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Bruce Cockburn — Wondering Where the Lions Are
Album: Dancing in the Dragon's Jaws
Avg rating:
7.5

Your rating:
Total ratings: 2786









Released: 1979
Length: 3:37
Plays (last 30 days): 1
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Sun's up, uuh huh, looks okay
The world survives into another day
And I'm thinking about eternity
Some kind of ecstasy got a hold on me

I had another dream about lions at the door
They weren't half as frightening as they were before
But I'm thinking about eternity
Some kind of ecstasy got a hold on me

Walls, windows, trees, waves coming though
You be in me and I'll be in you
Together in eternity
Some kind of ecstasy got a hold on me

Up among the firs where it smells so sweet
Or down in the valley where the river used to be
I got my mind on eternity
Some kind of ecstasy got a hold on me

And I'm wondering where the lions are...
I'm wondering where the lions are...

Huge orange flying boat rises off a lake
Thousand-year-old petroglyphs doing a double take,
Pointing a finger at eternity
I'm sitting in the middle of this ecstasy

Young men marching, helmets shining in the sun
Polished and precise like the brain behind the gun
(should be) They got me thinking about eternity
But some kind of ecstasy got a hold on me

And I'm wondering where the lions are...
I'm wondering where the lions are...

Freighters on the nod on the surface of the bay
One of these days we're going to sail away
Going to sail into eternity
Some kind of ecstasy got a hold on me

And I'm wondering where the lions are...
I'm wondering where the lions are...
Comments (225)add comment
Summer of '87. Another hot humid summer day in the DC region, friends and I have lawn seats to Bruce Cockburn at Wolftrap in Vienna, Va. and it begins to rain as Bruce plays this uplifting song for us and so we dance on the lawn in the downpour. I'll never forget that experience. 
Posted 1 month ago by chinaski    [ Reply ]
Thanks. I needed this
Posted 1 month ago by haresfur    [ Reply ]
#1 in the NFC North
Posted 4 months ago by MildGeorge    [ Reply ]
I had and used the chance to sing the refrain of the song with the audience and of course with Bruce in the Gutmanns Nuremberg. A great evening some years ago.
Posted 1 year ago by modest_mouse    [ Reply ]
childlike and sweet....   not for me but I'm sure there are those who really dig it.
Posted 1 year ago by liveaudio608    [ Reply ]
I know where the lions went.The're in Brisbane. They are called The Brisbane Lions.They were in Fitzroy, a suburb of Melbourne, but they moved years ago.
Posted 2 years ago by taswegian    [ Reply ]
Tiger King will tell you. Àpali!
Posted 2 years ago by MorettyBTT    [ Reply ]
Released the year I graduated high school. I have savoured over the years and become more and more appreciative of Cockburn’s craft and artistry. Thank you.
Posted 2 years ago by mach-hog    [ Reply ]
Ah, the ears perked right up immediately...
Posted 2 years ago by Fiddlefye    [ Reply ]
More Bruce Cockburn please, but yes more of High Winds, White Sky. 
Posted 2 years ago by joshbaker607    [ Reply ]
Saw him last night at a 600 seat (more or less) club. He's still got it. Guitar, dulcimer, voice. But it's the one liners he comes up with that still blow me away. "You gotta kick at the darkness 'til it bleeds daylight" stopped me in my tracks the first time I heard it all those decades ago. Then last night. A new one for my ears. "Some people never see the light, 'till it shines through bullet holes". Still sounds about right for this day and age. Carry on Bruce.
Posted 2 years ago by DelightedIdiot    [ Reply ]
One of my all-time favorite songs. Transcendent. Mr. Cockburn was channeling something when he wrote this!
Posted 2 years ago by davidamarel    [ Reply ]
 jayhamiljr wrote:


I'm not sure it's a contest. I'd rather have both!


Ouch.
Posted 2 years ago by Dr_Ross    [ Reply ]
"Wandering where the lions are" fits.
Posted 2 years ago by Dr_Ross    [ Reply ]
 garyalex wrote:

Well, I can tell you where the Lions aren't - any Super Bowl.  Unless they bought tickets.


Ouch. 
Here's to hoping their new head coach, Dan Campbell, can get them headed into a more winning direction.
Posted 3 years ago by the_jake    [ Reply ]
Who but Bruce: "You be in me and I'll be in you, together in eternity".

10

Love the aboriginal drum style, the cymbal on the upbeat.
Posted 3 years ago by tinypriest    [ Reply ]
 notfadeaway wrote:

Nice guitar work on this!  Cockburn is a great guitarist 



I don't think I really appreciated what a great guitarist he was until I saw him perform a solo concert. Then I realized that all those sounds were just him playing live. I was truly impressed.
Posted 3 years ago by NotShakespeare    [ Reply ]
Well, I can tell you where the Lions aren't - any Super Bowl.  Unless they bought tickets.
Posted 3 years ago by garyalex    [ Reply ]
 OhCanada67 wrote:
All good except one... "purpose"   :)

mattenuttall wrote:

I think this is one of his stronger songs, just for the dream-mood uplift it delivers. But, I strongly agree that this guy has song writing and guitar playing that the world has failed to fully appreciate. Maybe it's his titles? "How I Spent My Fall Vacation" is my favourite Bruce Cockburn song, but I don't think that title is doing him any favours. (Canadian spellings on purpouse!)
 
 
Look after the king of R n R please 
Posted 3 years ago by 69Grace_M    [ Reply ]
All good except one... "purpose"   :)

mattenuttall wrote:

I think this is one of his stronger songs, just for the dream-mood uplift it delivers. But, I strongly agree that this guy has song writing and guitar playing that the world has failed to fully appreciate. Maybe it's his titles? "How I Spent My Fall Vacation" is my favourite Bruce Cockburn song, but I don't think that title is doing him any favours. (Canadian spellings on purpouse!)
 
Posted 4 years ago by OhCanada67    [ Reply ]
 notfadeaway wrote:
Nice guitar work on this!  Cockburn is a great guitarist 
 

I never truly appreciated how good he was until I saw him doing a live solo concert. Then it blew me away that he could calmly make that many notes happen at once.
Posted 4 years ago by NotShakespeare    [ Reply ]
so nice and mellow :) 
Posted 4 years ago by Jamer2k41    [ Reply ]
 NelsonBlack wrote:
One of his weaker songs: I give it a "9." - Especially live, now that he's willing to play it live, 34 albums into his career.

Would love to see RP really dig into this man's oeuvre
 
I think this is one of his stronger songs, just for the dream-mood uplift it delivers. But, I strongly agree that this guy has song writing and guitar playing that the world has failed to fully appreciate. Maybe it's his titles? "How I Spent My Fall Vacation" is my favourite Bruce Cockburn song, but I don't think that title is doing him any favours. (Canadian spellings on purpouse!)
Posted 4 years ago by mattenuttall    [ Reply ]
 Webfoot wrote:


Life is not fair. At least we can hear Bruce on RP!

Not my favorite though. 6
 

Posted 4 years ago by glassman    [ Reply ]
Posted 4 years ago by justin4kick    [ Reply ]
Following "Buckets of Rain" - I can see the thinking; that guitar sound is so similar.
Posted 4 years ago by UK_guy    [ Reply ]
One of his weaker songs: I give it a "9." - Especially live, now that he's willing to play it live, 34 albums into his career.

Would love to see RP really dig into this man's oeuvre
Posted 4 years ago by NelsonBlack    [ Reply ]
 nutrod42 wrote:

Please. Paul Simon in his prime (S&G days) was light years beyond Cockburn in songwriting ability. Paul Simon's recent stuff could certainly rival this for blandness, though.
 

I'm not sure it's a contest. I'd rather have both!
Posted 4 years ago by jayhamiljr    [ Reply ]
Wondering Where The Lions Are &  Pacing the Cage are two of his best. I've seen him in L.A., Atlanta, Berlin & Manchester, UK and any time he comes through wherever I am I will make it a point to go hear him. One of the best ones. 
Posted 4 years ago by inmanart    [ Reply ]
1979 

My apparently much less than cool uncle surprised me that xmas by giving me this album. I had never heard of Bruce Cockburn but the album -- and this song especially -- grew on me.

I had to re-evaluate my uncle. He did have hidden depths of coolness that I came to appreciate over the years :)
Posted 5 years ago by The_Enemy    [ Reply ]
Beautiful. I love it that you play Bruce so much. He always reminds me of my great times in Toronto. Met him one time. I was the waiter. He ordered something. Or his daughter did.
Posted 5 years ago by johnrah    [ Reply ]
Musical antidote to today's outrage culture.
Posted 5 years ago by mread    [ Reply ]
 onerb wrote:
Canada - Bruce and a superior public healthcare system. It hardly seems fair!
 

Life is not fair. At least we can hear Bruce on RP!

Not my favorite though. 6
Posted 5 years ago by Webfoot    [ Reply ]
I just love this one.
Posted 5 years ago by Alexandra    [ Reply ]
 TerryS wrote:
A song Paul Simon wishes he could write.

 
Please. Paul Simon in his prime (S&G days) was light years beyond Cockburn in songwriting ability. Paul Simon's recent stuff could certainly rival this for blandness, though.
Posted 6 years ago by nutrod42    [ Reply ]
Truly great song! Thanks RP!
Posted 6 years ago by amcostigan88    [ Reply ]
The production on this sounds fantastic - hard to believe it's from 1979. 
Posted 6 years ago by mdnlsn    [ Reply ]
Christian mystics can really belt out the tunes!
Posted 6 years ago by haresfur    [ Reply ]
After last night's game, they're in a bad place. 
Posted 6 years ago by Grammarcop    [ Reply ]
Dang, I've been in the mood for some Bruce lately.  Thanks for reading my mind :)
Posted 6 years ago by DigitalJer    [ Reply ]
Just saw him perform this solo (The Narrows Center, Fall River, MA; April 2018).  He pulled this off quite nicely, even without the additional instrumentation.
Posted 6 years ago by midigitguy    [ Reply ]
Gosh I love this song. It always fills me with....cheer.
Posted 7 years ago by Alexandra    [ Reply ]
 unclehud wrote:
Detroit.  Detroit is where the Lions are.

 
Training camp in Allen Park, to be specific. 
Posted 7 years ago by Grammarcop    [ Reply ]
 haresfur wrote:

Or at least had the chance to steal.

 
How interesting.
Posted 7 years ago by SeriousLee    [ Reply ]
Detroit.  Detroit is where the Lions are.
Posted 7 years ago by unclehud    [ Reply ]
My homeboy Bruce from Ottawa sure is a mean picker. He was always the best of us all.
Posted 7 years ago by ThePoose    [ Reply ]
Right here
Posted 7 years ago by oldviolin    [ Reply ]
 {#Cheesygrin}Far wrote:

State or Federal ?  :)

 


Posted 7 years ago by porcupinemeat    [ Reply ]
 jimtyrrell wrote:
I just blew a speaker!
 
State or Federal ?  :)
Posted 8 years ago by Far    [ Reply ]
Hopefully the lions are hiding from American dentists with guns.
Posted 8 years ago by garyalex    [ Reply ]
Nice to hear this song after so many years. Cockburn is a great songwriter.
Posted 8 years ago by dbheckman    [ Reply ]
 thatch wrote:

The cover art is by Norval Morriseau.

 
Fascinating artist. Thank you.
Posted 8 years ago by Antigone    [ Reply ]
Smiling and dancing my wife is laughing!{#Bananasplit}
Posted 8 years ago by kh808    [ Reply ]
Click here for the Lions.
Posted 8 years ago by Baby_M    [ Reply ]
 Cynaera wrote:

What a wonderful story, Jeff09 - thank you.  Reading it, listening to this song - you're right.  A perfect fit. {#Cheers}

 
Thank you, Cynaera.  Missing your presence here.
Posted 8 years ago by Jeff09    [ Reply ]
 TerryS wrote:
A song Paul Simon wishes he could write.

 
Or at least had the chance to steal.
Posted 8 years ago by haresfur    [ Reply ]
 pcc wrote:
..try the jungle

 
Mounted and hanging on the wall of a dentist's waiting room
Posted 8 years ago by peregrin    [ Reply ]
A song Paul Simon wishes he could write.
Posted 8 years ago by TerryS    [ Reply ]
..try the jungle
Posted 9 years ago by pcc    [ Reply ]
 jimtyrrell wrote:
I just blew a speaker!
 
Great production on this album, and the bass is particularly punchy!
Posted 9 years ago by On_The_Beach    [ Reply ]
Just just a beautiful song!
 
Posted 9 years ago by apparatuspdx    [ Reply ]
I just blew a speaker!
Posted 9 years ago by jimtyrrell    [ Reply ]
everybody in my alien space crafts loves this song and sex, drugs, and rock 'n roll...
Posted 9 years ago by Lazarus    [ Reply ]
 airtejas wrote:
...yes I'm thinking about eternity.

 
The universe imploded...oh, well, no matter.
Posted 10 years ago by Proclivities    [ Reply ]
 airtejas wrote:
...yes I'm thinking about eternity.

 
Yeah, I wouldn't dwell on it. 
Posted 10 years ago by kcar    [ Reply ]
 fredriley wrote:
This is the very definition of 'twee', making Belle & Sebastian look like Napalm Death.

 
And Fred knows twee, folks: 

Pink pastel bedroom COVERED with Hello Kitty decor 

ナむティナむト、ミスタヌ蚀語の男 
Posted 10 years ago by kcar    [ Reply ]
...yes I'm thinking about eternity.
Posted 10 years ago by airtejas    [ Reply ]
They're BEHIND YOU!
Posted 10 years ago by Montyontherun    [ Reply ]
This is the very definition of 'twee', making Belle & Sebastian look like Napalm Death.
Posted 10 years ago by fredriley    [ Reply ]
I'm a huge Cockburn fan. Please digg into his catalogue for more of his great songs. Maybe "The Charity of Night"
Thanks for the excellent and diverse mix on PR
David
Posted 10 years ago by WereNomads    [ Reply ]
{#Clap}     {#Daisy}    {#Cheers}
Posted 10 years ago by Jannne    [ Reply ]
{#Wave}.... a very worthy 9
Posted 10 years ago by Peter_Bradshaw    [ Reply ]
yeah {#Sunny}

garyalex wrote:
Sounds like a sunny day.  I like it.

 


Posted 10 years ago by ShamanManu    [ Reply ]
Sounds like a sunny day.  I like it.
Posted 10 years ago by garyalex    [ Reply ]
Now that's why we love RP.  Haven't heard this for years.  I'll hear it a lot more now I've bought it!{#Motor}
Posted 10 years ago by ngunnell    [ Reply ]
Nice guitar work on this!  Cockburn is a great guitarist 
Posted 11 years ago by notfadeaway    [ Reply ]
Can't stand it - PSD.
Posted 11 years ago by bb_matt    [ Reply ]
Reminds me of driving with my ex after she'd partied too hard and then insist on driving... and I'd be wondering where the lines are. 
Posted 11 years ago by Limpopoking    [ Reply ]
I love they way you can make the first two lines of this song "Sun's Up, Mmmm, Mmmm" as silly as you want and it's good no matter what direction you want to sing along ;-)
Posted 11 years ago by 3Dave    [ Reply ]
This is a great song.  Light and flippy 'bout eternity and life's lions.  Crusin' in ecstasy but just casually thinking about when the pitfall may lie.  Not so quite a direct dour fatalistic China Woman approach.
Posted 11 years ago by markthecarp    [ Reply ]
 Rockit wrote:

 

Stop wondering...they are here! 

 
We are here
Posted 11 years ago by DanFHiggins    [ Reply ]
 Rockit wrote:

 

Stop wondering...they are here! 

 


"They stamp them when they're small."
Posted 11 years ago by kcar    [ Reply ]
First saw this guy in Mariposa in '67, that's 1967 just in case.......he's not done yet.
Posted 11 years ago by TerryS    [ Reply ]
 Tennisgirl wrote:
A
 martinc wrote:
Bruce is a national treasure. Only special place give him the air play he deserves. Tip my hat again to RP.
 

All the Canadian stations have given him—and esp. this song—  lots of airplay, probably due to the Cdn content reqmts....I've unfortuantely grown quite tired of this song as a result.
 
True this is the one song of his that does airplay but, given his repertoire, few give his music the airplay RP does. At one of the shows I was at Bruce said he was going to play this song but it's one he almost begrudges writing as the song the defines him for many folks and he was sort of bored with it. He went on to play it and halfway through broke into a neat improvised instrumental break that made me happy he played it. 
 
Posted 11 years ago by martinc    [ Reply ]
A
 martinc wrote:
Bruce is a national treasure. Only special place give him the air play he deserves. Tip my hat again to RP.
 

All the Canadian stations have given him—and esp. this song—  lots of airplay, probably due to the Cdn content reqmts....I've unfortuantely grown quite tired of this song as a result.
Posted 11 years ago by Tennisgirl    [ Reply ]
 skyguy wrote:

Winter 1981/82 ski bumming in Aspen with "visual enhancements" this was the sound track. Always takes me back.Wore that tape out. Right behind the Woody Creek Tavern.{#Devil_pimp}
 
I can relate
Posted 11 years ago by Johnny-smooth    [ Reply ]
Yup. Probably his biggest hit ever.  Hit #21 on the top 100 in the USA in June 1980.  He followed with an appearance on NBC's Saturday Night Live.
 
Posted 11 years ago by msymmes    [ Reply ]
sweet 
made my day
thinking about ecstacy 
Posted 11 years ago by coy    [ Reply ]
The man can play a mean 12 string.

Just don't give him a rocket launcher...

But he does have a cool last name....
Posted 11 years ago by idiot_wind    [ Reply ]
I wonder if this is his largest selling record of all time?
Posted 11 years ago by msymmes    [ Reply ]
This post apparently contained an image that was dragged into the post editor. Sorry, but any text contained in the post after this point has been lost.
Posted 12 years ago by Rockit    [ Reply ]
Bruce is a national treasure. Only special place give him the air play he deserves. Tip my hat again to RP.
Posted 12 years ago by martinc    [ Reply ]
Pretty much timeless !


Posted 12 years ago by msymmes    [ Reply ]
 shakylegs wrote:
A 10, just for the flashback.
 
I'm right there with you... {#Cheers}
Posted 12 years ago by toterola    [ Reply ]

Winter 1981/82 ski bumming in Aspen with "visual enhancements" this was the sound track. Always takes me back.Wore that tape out. Right behind the Woody Creek Tavern.{#Devil_pimp}
Posted 12 years ago by skyguy    [ Reply ]
 Tagish_girl wrote:

Love the cover art.  Extremely cool. 
Bruce is godlike, too.

 
The cover art is by Norval Morriseau.
Posted 12 years ago by thatch    [ Reply ]
the lions are in the jungle, the mighty jungle, sleeping tonight.
Posted 12 years ago by lily34    [ Reply ]
A 10, just for the flashback.
Posted 12 years ago by shakylegs    [ Reply ]
This tune landed at the perfect moment in the day . . . gotta hold on me . . .
Posted 12 years ago by wenatchee    [ Reply ]

Love the cover art.  Extremely cool. 
Bruce is godlike, too.


Posted 12 years ago by Tagish_girl    [ Reply ]
A perfect song! I never tire of it.
Posted 12 years ago by ABPainter    [ Reply ]
Nice to hear this one again.
Posted 12 years ago by LowPhreak    [ Reply ]
 oldviolin wrote:

Ooh ooh I know I know! *raises hand*


  Detroit?


Posted 12 years ago by Baby_M    [ Reply ]
Sweet and happy tune.  Any fans of "The Samples" out there?  Same lovable vibe.
Posted 13 years ago by tallboy1968    [ Reply ]
 Jeff09 wrote:
Driving west on a rural highway in north central Florida in a late 70s summer, with the woman I probably should have married, looking for an old windmill for the city's nature center/1880s farm  This song comes on the truck's radio as we turn onto a dirt road that takes us to an abandoned farmstead with a log barn, owls, lots of weeds and still working windmill  We smile in amazement at the perfect fit of us, the place, the day, the music, the moment.      

 
What a wonderful story, Jeff09 - thank you.  Reading it, listening to this song - you're right.  A perfect fit. {#Cheers}
Posted 13 years ago by Cynaera    [ Reply ]
So was Zanesville!!! {#Foot-in-mouth}
Posted 13 years ago by Xstar    [ Reply ]
Now there's a happy little tune!  {#Roflol}
Posted 13 years ago by eswiley2    [ Reply ]
Another great tune from the Dragon's Jaws. I would love to hear "Hills of Morning" as well - great guitar work, harmonies, and awesome band backing Bruce up.
Posted 13 years ago by R7-12    [ Reply ]
go bruce  {#Jump} {#Jump}
Posted 13 years ago by coy    [ Reply ]
Someone is getting their Cockburn on, two from the same album in one day.
Posted 13 years ago by SmackDaddy    [ Reply ]
 oldviolin wrote:

Ooh ooh I know I know! *raises hand*

 
Sigh. . . OK, young violin. . . let the class know where they are. . . 


Posted 13 years ago by SquiddlyDiddly    [ Reply ]
Ok, this is a no-brainer; a straight 10!. Just plain beautiful. Please, play more Bruce Cockburn for us Bill...
 
Posted 13 years ago by tupicetti    [ Reply ]
In my office working on a Sunday and listening to RP - Bill is spot-on with his selections today - makes working on a Sunday a whole lot easier.

Posted 13 years ago by bmuscutt    [ Reply ]

Ooh ooh I know I know! *raises hand*


Posted 13 years ago by oldviolin    [ Reply ]
This song managed to reproduce the most interminable refrain since record players went out of style.
Posted 13 years ago by cavetroll    [ Reply ]
It's a sunny, spring-like day here...this song fits perfectly. :-)
Posted 13 years ago by pinnyrat    [ Reply ]
Driving west on a rural highway in north central Florida in a late 70s summer, with the woman I probably should have married, looking for an old windmill for the city's nature center/1880s farm  This song comes on the truck's radio as we turn onto a dirt road that takes us to an abandoned farmstead with a log barn, owls, lots of weeds and still working windmill  We smile in amazement at the perfect fit of us, the place, the day, the music, the moment.      

Posted 14 years ago by Jeff09    [ Reply ]
Wouldn't mind if you took this out of the rotation - somewhere between 1 & 2 in my book.
Posted 14 years ago by Foot    [ Reply ]
Long time ago that we have heard this song. Bruce is a great songwriter. Pls play more Bruce C.!!
Posted 14 years ago by JoepKoperdraat    [ Reply ]
I love Bruce Cockburn's music.  This song just makes me do the chair-dance... So much good music from him, and thanks to RP for playing it! {#Sunny}
Posted 14 years ago by Cynaera    [ Reply ]