I first listened to Bruce Cockburn in the fall of 1996. Sure, I had heard bits and pieces of his work—”If I had a Rocket Launcher,” “If a Tree Falls in the Forest”—but I had never really listened. I remember the year because I was on internship in Windsor, living with my buddy Brian and his wife Cathy, listening to their CD collection.

The CD at hand was Nothing But a Burning Light. I’d like to say that I loved it from the start, but I didn’t. It took a while to grow on me. Slowly, but surely, the lyrical beauty sunk in. The chorus of “Cry of a Tiny Babe” in particular made an deep impact. No theologian has described the incarnation with such beauty (and I’ve read Athanasius).

Like a stone on the surface of a still river
Driving the ripples on forever
Redemption rips through the surface of time
In the cry of a tiny babe

By the time I received Cockburn’s memoirs as a Christmas gift from my parents, I had listened to his whole catalog. Familiarity with his music made this book a treat to read. As Cockburn shares what was going on in his life, the familiar songs take on a new resonance. In hermeneutical terms, reader response criticism is enriched by authorial intent.

Rumours of Glory is a lengthy memoir, focusing on the themes made popular in his music—God, love, politics, environmentalism. At times the theologian inside me cheered, at times cringed.

If you’re not well acquainted with Cockburn, listen to more of his music. If you are, then this memoir’s for you.

Cockburn, Bruce. Rumours of Glory: A Memoir. Harper Collins, 2014.