This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
I surrender all
To the promises you made
And I will give it all
To the maker of the day
no one knows your heart
And no one knows your fears
When no one solves the mysteries
Or even wipes away the tears
I surrender all
To the promises you made
And I will give it all
To the maker of the day
can you hear the sound of laughter
From the other side of life?
There are days when I feel like a stranger sometimes
Tell me, are there any other fools like me?
I surrender all
To the promises you made
And I will give it all
To the maker of the day
this reliance on another world
Has a great effect on this world
This conscience of another world
Has a great effect on
Grace recollection
he doesn't love us 'cause of who we are
He only loves us 'cause of who he is
He doesn't love us 'cause of who we are
He only loves us 'cause of who he is
I surrender all
(he doesn't love us 'cause of who we are)
To the promises you made
(he only loves 'cause of who he is)
And I will give it all
(he doesn't love us 'cause of who we are)
To the maker of the day
***Repeat until it fades out***
To the promises you made
And I will give it all
To the maker of the day
no one knows your heart
And no one knows your fears
When no one solves the mysteries
Or even wipes away the tears
I surrender all
To the promises you made
And I will give it all
To the maker of the day
can you hear the sound of laughter
From the other side of life?
There are days when I feel like a stranger sometimes
Tell me, are there any other fools like me?
I surrender all
To the promises you made
And I will give it all
To the maker of the day
this reliance on another world
Has a great effect on this world
This conscience of another world
Has a great effect on
Grace recollection
he doesn't love us 'cause of who we are
He only loves us 'cause of who he is
He doesn't love us 'cause of who we are
He only loves us 'cause of who he is
I surrender all
(he doesn't love us 'cause of who we are)
To the promises you made
(he only loves 'cause of who he is)
And I will give it all
(he doesn't love us 'cause of who we are)
To the maker of the day
***Repeat until it fades out***
Lyrics submitted by SongMeanings
I Surrender All Lyrics as written by John Mark Hall Traditional
Lyrics © ESSENTIAL MUSIC PUBLISHING, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Capitol CMG Publishing, Songtrust Ave
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
When We Were Young
Blink-182
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
American Town
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran shares a short story of reconnecting with an old flame on “American Town.” The track is about a holiday Ed Sheeran spends with his countrywoman who resides in America. The two are back together after a long period apart, and get around to enjoying a bunch of fun activities while rekindling the flames of their romance.
Page
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.