Promises
Cranberries Lyrics


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You better believe I'm coming
You better believe what I say
You better hold on to your promises
Because you bet, you'll get what you deserve
She's going to leave him over
She's gonna take her love away
So much for your eternal vows, well
It does not matter anyway

Why can't you stay here awhile
Stay here awhile
Stay with me

Oh, all the promises we made
All the meaningless and empty words
I prayed, prayed, prayed
Oh, all the promises we broke
All the meaningless and empty words
I spoke, spoke, spoke

Do-do-do, do-do-do,
Do-do-do, do-do-do

What of all the things that you taught me
What of all the things that you'd say
What of all your prophetic preaching
You're just throwing it all away
Maybe we should burn the house down
Have ourselves another fight
Leave the cobwebs in the closet
Cause tearing them out is just not right

Why can't you stay here awhile
Stay here awhile
Stay with me, oh oh!

Oh eh, oh eh, oh eh,
Oh eh [Repeat x4]

Do-do-do
Do-do-do




Do-do-do
Do-do-do

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of the song "Promises" by The Cranberries is a story about a broken relationship that is beyond repair. In the first verse, it is clear that the singer is going to leave her partner because of broken promises. She is reminding him to hold on to his promises because he will get what he deserves soon. The second verse of the song expresses the singer's frustration and disappointment about the empty promises that they both made. It is clear that these promises were meaningless and lacked any commitment.


In the third verse, the singer is questioning the point of the lessons her partner taught her, his preaching, and guidance. Everything he said seems to have been for nothing, and he is discarding it all away. The chorus is a plea from the singer to her partner to stay with her awhile. She is asking for a chance to reconcile and fix their relationship before it crumbles completely. However, it appears that nothing can save their relationship, and the story ends with a suggestion to burn down the house and start afresh.


Line by Line Meaning

You better believe I'm coming
I am definitely coming, and you should be prepared for my arrival


You better believe what I say
My words are true, so you should take them seriously


You better hold on to your promises
The commitments you have made matter, so don't break them lightly


Because you bet, you'll get what you deserve
If you don't keep your word, you will face the consequences of your actions


She's going to leave him over
She is planning to end her relationship with him because of his broken promises


She's gonna take her love away
She will not continue to give her love to someone who can't be trusted


So much for your eternal vows, well
Your promises of eternal love and fidelity don't mean anything if you don't keep them


It does not matter anyway
Even though you made promises, it's too late to change the situation now


Why can't you stay here awhile
I don't want you to leave, and I wish you would spend more time with me


Oh, all the promises we made
We both made commitments to each other, but they turned out to be meaningless


All the meaningless and empty words
The promises we made were shallow and insincere


I prayed, prayed, prayed
I hoped things would work out, but they didn't


Oh, all the promises we broke
We failed to keep the commitments we made to each other


All the meaningless and empty words
Our promises were hollow and had no substance


I spoke, spoke, spoke
I made lots of promises that I couldn't keep


What of all the things that you taught me
You gave me guidance and advice, but you haven't followed your own words


What of all the things that you'd say
You made promises and commitments, but you didn't follow through with them


What of all your prophetic preaching
Your predictions and advice were ignored when it came to your own actions


You're just throwing it all away
You are disregarding everything you have taught and advised


Maybe we should burn the house down
We should start over from scratch and rebuild our relationship


Have ourselves another fight
We need to hash things out and try to sort out our issues


Leave the cobwebs in the closet
We should leave the past behind and not try to dwell on old issues


Cause tearing them out is just not right
Trying to confront past issues can be hurtful and damaging to our relationship


Do-do-do, do-do-do, Do-do-do, do-do-do
Repetition of a nonsensical sound that doesn't carry any meaning


Oh eh, oh eh, oh eh, Oh eh [Repeat x4]
Another nonsensical sound repeated several times


Do-do-do Do-do-do Do-do-do Do-do-do
Further repetition of a meaningless sound




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DOLORES MARY O'RIORDAN

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comments from YouTube:

@angelicatapeno4363

[Intro]
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ohh
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ohh
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ohh
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ohh
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ohh
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ohh

[Verse 1]
You'd better believe I'm comin'
You'd better believe what I say
You'd better hold on to your promises
Because you bet, you'll get what you deserve
She's going to leave him over
She's gonna take her love away
So much for your eternal vows
Well, it does not matter anyway

[Pre-Chorus]
Why can't you stay here awhile?
Stay here awhile, stay with me

[Chorus]
Oh-whoa-oh, all the promises we made (Promises we made)
All the meaningless and empty words
I prayed, prayed, prayed
Oh-whoa-oh, all the promises we broke (Promises we broke)
All the meaningless and empty words
I spoke, spoke, spoke

[Refrain]
Do do do, do do do, do do do, do do do
Do do do, do do do, do do do, do do do

[Verse 2]
What of all the things that you taught me?
What of all the things that you'd say?
What of all your prophetic preaching?
You're just throwing it all away
Maybe we should burn the house down
Have ourselves another fight
Leave the cobwebs in the closet
'Cause tearing them out is just not right

[Pre-Chorus]
Why can't you stay here awhile?
Stay here awhile, stay with me, oh-oh

[Chorus]
Oh-whoa-oh, all the promises we made (Promises we made)
All the meaningless and empty words
I prayed, prayed, prayed
Oh-whoa-oh, all the promises we broke (Promises we broke)
All the meaningless and empty words
I spoke, spoke, spoke

[Break]
Oh
Whoa-oh, whoa-oh, whoa-oh

[Chorus]
Oh-whoa-oh, all the promises we made (Promises we made)
All the meaningless and empty words
I prayed, prayed, prayed
Oh-whoa-oh, all the promises we broke (Promises we broke)
All the meaningless and empty words
I spoke, spoke, spoke

[Outro]
Oh-eh, oh-eh, oh-eh, oh-eh
Oh-eh, oh-eh, oh-eh, oh-eh
Oh-eh, oh-eh, oh-eh, oh-eh
Do do do, do do do, do do do, do do do
Do do do, do do do, do do do, do do do
Do do do, do do do, do do do, do do do
Do do do, do do do, do do do, do do do



@juancamacho5746

You'd better believe I'm coming
You'd better believe what I say
You'd better hold on to your promises, because
You bet you'll get what you deserve

She's going to leave him over
She's going take her love away
So much for your eternal vows
Well it does not matter anyway

Why can't you stay
Here awhile
Stay here awhile
Stay with me

Oh, oh, oh
All the promises we made (promises we made)
All the meaningless and empty words I prayed
Prayed, prayed

Oh, oh, oh
All the promises we broke (promises we broke)
All the meaningless and empty words I spoke
Spoke, spoke
🎵🎶🎵🎶
What of all the things that you taught me
What of all the things that you'd say
What of all your prophetic preaching
You're just throwing it all away

Maybe we should burn the house down
Have ourselves another fight
Leave the cobwebs in the closet
'Cause tearing them out is just not right

Why can't you stay here awhile
Stay here awhile
Stay with me

Oh, oh, oh
All the promises we made (promises we made)
All the meaningless and empty words I prayed
Prayed, prayed

Oh, oh, oh
All the promises we broke (promises we broke)
All the meaningless and empty words I spoke
Spoke, spoke

Oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh

Oh, oh, oh
All the promises we made (promises we made)
All the meaningless and empty words I prayed
Prayed, prayed

Oh, oh, oh
All the promises we broke (promises we broke)
All the meaningless and empty words I spoke
Spoke, spoke

Oh eh, oh eh, oh eh, oh eh, oh eh
Hey hey

Do-do-do
Do-do-do



@snowdarkqueen2755

You better believe I'm coming
You better believe what I say
You better hold on to your promises
Because you bet, you'll get what you deserve
She's going to leave him over
She's gonna take her love away
So much for your eternal vows, well
It does not matter anyway

Why can't you stay here awhile
Stay here awhile
Stay with me

Oh, all the promises we made
All the meaningless and empty words
I prayed, prayed, prayed
Oh, all the promises we broke
All the meaningless and empty words
I spoke, spoke, spoke

Do-do-do, do-do-do,
Do-do-do, do-do-do

What of all the things that you taught me
What of all the things that you'd say
What of all your prophetic preaching
You're just throwing it all away
Maybe we should burn the house down
Have ourselves another fight
Leave the cobwebs in the closet
Cause tearing them out is just not right

Why can't you stay here awhile
Stay here awhile
Stay with me, oh oh!



All comments from YouTube:

@Iggypres

The king is already gone, prince too, now queen, - the royals are fading away ... sad

@simonegiacchi4915

Igor Presnyakov well she was the Princess...the Queen died lot of time ago...there's only one Queen. Freddie Mercury. But today we lost a piece of heart.

@feezoo82

Every1 dies, very few leave the mark in history, she was indeed one of those few.

@james-kc7xk

I never anticipated this part of middle age. All my childhood heroes are leaving. First Lemmy, then Chris Cornell, then Tom Petty, then Gord Downie. Now Dolores. WTF. I'm so sad and angry right now. What a horrendous blow for music fans.

@vickicleaver6781

An amazing artist, I'm at such a loss for words right now. There must be one hell of a show going on up there
, as all the greats are being called.

@aarontrainor9918

james Chester Bennington too

114 More Replies...

@electrovoyage2613

One of their best tracks. Her voice and guitars are superb

@gallowaygaming75

Totally agree buddy what a vocalist 👍

@grac3om

What an absolute legend she was, with one of the most raw, emotive, powerful and distinctive voices in the industry. RIP Dolores, it's been almost six years but the world has not forgotten you and we continue to treasure all the songs you gifted to us. ❤

@cometsmommy

I think this is my favorite Cranberries song. Of course Zombie is their biggest for many reasons, but this one just really shows Delores strength as a performer. RIP Delores O'Riordan. We were blessed to have you on this earth

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