Weller's eleventh studio album, Sonik Kicks, was released on 19 March 2012. The Green Songfacts reports that it was recorded in Weller’s own Black Barn Studios in Ripley, Surrey, with co-producer Simon Dine and engineer Charles Rees.
Born John William Weller in Stanley Road, Woking, he was also a central figure in the Mod revival. As the leader of the Jam, Paul Weller fronted the most popular British band of the punk era, influencing legions of English rockers that ranged from his mod-revival contemporaries to the Smiths in the '80s and Oasis in the '90s. During the final days of the Jam, he developed a fascination with Motown and soul, which led him to form the sophisti-pop group the Style Council in 1983. As the Style Council's career progressed, Weller's interest in soul developed into an infatuation with jazz-pop and house music, which eventually led to gradual erosion of his audience — by 1990, he couldn't get a record contract in the UK, where he had previously been worshipped as a demi-god. As a solo artist, Weller returned to soul music as an inspiration, cutting it with the progressive, hippie tendencies of Traffic. Weller's solo records were more organic and rootsier than the Style Council, which helped him regain his popularity within Britain. By the mid-'90s, he had released three successful albums which were both critically-acclaimed and massively popular in England, where contemporary bands like Ocean Colour Scene were citing him as an influence. Just as importantly, many observers, while occasionally criticizing the trad-rock nature of his music, acknowledged that Weller was one of the few rock veterans that had managed to stay vital within the second decade of his career.
Don't Make Promises
Paul Weller Lyrics
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Are all about tomorrow,
Tunes of promises that we can't keep.
Every moment bringing
A love I can only borrow,
You're telling me lies in your sleep.
Do you think I'm not aware
Or why you're saying it?
Is it hard to keep me where
You want me staying?
Don't go on betraying
Don't make promises you can't keep.
Don't make promises you can't keep.
We had a chance to find it,
Our time was now or never,
You promised me things that I need.
And then the things behind it
Took away the chance forever,
You're telling me lies in your sleep.
Do you think I'm not aware
Of what you're saying
Or why you're saying it?
Is it hard to keep me where
You want me staying?
Don't go on betraying.
Don't make promises you can't keep
In Paul Weller's song "Don't Make Promises," the lyrics seem to express disappointment and betrayal. The first stanza suggests that the promises being made are all about the future, but they are not being kept. The singer is feeling a sense of unrequited love and being betrayed by someone who is even lying in their sleep. In the second stanza, the singer reminds the person he is addressing that they had a chance to find love, but that chance has been taken away by the person's inability to keep their promises. The refrain of the song highlights the main message, "Don't make promises you can't keep."
Weller's lyrics express a common human experience. Many people make promises they cannot keep, and it is easy for those promises to become empty and disappointing. The feelings of loss and betrayal portrayed in the song are relatable, and the lyrics seem to caution against getting caught up in empty promises that will leave one feeling let down.
Line by Line Meaning
It seems the songs we're singing
We sing about the future but make false promises we can't keep.
Are all about tomorrow,
Our songs revolve around the idea of a better tomorrow.
Tunes of promises that we can't keep.
But in reality, we make promises that we fail to fulfill.
Every moment bringing
With each passing moment...
A love I can only borrow,
...I feel as though I'm just borrowing your love.
You're telling me lies in your sleep.
You lie to me even in your sleep.
Do you think I'm not aware
You assume I'm clueless.
Of what you're saying
What you say to me.
Or why you're saying it?
And the reason behind it as well.
Is it hard to keep me where
You find it difficult to keep me in the situation where...
You want me staying?
...you want me to be.
Don't go on betraying
Stop betraying me.
Don't make promises you can't keep.
Don't make promises that you can't fulfill.
We had a chance to find it,
We had a chance to discover something special.
Our time was now or never,
We had to seize the moment, or it would be too late.
You promised me things that I need.
You made promises to me that were important to me.
And then the things behind it
But the things that came along with those promises...
Took away the chance forever,
...took away our chance of ever fulfilling them.
You're telling me lies in your sleep.
And even when you're asleep, you still deceive me.
Do you think I'm not aware
Again, you underestimate me.
Of what you're saying
What you say to me.
Or why you're saying it?
And why you're telling me those things.
Is it hard to keep me where
Is it challenging for you to keep me in the position where...
You want me staying?
...you wish for me to be.
Don't go on betraying.
Stop betraying me.
Don't make promises you can't keep.
Don't make empty promises that you cannot fulfill.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Royalty Network, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: James Timothy Hardin
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind