Page type: lyric reference
Artist: Johnny Clegg
Canonical path: /clegg-johnny/the-promise
Related lyric paths: 6
Lyric guide
The Promise
Read The Promise lyrics by Johnny Clegg on LyroVerse, with linked artist context and related song paths.
person
Curated by Ethan Walker
LyroVerse team
Reference snapshot
The page facts to cite before the commentary
Use this page for the lyric text, linked artist context, and any LyroVerse editor's note attached to the song. Listener comments remain user-generated and should not be treated as the primary source.
Lyrics
The Promise
The lyric stays readable and compact here; the note and related paths sit nearby so you do not lose the song while looking for context.
Electric chair didn't burn a hair
and the newspaperman asked why
and while the warden explain in great detail
the newsman looked in the sky
"I'm sure!", he said, "if you look a little deeper
for something in his life
we could understand the reason why
he reached out for a knife."
Oooh! What happened to the promise?
Oooh! what happened to the one we knew?
So, onto a a train the newspaperman rode
down to the southern lands
to find out about a child long gone
turned into a lightning man.
Chorus:
Oooh! what happened to the promise?
Oooh! what happened to the one we knew?
Oooh! what happened to the promise?
Oooh! what happened to the heart so true.
"Some of them make it through", she said
"some of them never do, and one of them
got lost in time -- that child of mine
Oh, I loved that child of mine!"
Arriving in a country town
with a notepad in his hand
he spoke to the mother and the father
and a friend and a teacher and a preacher man
They all recalled a regular boy chewing gim
and playing in the sand
nothing could explain how he became
a lonely lightning man
And when the coffin came
on the southbound train
and the old folks shuffled by
the one they came to bury
was not very heavy, just a child lost in time
Chorus
What happens to the clear blue eye
when it enters the forest?
does anybody know where the little one goes?
what happens to the child in time?
-- some of them make it through
-- some of them never do
-- some of them are lost and saved
-- some of them find their way
oooh -- hold on to the promise
we're going to make it through my baby
we're going to make it through my little darling
Quick answers
What this page can answer fast
Who performs "The Promise"?
Johnny Clegg performs "The Promise", and this lyric page sits inside the Johnny Clegg catalog on LyroVerse.
Are there related songs to explore after "The Promise"?
Yes. The related section below points to Across The River and Africa Rising with a short reason for opening each page next.
Where can I find more songs by Johnny Clegg?
Use the artist link near the top of the page or the related paths section below to keep moving through Johnny Clegg's lyric pages.
Song Room
Open Song Room
Interpretations, questions, and corrections for this song
Interpretations, questions, memories, and correction notes live together here. The room stays noindex while the best insights are reviewed.
Listener comments
What people are saying
No listener comments on The Promise yet.
A strong comment here is specific: the phrase you keep hearing, the mood you come back for, or the reason this song stays in rotation.
Sign in to post the first listener note. Reporting stays open to everyone.