Promises
The Cranberries Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
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
The song "Promises" by The Cranberries is about betrayal and broken promises in a relationship. The lyrics express disappointment in a loved one who has not kept their word, causing the relationship to fall apart. The opening of the song, "You better believe I'm coming, You better believe what I say," suggests a warning to the partner who has broken their promises. The phrase "you better hold on to your promises" highlights the importance of keeping one's word and the consequences of not doing so.
The second verse is about a woman who is leaving her partner because of broken promises. The phrase "so much for your eternal vows, well, it does not matter anyway" expresses the hurt and disappointment caused by this betrayal. The chorus focuses on the promises made in the relationship, which have turned out to be empty and meaningless. The repetition of "prayed, prayed, prayed" and "spoke, spoke, spoke" emphasizes the frustration and disappointment felt by the singer.
The bridge of the song questions what has been learned from the relationship and the things that were preached or taught. The line "maybe we should burn the house down" suggests a desire to start over and remove any lingering reminders of the broken promises. The song ends with a plea for the partner to stay and work things out.
Line by Line Meaning
You better believe I'm coming
I will definitely come
You better believe what I say
What I say is true
You better hold on to your promises
Don't break the promises you made
Because you bet, you'll get what you deserve
You will face the consequences of your actions
She's going to leave him over
She is going to end her relationship with him
She's gonna take her love away
She will no longer love him
So much for your eternal vows, well
The promises made were not meant to last
It does not matter anyway
It is irrelevant now
Why can't you stay here awhile
Why can't you stay with me for some time
Stay here awhile
Continue to stay with me
Stay with me
Don't go away
Oh, all the promises we made
All the commitments we made
All the meaningless and empty words
All the unfulfilled promises
I prayed, prayed, prayed
I wished, wished, wished
Oh, all the promises we broke
All the promises we didn't keep
All the meaningless and empty words
All of the words that did not carry weight
I spoke, spoke, spoke
I said, said, said
Do-do-do, do-do-do, Do-do-do, do-do-do
Musical interlude
What of all the things that you taught me
What will happen to all that you taught me
What of all the things that you'd say
What will happen to all that you said
What of all your prophetic preaching
What will happen to all your prophetic words
You're just throwing it all away
You are discarding it all
Maybe we should burn the house down
Maybe we should destroy everything
Have ourselves another fight
Let's have another argument
Leave the cobwebs in the closet
Don't try to fix the old problems
Cause tearing them out is just not right
Because it is not worth fixing the old problems
Oh eh, oh eh, oh eh, Oh eh [Repeat x4]
Musical interlude
Do-do-do Do-do-do, Do-do-do, Do-do-do
Musical interlude
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DOLORES MARY O'RIORDAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@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!
@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
@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