NO PROMISES TO KEEP: Aerith’s Ballad to Cloud (Part 2)

We, as an eager fandom, learned that No Promises to Keep would be the theme song of the yet-unreleased Final Fantasy VII Rebirth at The Game Awards in December 2023. At that time, I took a deep dive into the available lyrics and trailer presentation of the piece, during which it was pretty easy to conclude that the piece was probably about Aerith’s feelings for Cloud.

Now that Rebirth is actually out, as well as the song’s full lyrics, let’s take another look at No Promises to Keep.

Official English lyrics	Official Japanese lyrics
Walking city streets with worn cobblestones Listening to people rushing past to rhythms all their own Life passing me by, not thinking how the years have flown Until I met you	あなたと出会った街は 忙しい足音に急かされて 時計さえ早く刻んでた 昨日までは
I won’t say that it was fate I won’t say that it was destiny But if not, what could it be That drew you towards me? Could it be chance?	運命なんて 信じたくないから この出会いは ねえ、なんて呼ぼう 偶然？
Till the day that we meet again Where or when I wish I could say But believe—know that you’ll find me Promises to keep, we won’t ever need	明日も 会いたいな 偶然 あの場所で 信じたいの 約束なんて いらないと
If only I’d never known All the burdens I was born to bear Lived a life without a care In the world save for you…but that won’t do	生まれた時に 結ばれた 約束 知らないまま ふたり出会えば良かった
Till the day that we meet again On our street, I want to believe In the chance that we’ll share a glance Promises to keep, we won’t ever need	明日も 会いたいな 偶然 あの道で 信じさせて 約束なんて いらないと
Till the day that we meet again At our place, just let me believe In the chance that you’ll come Take my hand and never let me go	明日も 会えるかな 偶然 あのかどで 信じさせて この手 離さないで
Take my hand And believe We can be Together evermore	信じさせて その手 離さないで
Walking city streets with worn cobblestones Struggling against the crowds and finding ourselves all alone Fate and destiny are no guarantee Still I hope someday you’ll come and find me Still I know someday you’ll come and find me	ふたりが出会った街で 人混みに流されてはぐれたら 運命も約束も 助けてくれないでしょう 私を見つけて どうか 私を見つけて きっと

Before we dive in again, let’s recall that The Game Awards trailer heavily featured Cloud and Aerith’s scenes together, including romantic moments during their Gold Saucer date.

Additionally, this trailer was said to have been put together to reflect the story and characters – meaning the devs wanted to capture key emotions and character moments in Rebirth.

“This video is the long version of the theme song announcement trailer that was just presented at The Game Awards. The song adds even more emotional resonance to the game, with music composed by Nobuo Uematsu, lyrics by Kazushige Nojima, and performance by Loren Allred. This time, the trailer has been edited to reflect more of the story and its characters, but there is still so much more to show, so that will be for another time.”

Tetsuya Nomura

Additionally, the lyrics were written by Nojima himself, so it’s a given that they are meaningful to the story. Grandmaster Final Fantasy composer Uematsu himself returned to create the music, and worked directly with Loren Allred, the phenomenal singer, to create Rebirth‘s theme song.

On LOVELESS

LOVELESS is a play within the world of Final Fantasy VII that was expanded into an ancient epic poem as well within the series’ Compilation. Notably, there’s a theater on the top of the Sector 8 play that advertises LOVELESS in big bold letters – and this is where Cloud and Aeris meet, in both the original game, and in the Remake trilogy.

While we don’t know much about the play in the original game, there’s a poignant moment near the end – after Aeris has died – where Cid recalls seeing the play in Midgar. He remembers the hero and his lover had to part ways, and the line uttered upon their final scene:

Of course… I’ll come back to you. Even if you don’t promise to wait. I’ll return knowing you’ll be here.

This line, which comes at a time when Cloud has found his resolve to fight Sephiroth and cherish his memories of Aeris, feels like it carries special significance.

The promise to return additionally echoes Aeris’s line delivered to Cloud right before her death, when she visits Cloud in his dreams.

The I’ll be going now. I’ll come back when it’s all over.

In disc 1 of the original game, Cloud has the option to date one of his companions, with the default and most probable option being Aeris. During the date sequence, he and his partner will star in a play at the Gold Saucer, taking the roles of Alfred (now localized as Alphreid in Rebirth) and Princess Rosa. While this has no relation to LOVELESS in the original game, in Rebirth, this play is reimagined as a modern retelling of Midgar’s classic play.

In Rebirth, Cloud’s date will be his companion with whom the player has garnered the most affection points. Only the female characters can take the role of Princess Rosa (that is, Aerith, Tifa, or Yuffie). If your “date” is Barret, Red XIII, or the Cid/Cait Sith/Vincent trio, then Aerith will take the role of Rosa – confirming that once again, she is the default princess.

If your date is…	then Princess Rosa will be played by…
Tifa	Tifa
Yuffie	Yuffie
Aerith	Aerith
Barret	Aerith
Red XIII	Aerith
Cait Sith/Cid/Vincent	Aerith

No matter who you date, Aerith will always win a Princess Rosa song-writing contest and perform it as the show’s finale.

That is, even if Aerith is not Cloud’s female date and is not playing Rosa, she will still win the “Thou Art Rosa” song contest. (Yes, she’s the “real” Rosa!)

That’s right: No Promises to Keep is not only written by Nojima in real life, within Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, it is written personally by Aerith Gainsborough. LOVELESS is thus meant to parallel her story with Cloud.

The Lyrics

With the knowledge that Aerith has deliberately written the words to her song, let’s take a look at what they might mean.

Walking city streets with worn cobblestones Listening to people rushing past to rhythms all their own Life passing me by, not thinking how the years have flown Until I met you

あなたと出会った街は 忙しい足音に急かされて 時計さえ早く刻んでた 昨日までは

The first verse is an on-the-nose reference to Cloud and Aerith’s chance meeting on Loveless Street in Sector 8 at the beginning of Remake. She sings that she met someone on a city street where people were rushing by – which is exactly how Cloud met her in the aftermath of AVALANCHE’s first reactor bombing.

Note that already we know that this song cannot refer to Zack, assuming Crisis Core is part of Remake‘s canon, as Aerith met Zack in her church, not on a city street.

Till the day that we meet again Where or when I wish I could say But believe—know that you’ll find me Promises to keep, we won’t ever need

明日も 会いたいな 偶然 あの場所で 信じたいの 約束なんて いらないと

What’s meaningful about this line is more apparent in Nojima’s Japanese. The Japanese literal translation of the first line is “I want to meet you tomorrow as well.” The phrase 会いたい (“I want to meet you”) is identical to Aerith’s iconic line to Cloud on the gondola date, both in the original game and in Rebirth.

That is, shortly after singing this piece, she goes on a gondola with Cloud and reiterates to him this same line found in the lyrics of her song.

If only I’d never known All the burdens I was born to bear Lived a life without a care In the world save for you…but that won’t do

生まれた時に 結ばれた 約束 知らないまま ふたり出会えば良かった

This verse is particularly hard-hitting. Aerith is forced to leave Cloud, even though she loves him, because she has a burden to bear: she is the last Cetra and must save the Planet by praying for Holy. Here, she laments her lot in life, wishing that she could simply be with Cloud, but that “won’t do” – she must save the Planet and stop Sephiroth.

Even so, she leaves Cloud with worry for his well-being. She tells him to focus on finding the Cloud she has been searching for (a line that calls back to her gondola date with him.)

Till the day that we meet again At our place, just let me believe In the chance that you’ll come Take my hand and never let me go

明日も 会えるかな 偶然 あのかどで 信じさせて この手 離さないで

The chorus articulates her dear wish to reunite one day with her loved one, with minor variations between verses. For instance, in the second line, another iteration of the chorus says she wants to meet again “at our street” – we already know that’s Loveless street.

The phrase “At our place” is worth a special highlight, though. In my December 2023 essay, we wondered what that could refer to – the Promised Land? The church? Now we know for a fact that it’s the latter. How? Because Aerith tells us directly in chapter 14 of Rebirth, when she and Cloud have a “dream date” in another reality.

She tells Cloud to find “our spot” – which is one of her favorite places. Cloud is able to easily identify “their spot” as the church.

Cloud: This is it, right? “Our spot”?
Aerith: Bingo!
Cloud: That was easy.
Aerith: I told you it was obvious.
Cloud: Well, you’ll have to give me a harder one next time.
Aerith: Oh? “Next time”?
Cloud: Yeah. Next time.

The church is, of course, the location of their first “reunion.” After they met on Loveless Street, they reunited when Cloud came crashing down from above into Aerith’s flower bed. This is the location where they introduced themselves to one another, where Aerith asked Cloud to be her bodyguard in exchange for one date.

Later on, in Advent Children, this is also the location where Cloud chooses to isolate himself upon contracting Geostigma, and the place he sees Aerith again in the movie’s ending.

The other lyric of the chorus that’s worth underscoring is “Take my hand.” Aerith’s words paint an image of her star-crossed lover taking her hand so that they can be together, no matter how fate and destiny tear them apart.

It just so happens that Cloud taking Aerith’s hand is a visual iconic to the story.

In the original game, an emotional moment in the ending involves Aeris reaching down from the Lifestream toward Cloud, who extends his hand toward her. The image disappears before their hands can meet, but the hand seems to lead Cloud out of the Lifestream, where he battled Sephiroth, and back into the Northern Crater. Cloud then tells Tifa that he thinks he can meet Aerith again in the Promised Land. (Note in the Advent Children retranslation, he says “find” instead of “meet” – no functional difference, but a lovely connection to No Promises to Keep‘s “know that you’ll find me”.)

Advent Children even paid homage to this moment when Cloud tenderly grasped Aerith’s hand during his fight with Bahamut.

In Rebirth, Cloud seems to pay extra attention to this lyric. While listening to her sing, the petal of one of her yellow flowers falls toward Cloud, and he catches it in his hand and squeezes it to his heart.

In their gondola date, rather than culminating in a kiss, their date climaxes with Cloud taking her hand in the classic Japanese 恋人繋ぎ (koibito tsunagi) trope – that is, the “lovers link” hand hold, characterized by the romantic interlocking of fingers. It’s cute, albeit chaste, but within the context of Cloud hearing what Aerith wants is for him to take her hand, it’s deeply romantic.

Afterwards, Cloud offers Aerith his hand to escort her off the gondola – something he doesn’t even do with Tifa.

“Take my hand” is given non-optional, main story prominence in the end of the game. However, Aerith joins Cloud – possibly from the Lifestream – for the endgame fight with Sephiroth. Afterwards, they stand back to back, and together reach for one another’s hand, meeting and interlocking fingers in the 恋人繋ぎ/lover’s link, regardless of who you dated at the Gold Saucer.

Walking city streets with worn cobblestones Struggling against the crowds and finding ourselves all alone Fate and destiny are no guarantee Still I hope someday you’ll come and find me Still I know someday you’ll come and find me

ふたりが出会った街で 人混みに流されてはぐれたら 運命も約束も 助けてくれないでしょう 私を見つけて どうか 私を見つけて きっと

Aerith has ostensibly died at the end of Rebirth – at least in the main timeline. However, there seems to be a very real, very alive Aerith that Cloud did manage to save in the convergence of worlds. Whether she is breathing or a Lifestream spirit, Aerith still very much has a presence after the events of the Forgotten Capital. It should be a sad ending, but Aerith’s lyrics here have to give us pause.

“Still I know someday you’ll come and find me.”

Is it truly possible for Cloud to find Aerith after everything that has happened? No Promises to Keep is a bittersweet song, but ends on a positive note, lighting a candle of hope for the future.

What Do the Creators Say About No Promises to Keep?

It’s easy enough to point out that a lyrical interpretation, no matter how obvious the conclusion, is ultimately just conjecture. So what have the devs and creative team said about the song?

Loren Allred Says It’s About Cloud and Aerith’s Relationship

Loren’s performance was not only vocally powerful, she also intentionally role-played the part of Aerith while singing. She revealed in interviews that she took a lot of time to learn about Aerith – and her relationship with Cloud – to prepare herself for her performance.

Outside of the recording booth, Allred’s process also involved finding her “connection” to the song, which meant spending a lot of time “learning about Aerith’s character, [protagonist] Cloud, and the story of Final Fantasy 7“.

“It made me feel like I got to know a sense of her personality, so I tried to channel that whenever I’m singing the song,” said Allred.

Despite not playing Final Fantasy 7, the significance of singing as Aerith – one of gaming’s most famous love interests – wasn’t lost on Allred. “It’s such an honour,” she said. “These characters have been so beloved over so many years – to even be able to attach my voice to a character that people love so much is a privilege.”

Loren Allred reveals what it’s like to sing as Aerith in the ‘Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth’ theme song

Was there anything you paid attention to when singing “No Promises to Keep”?

Loren: I wanted to get to know Aerith well, and I also wanted to depict her relationship with Cloud. So, for me to channel her fragile and pure personality, I needed to change certain elements of my natural vocals to match up with her character.

Source: PlayStation blog (March 2024)

In an interview published on PlayStation blog earlier this month, Loren specifically said that she wanted to depict Aerith’s relationship with Cloud when singing No Promises to Keep.

Nobuo Uematsu Says It’s a Love Song

Nobuo, who wanted to portray Aerith’s strength, has called the piece a love song several times.

How did you feel when you first listened to “No Promises to Keep?”

Loren: The melody was very prominent. I could palpate sweet and epic moments of the story through the melody and feel the elevation of the song. I thought how amazing it would be to experience all these dynamic sensations in the game. Also, I knew this would be a paramount platform for Aerith to reflect her inner character through lyrics and express it to the fans, as it was her first time singing.

Uematsu: This is the first time I’ve heard this, and I’m glad she sensed exactly what we were aiming for. “No Promises to Keep” is a love song. I wanted it to exude a sweet feeling, but at the same time, evoke the complex feeling as Aerith confessed her feelings. I tried to build up the song as it climaxed, exactly as Loren described.

Source: PlayStation blog (March 2024)

In this interview alongside Loren, Nobuo not only called it a love song, he says Aerith is confessing her feelings. Who could Aerith be confessing to other than Cloud, who is there watching her?

I hope that this song, together with Loren’s wonderful vocals, will become a love song that the world – because this is a love song – I hope this love song will become known as a classic.

Source: The First Take interview

“No Promises to Keep”は27年前に発売さ れた『ファイナルファンタジーVII』が もとになっています。その時から重要な キャラクターであったエアリスのテーマ 曲です。エアリスにいつか歌をつけたい、『ファイナルファンタジーVII』では インストでしたが、それとは別のメロ ディで歌ができると良いなと思っていた のが今回実現しました。とても嬉しいで す。この曲はラブソングですので、ロー レンさんの素晴らしい歌声と共に世界に羽ばたいて、ラブソングのスタンダード になってほしいと思います。

English translation: “No Promises to Keep” is based on Final Fantasy VII, which was released 27 years ago. This is a theme song for Aerith, who has been an important character since then. I wanted to do a song for Aerith one day; she has an instrumental theme in Final Fantasy VII, but I thought it would be nice if she could sing a different melody, and now it finally came to be. I’m very happy. This song is a love song, so I hope it spreads around the world with Lorren’s wonderful singing voice and becomes the standard for love songs.

Source

Here’s another interview where Nobuo described No Promises to Keep as a love song – one which he hopes becomes a standard for love songs in the future! He mentions that he always wanted to write another song for Aerith, and is happy that Rebirth finally offered him that opportunity.

Hamaguchi Notes the Importance of Loveless for Cloud and Aerith

Hamaguchi, who directed Rebirth and also had a lead developer role in Remake, emphasized Cloud and Aerith’s relationship several times.

Should people listen to Loveless, the My Bloody Valentine album, while they play Final Fantasy VII? How about m b v, their surprise album from a few years ago? (Did you like m b v?) Any more thoughts on LOVELESS?

Hamaguchi: If you have fond memories of a particular song, then by all means, you are more than welcome to listen to it while you play (laughs)!

That being said, LOVELESS is a very important area of the narrative, where Aerith and Cloud meet for the first time. We’ve also included a new seamless soundtrack system that dynamically changes the background music according to the actions occurring on screen, so from a developer’s perspective, I would also recommend listening to the music we’ve prepared in-game when you play through as it creates a very immersive experience.

Kotaku interview (2020)

In the above interview for Remake, he mentions that LOVELESS is important to the narrative because it’s the street where Aerith and Cloud meet for the first time.

Hamaguchi: A scene that I believe will be a vehicle of great emotion is the date at the Gold Saucer. I’m not referring just to the Gondola sequence with Aerith, and the conversation between her and Cloud, but to all the previous phases that lead to that specific moment.

Source: Everyeye.it interview

It seems like Hamaguchi is treating Cloud’s date with Aerith as the default scenario, or the one most relevant to the story. I’m inclined to agree.

The developer’s direction on who exactly No Promises to Keep is about may be best illustrated with the official Square Enix website for the piece. Squint and look at the background image: it’s Cloud and Aerith on their gondola date.

Connections to Hollow

I previously wrote about how Hollow, the theme song of Remake, is Cloud’s ballad to Aerith. That feels more true than ever now.

Here, Nomura talks about how Cloud sang the theme song from part 1 of the Remake trilogy, and he decided that Aerith would sing part 2.

テーマソングは早い段階で動いていたので、物語に組み込むのはシナリオ制作途中から決まりました。ただ、『FFVII リメイク』は歌詞をクラウドのイメージにして、今 回はエアリスのイメージに、というのは決めていたので、それがうまくハマったかな と思います。

―――歌詞のイメージをクラウドやエアリスにする、というのは野村さんと野島さんで 話し合われて決めたのでしょうか。

野村: そこは自分発信で決めさせてもらいました。先に植松さんに曲をお願いして、 野島さんに歌詞を乗せてもらうという流れでしたね。

English:

The theme song was in the works early on, so we decided to incorporate it into the story during the scenario production. However, I had decided that the lyrics for FFVII Remake would be based on Cloud’s image, and this time they would be based on Aerith’s image, so I think that worked well.

—Did Nomura-san and Nojima-san discuss and decide to use Cloud or Aerith as the image for the lyrics?

Nomura: I decided to make that decision myself. The process was that we first asked Mr. Uematsu to write the song, and then asked Mr. Nojima to write the lyrics.

Source: Famitsu interview

Nojima wrote the words to both Hollow and No Promises to Keep, which makes this lyrical connection extra meaningful:

HOLLOW: This time I will never let me go
NO PROMISES TO KEEP: Take my hand and never let me go

Considering Cloud is singing about a loved one he has lost, and that Aerith is singing about reuniting with a loved one she is forced to part ways from, it’s no stretch to wonder if there is a larger story being told within the games’ theme songs.

In both Remake and Rebirth, the last line uttered before the theme song plays and credits roll is delivered by Aerith. In Remake, she says she hates the sky she’s seeing (a line that could possibly take on a new meaning, considering the rift visible in Rebirth‘s other realities as well as to Cloud in the end.) In Rebirth, she says good-bye after a final conversation with Cloud.

The parallels don’t stop there, however.

In Remake, we heard the instrumental version of Hollow – titled Hollow Skies – in the Sector 5 slums. The piece would play for the first time after Aerith temporarily leaves Cloud, forcing him to initially explore her hometown alone (perhaps alluding to the meaning of the song – Cloud feeling “hollow” when Aerith is gone.) When she rejoins him, the theme remains playing while she and Cloud complete the area’s sidequests – part of their “date” promised by Aerith in exchange for Cloud’s bodyguard services.

In Rebirth, the instrumental version of No Promises to Keep is also heard – in the exact same place. It plays when Cloud and Aerith wake up in an alternative reality and go on a “dream date” together in the Sector 5 slums.

The connection between the two is all but conclusive.

Final Musical Connection Between Cloud and Aerith

Those with keen ears for musical motifs will easily recognize the opening notes of Aerith’s theme used toward the very end of the song. That checks out, after all – this song was written from her perspective.

But those with very keen ears for musical motifs will notice that the final piano chords of the song are a variant of the Main Theme of Final Fantasy VII – that is, Cloud’s theme.

Whether or not you consider the Overworld Theme or Main Theme of Final Fantasy VII to be “Cloud’s theme” aside, Nobuo Uematsu himself considers it to be the case. That’s why it’s especially meaningful that it has a presence at the end of No Promises to Keep.

Listen for yourself – can you hear the hanging motif of Cloud’s theme?

Conclusion

In Final Fantasy VII Remake, the theme song Hollow, sung from the perspective of Cloud Strife, laments the loss of someone whose tears he failed to recognize in time, who guided him, who had a bright smile, whose loss left him howling. In its lyrics, he posits the possibility of a re-do (a “remake,” if you will) asserting that this time, he will never let them go.

In Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Cloud ostensibly is able to save Aerith – albeit in another reality. Whether her presence is literal or spiritual, Aerith exists on another plane of existence, separated from Cloud. This time, she sings No Promises to Keep – a song about her wish to reunite with her loved one, whom she’s parted ways from.

One after the other, they create the romantic heart of the series – a tragic tale of star-crossed lovers. Aerith ends her song with more than wistful hope: she chooses to believe, truly, that someday, Cloud will indeed come and find her.

Now, whether on Loveless Street or at their church, or even in the Promised Land, it’s up to Cloud to find her once again – in this plane of existence or another.

Still I hope someday you’ll come and find me
Still I know someday you’ll come and find me