Promises
Mansun Lyrics
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Such a disgrace, but I was used
You never kept your promises
But I still believed you
You lied and you cheated
You stole my belongings and threw me away
Believed anything that you said
Stick around cos life is too short, you said
You said we could still be friends
You lied to me again
You said we could still be friends
You never kept your promises
Kept those promises
Don't change the world, that's what you said
But don't hold a grudge is what you meant
I, I'm reconstructed
With or without you, in spite of our difference
I'm walking away
Believed anything that you said
Put all those doubts in my head, what a loser
Stick around cos life is too short, you said
You said we could still be friends
You lied to me again
You said we could still be friends
You never kept your promises
So keep those promises
We were a joke, we were fools
Such a disgrace, but we were used
And now I've found you said it goes for
For the millions that you'll never use
Anything that you said
Put all those doubts in my head, I'm a loser
Stick around cos life is too short, you said
You said we could still be friends
You lied to me again
You said we could still be friends
You lied to me again
You said we could still be friends
You never kept those promises
Kept those promises
So we can move on
The lyrics of Mansun's song "Promises" revolve around the theme of broken promises in a relationship. The singer is addressing a former partner who had repeatedly made promises but never kept them. The singer feels like a fool for believing their partner's lies, and now they have reconstructed themselves and are moving on from the relationship.
The first stanza of the song conveys a sense of betrayal and disappointment. The singer realizes that they were a joke and fools for trusting their partner. Despite the partner's unfaithfulness, the singer still believed them and fell into their trap. The partner lied, cheated, and stole their belongings, leaving the singer feeling used and disgusted. The singer then repeats the phrase "you never kept your promises" as a way to emphasize the importance of trust and honesty in a relationship.
In the next stanza, the singer recalls how their partner repeatedly told them not to hold a grudge and to stick around because life is too short. The partner even suggested that they could still be friends after the breakup. However, the partner never kept their word, and the singer accuses them of lying again, reinforcing the idea that the partner never kept their promises.
The chorus of the song, "You said we could still be friends, you lied to me again. You never kept your promises, so keep those promises," highlights the singer's frustration and anger towards their former partner. They are urging their partner to keep their promises and move on so that they can heal and move forward in their lives.
Line by Line Meaning
We were a joke, we were fools
We were foolish and never took anything seriously
Such a disgrace, but I was used
Despite it being shameful, I let you use me and control me as you pleased
You never kept your promises
You lied to me and broke promises while I remained convinced that you would keep them
But I still believed you
Despite seeing the evidence of your dishonesty, I wanted to believe that you were sincere
You lied and you cheated
You deceived and cheated me in ways that hurt me deeply
You stole my belongings and threw me away
You took advantage of me and left me to suffer with the loss of my things
Don't change the world, that's what you said
You told me to avoid attempting to make changes to the world
But don't hold a grudge is what you meant
You really meant that I shouldn't harbor ill feelings towards you
I, I'm reconstructed
I'm picking up the pieces of my life and moving on from the hurt you caused me
With or without you, in spite of our difference
Regardless of our disagreements, I am separating myself from you
I'm walking away
I'm leaving you behind and moving on
And now I've found you said it goes for
I realized that you have treated many others the same way you treated me
For the millions that you'll never use
You continue to use people and abuse their trust, and will do so to countless others
So keep those promises
I implore you to keep your promises to others and stop disrespecting their trust
So we can move on
Only by keeping your promises can we heal and move forward from the damage you've caused
Contributed by Brody E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Ben Wherlock
This was not even a b side! Incredible.
Master Tactician
Mansun just had so many melodies it's a joke. Their b-sides were just as good as the singles released and Paul Draper continues to put out hit after hit.
Master Tactician
Paul easily could have written a lot of these types of songs for films during the '80s with that 60's vibe This song should have made the album like most of the b-sides.
Luke Simmons
I keep finding more and more EP's by Mansun, every single one is amazing in it's own right.I collected all of the albums, but sadly i missed the days when the EP's were available on CD. It's so sad they split, i hope one day we see more from Mansun...
dingo dave
Excellent cant believe ive not heard this one
Noel Dabreo
best fuckin group ever, unreal vocals by paul
uncleambient
I love Mansun but this is crap, sounds like an outtake from Grease !!