The Promise
CLEGG Johnny & SAVUKA Lyrics

Electric chair didn't burn a hair
The electric chair did not cause any physical harm

and the newspaperman asked why
The journalist was curious about what happened

and while the warden explain in great detail
The prison official provided a thorough explanation

the newsman looked in the sky
The reporter looked away, possibly seeking inspiration or clarity

"I'm sure!", he said, "if you look a little deeper
"I am certain that if we investigate further

for something in his life
In search of a particular experience

we could understand the reason why
An explanation for the person's behavior or actions could possibly be found

he reached out for a knife."
The individual resorted to violence or self-harm with a knife

Oooh! What happened to the promise?
What went wrong with the commitment or guarantee that was made?

Oooh! what happened to the one we knew?
What happened to the person we were familiar with or thought we knew?

So, onto a a train the newspaperman rode
The journalist traveled on a train to continue the investigation

down to the southern lands
To the geographic region in the south

to find out about a child long gone
To gather information about a child who is no longer present

turned into a lightning man.
Someone who has become isolated or alone, like a bolt of lightning

Some of them make it through", she said
"A few of them successfully navigate their lives", as per the mother's statement

"some of them never do, and one of them
"Others never do, and specifically one of them

got lost in time -- that child of mine
Lost and unrecoverable over time, the artist's own child

Oh, I loved that child of mine!"
The mother loved her child who has now passed away

Arriving in a country town
Having reached a small rural community

with a notepad in his hand
Holding a pad to take notes

he spoke to the mother and the father
He interviewed the parents

and a friend and a teacher and a preacher man
The journalist interviewed acquaintances and authority figures

They all recalled a regular boy chewing gum
Everyone remembered an average boy who enjoyed gum

and playing in the sand
And who enjoyed playing in sand

nothing could explain how he became
There was nothing definitive to account for how he changed or transformed

a lonely lightning man
Someone who became a solitary wanderer or isolates themselves from others

And when the coffin came
At the time when the casket arrived

on the southbound train
On a locomotive heading south

and the old folks shuffled by
As the elderly people passed by

the one they came to bury
The person they came to inter

was not very heavy, just a child lost in time
The body wasn't very large or substantial, rather it was a child who had passed away long ago

What happens to the clear blue eye
What becomes of the bright, unclouded gaze

when it enters the forest?
When it comes into contact with the unknown or unfamiliar?

does anybody know where the little one goes?
Is there anyone who knows the journey of the young and innocent?

what happens to the child in time?
What happens to a child's life as they grow and age?

-- some of them make it through
"A few survive and thrive

-- some of them never do
"While others do not

-- some of them are lost and saved
"Some are able to recover from difficult circumstances, while others succumb to them

-- some of them find their way
"Some manage to find their path to success or fulfillment

oooh -- hold on to the promise
"Hold onto the agreement or commitment

we're going to make it through my baby
We will emerge victorious

we're going to make it through my little darling
"We will power through this, my loved one."