Youth Activity Archive

A gentle song reminding the importance of keeping a promise.

by W.W. Shield

Recordings

• YouTube – Girl Scout Geek
• YouTube – Girl Scouts NV
• YouTube – Jesella Montealto
• YouTube – Scout Angel

Lyrics

Often sung in Rounds

When e’er you make a promise
Consider well its importance
And when made
Engrave it upon your heart.

History

The song “Whene’er You Make a Promise” is a traditional scouting round composed by William Shield (1748–1829), a prominent English composer who is also credited with the melody for “Auld Lang Syne.” Though the tune and lyrics were originally composed in 1828, the song became a cornerstone of the American scouting tradition in the mid-20th century.

It is formally documented in the 1956 Girl Scout Pocket Songbook (and subsequent editions), where it is established as a standard “didactic song.” Its purpose is to teach the gravity of the Scout Promise through Victorian-style imagery—specifically the metaphor of “engraving” a commitment upon the heart to symbolize permanence and sincerity. In scouting practice, it is almost always performed as a four-part round, a musical structure that represents the communal and shared nature of integrity within the organization.

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