She Made Herself a Promise Songtext
von Jerry Jeff Walker

As a teenage girl in Texas
Raised on dust and weeds and cactus
She first saw pictures of the River Seine
From her window late at night
She′d pretend the stars were lights
Of the cafés in the St. Germain de Pré

And she longed to see the world
And converse with other girls
As they laughed and talked and walked along the boulevard
To float to Paris and the lights
In a taxi late at night
Seemed like a leap of faith to make from this ol' farm
But she made herself a promise
That someday she′d celebrate
Her birthday in the St. Germain de Pré


After college she got married
She worked in theaters and had some babies
Her life took on directions of its own
She became a working mother
She lived her life for others
For her husband, for the children and her home

Then one day her grown daughter said
As she was off to Europe and
"Have you ever thought about it, Mom?"
She said, "Of course I used to, honey
A lot when I was your age
But I hadn't thought about it much until right now"
She remembered the promise
That someday she'd celebrate
Her birthday in the St. Germain de Pré

She sees how quickly life can pass by
How easily a dream dies
You can′t just live your life for someone else
So she boards a plane for Paris
She thinks she′ll need a new dress
As she keeps that birthday promise to herself


Oh she thought she'd do it sooner
It seemed so important to her
But life moves on while you′re off making plans
But every now and then it happens
A chance appears for you to grab it
That's why this time she just couldn′t let it pass

'Cause she made herself a promise
That someday she′d celebrate
Her birthday in the St. Germain de Pré
And later take a walk beside the Seine