Song Lyric Sunday — Promises

Fandango

For this week’s Song Lyric Sunday, Jim Adams has challenged us to come up with songs about promises, vows, and oaths. For some reason I found this harder than I thought it would be, but I finally remembered this interesting little song sung by Eric Clapton titled “Promises.”

“Promises” was a single performed by Eric Clapton. It was written by songwriters Richard Feldman and Roger Linn, and was released in September 1978 from Clapton’s studio album Backless. In the U.S., “Promises” reached number nine on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and number six on the Adult Contemporary chart.

The song’s tune is lightweight and upbeat, which belies what the song is about. It’s actually a kind of heartbreaking tale of a man who comes to a long-overdue conclusion that the woman he loves and has always wanted to be with will never accept his love. In order to protect himself, he has become indifferent to what she does. Recognizing this, he ends the relationship for his own good. Until or unless there comes a time when she can see it the way he has always done so, he is giving up in order to move on.

Here are the song’s lyrics.

I don’t care if you never come home
I don’t mind if you just keep on rowin’ away on a distant sea
‘Cause I don’t love you and you don’t love me

You cause a commotion when you come to town
You give ’em a smile and they melt
And your lovers and friends is all good and fine
But I don’t like yours and you don’t like mine

La la la la la la
La la la la la la la la

I don’t care what you do at night
Oh, I don’t care how you get you delights
We’ll leave it alone and just let it be
I don’t love you and you don’t love me

I got a problem, can you relate
I got a woman callin’ love hate
We made a vow we’d always be friends
How could we know that promises end

La la la la la la
La la la la la la la la

I tried to love for years upon years
You refuse to take me for real
It’s time you saw what I want you to see
I’d still love you if you’d just love me

I got a problem, can you relate
I got a woman callin’ love hate
We made a vow we’d always be friends
How could we know that promises end

La la la la la la
La la la la la la la la
La la la la la la
La la la la la la la la
Wohoo, la la la la la la la

24 thoughts on “Song Lyric Sunday — Promises”

  9. rugby843 March 22, 2020 / 10:59 am

    This is one of those songs that gets stuck in your head as it did mi e when i.putit on months ago

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  10. rugby843 March 22, 2020 / 11:00 am

    Yikes cold fingers hit the button before I fixed it😳😒🤯

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    • Fandango March 22, 2020 / 11:18 pm

      It’s so bouncy and lighthearted…until you listen to the words.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
      • J-Dub March 23, 2020 / 5:10 pm

        deceiving yes, we danced around the house to this song yesterday all carefree for a few minutes

        Liked by 1 person

        Reply
  12. aguycalledbloke March 23, 2020 / 3:27 am

    Clapton at his best.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

Leave a comment