“The Promise” by Tracy Chapman

Tracy Chapman’s song “The Promise” is as much as song of separation as it is of togetherness. As listeners, we can place ourselves in the role of speaker/singer addressing a loved one, but it is just as easy to imagine our loved one speaking to us through these lyrics. The song opens with:

If you wait for me
Then I’ll come for you
Although I’ve traveled far
I always hold a place for you in my heart

Singer-songwriter Tracy Chapman
(Credit: singers.com)

Here, the heart is the site of remembering that transcends space and time. Until very recently in human history, the concept of a reciprocal relationship between the living and the dead (the ancestors) was understood, and in many parts of the world it still is. We remember those who are no longer physically present with us, and they, in turn, guide our lives with their wisdom and experience. This remembering is sometimes as subtle as noticing a subconscious habit or thought pattern and trying to understand this thing that was learned somewhere along the way. None of us are self-made. We are the intricate tapestry of millions of lives that have come before us. When we reach out for comfort and guidance, they lean back toward us.

If you think of me
If you miss me once in awhile
Then I’ll return to you
I’ll return and fill that space in your heart

In remembering, we come together with the past. In the present moment, our emotions shift to what they were inside that memory. In remembering a loved one, we are loved by them. This is the message and medicine of Tracy Chapman’s “The Promise.”

Find the complete lyrics here.