Ebo Taylor has been a vital figure on the Ghanaian music scene for over six decades.
In the late '50s he was active in the influential highlife bands the Stargazers and the Broadway Dance Band, and in 1962 he took his own group, the Black Star Highlife Band, to London, which led to collaborations with Fela Kuti and other African musicians in Britain at the time.
Returning to Ghana, he worked as a producer, crafting recordings for Pat Thomas, C.K. Mann, and others, as well as exploring his own projects, combining traditional Ghanaian material with Afro-beat, jazz, and funk rhythms to create his own recognizable sound in the '70s.
will you promise
Ebo Taylor Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Will you promise
To be mine
And I'll be yours
When the roses grow
I'll be there to smile
And kiss you
Love me more
Only heaven knows
What's in store for us
In this simple act
We call love
You [?] you can't deny
When you heart is [?]
And yet you become his love
So my little one
When you fall in love
The sun and the moon
Always shine for you
But love is blind
You will live to see
When your heart starts to love
Oh love
Will you promise
To be mine
And I'll be yours
When the roses grow
I'll be there to smile
And kiss you
Love me more
Oh love
Will you promise
To be mine
And I'll be yours
When the roses grow
I'll be there to smile
And kiss you
Love me more
Only heaven knows
What's in store for us
In the simple act
We call love
You [?] you can't deny
When you heart is [?]
And yet you become his love
You [?] you can't deny
When you heart is [?]
And yet you become his love
You [?] you can't deny
When you heart is [?]
And yet you become his love
You [?] you can't deny
When you heart is [?]
And yet you become his love
The lyrics of Ebo Taylor's "Will You Promise" are a declaration of love, asking the question of whether this love will be reciprocated. The song starts with a plea for a promise from the other person to be the singer's significant other, with a promise to do the same in return. The song then moves on to describe the power and beauty of love, and how it shines like the sun and the moon. Further, it acknowledges that love can be blind, but it is still a significant, timeless part of human existence.
The lyrics also acknowledge that love can be complicated, with the hint of an unrequited love story in the lines, "You [?] you can't deny when your heart is [?], and yet you become his love." This adds a layer of complexity to the song, which is still ultimately a celebration of love's beauty and the promise of fulfilling romance.
Overall, "Will You Promise" is a romantic love song that speaks to the universal experience of falling in love, with all the joys and complications that come with it.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh love
Addressing affection
Will you promise
Requesting assurance of commitment
To be mine
Asking to be exclusive
And I'll be yours
Offering exclusivity in return
When the roses grow
In the future
I'll be there to smile
Happiness in their togetherness
And kiss you
Physical affection as a manifestation of love
Love me more
Requesting greater investment of emotion and energy
Only heaven knows
The future is uncertain
What's in store for us
Uncertainty about the future
In this simple act
Love is a basic concept
We call love
Labeling the feeling of affection
You [?] you can't deny
The feeling of love is undeniable
When your heart is [?]
When the singer falls in love
And yet you become his love
The beloved reciprocates affection
So my little one
Addressing a younger person with love and care
When you fall in love
Anticipating the younger person's future romantic relationships
The sun and the moon
Nature's beauty symbolizing a happy couple
Always shine for you
Expressing affection and adoration
But love is blind
Emphasizing the irrationality of love
You will live to see
Implying the inevitability of future heartbreaks
When your heart starts to love
Eagerly awaiting the younger person's future love experiences
Contributed by Charlie T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Ayden
on Love and Death
One of my favorites of all time -- wondering where the non-english part of the song is?