to upload these. Great stuff!

[jgaudet100]

un talent exceptionnel. merci pour la video.