The Promise
Savuka Lyrics

Electric chair didn't burn a hair
The person being executed miraculously avoided any physical harm while sitting on the electric chair.

And the newspaperman asked why
A journalist present at the scene of the execution was curious about how the person managed to avoid injury.

And while the warden explain in great detail
The prison warden provided a detailed explanation to the journalist about what transpired during the execution.

The newsman looked in the sky
While the warden was speaking, the journalist looked up at the sky, possibly thinking about what he had just heard.

"i'm sure!", he said, "if you look a little deeper For something in his life We could understand the reason why He reached out for a knife."
The journalist believed that there must have been a deeper reason behind the person's crime, and that more knowledge about their life could have shed some light on it.

Oooh! what happened to the promise?
The singer is questioning what happened to a promise that was made or a goal that was set.

So, onto a a train the newspaperman rode Down to the southern lands To find out about a child long gone Turned into a lightning man.
The journalist travels to the southern part of the country to investigate the story of a child who became an electrically charged person, possibly due to a traumatic experience in their life.

some of them make it through", she said "some of them never do, and one of them Got lost in time -- that child of mine Oh, I loved that child of mine!"
The mother of the child being investigated tells the journalist that some people overcome hardships, while others never do, and unfortunately, her child fell into the latter category.

Arriving in a country town With a notepad in his hand He spoke to the mother and the father And a friend and a teacher and a preacher man They all recalled a regular boy chewing gum
The journalist arrives in a small town, interviews various people who knew the child and learns that he was a normal kid who liked chewing gum.

And playing in the sand Nothing could explain how he became A lonely lightning man
Despite having been a regular child, something happened to him that led to him becoming a solitary and electrically charged person, and no one knows why.

And when the coffin came On the southbound train And the old folks shuffled by The one they came to bury Was not very heavy, just a child lost in time
At the child's funeral, the old people who walked by the casket realized that the person they came to mourn was not very heavy and couldn't understand the reasons behind his tragic life and death.

What happens to the clear blue eye When it enters the forest? Does anybody know where the little one goes? What happens to the child in time?
The singer evokes powerful imagery of nature to question the fate of a child who enters a world of the unknown and what happens to children who endure difficult times.

-- some of them make it through -- some of them never do -- some of them are lost and saved -- some of them find their way Oooh -- hold on to the promise
The singer references the different possible outcomes for people going through difficult times and encourages the listener to hold onto hope and the promise of a better future.

We're going to make it through my baby We're going to make it through my little darling
The singer emphasizes the message of hope and promises the listener that he or she will make it through difficult times, using terms of endearment to offer emotional support.