I think the meaning is pretty clear. This person got really burned in a previous relationship, and because of this is unable to love and show care in his present one, even though he so badly wants to. It's lovely song, and very sad. You can really feel how defeated and frustrated he is with himself.
Mother told me, yes she told me
I'd meet girls like you
She also told me stay away
You'll never know what you'll catch
Just the other day I heard
Of a soldier's falling off
Some Indonesian junk
That's going 'round
Mommy's alright, Daddy's alright
They just seem a little weird
Surrender, surrender
But don't give yourself away
Father says your mother's right
She's really up on things
Before we married Mommy served
In the WACs in the Philippines
Now I had heard the WACs recruited
Old maids for the war
But Mommy isn't one of those
I've known her all these years
Mommy's alright, Daddy's alright
They just seem a little weird
Surrender, surrender
But don't give yourself away
Whatever happened to all this season's
Losers of the year
Every time I got to thinking
Where'd they disappear
Then I woke up, Mom and Dad
Are rolling on the couch
Rolling numbers, rock and rolling
Got my Kiss records out
Mommy's alright, Daddy's alright
They just seem a little weird
Surrender, surrender
But don't give yourself away
Away
Surrender, surrender (Mommy's alright, Daddy's alright)
But don't give yourself away
Surrender, surrender (Mommy's alright, Daddy's alright)
But don't give yourself away
Surrender, surrender (Mommy's alright, Daddy's alright)
But don't give yourself away
Surrender, surrender (Mommy's alright, Daddy's alright)
But don't give yourself away
Surrender, surrender (Mommy's alright, Daddy's alright)
But don't give yourself away
Surrender, surrender (Mommy's alright, Daddy's alright)
But don't give yourself away
I'd meet girls like you
She also told me stay away
You'll never know what you'll catch
Just the other day I heard
Of a soldier's falling off
Some Indonesian junk
That's going 'round
Mommy's alright, Daddy's alright
They just seem a little weird
Surrender, surrender
But don't give yourself away
Father says your mother's right
She's really up on things
Before we married Mommy served
In the WACs in the Philippines
Now I had heard the WACs recruited
Old maids for the war
But Mommy isn't one of those
I've known her all these years
Mommy's alright, Daddy's alright
They just seem a little weird
Surrender, surrender
But don't give yourself away
Whatever happened to all this season's
Losers of the year
Every time I got to thinking
Where'd they disappear
Then I woke up, Mom and Dad
Are rolling on the couch
Rolling numbers, rock and rolling
Got my Kiss records out
Mommy's alright, Daddy's alright
They just seem a little weird
Surrender, surrender
But don't give yourself away
Away
Surrender, surrender (Mommy's alright, Daddy's alright)
But don't give yourself away
Surrender, surrender (Mommy's alright, Daddy's alright)
But don't give yourself away
Surrender, surrender (Mommy's alright, Daddy's alright)
But don't give yourself away
Surrender, surrender (Mommy's alright, Daddy's alright)
But don't give yourself away
Surrender, surrender (Mommy's alright, Daddy's alright)
But don't give yourself away
Surrender, surrender (Mommy's alright, Daddy's alright)
But don't give yourself away
Lyrics submitted by angelvamp13
Surrender Lyrics as written by Rick Nielsen
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Now I had heard the WACS recruited old maids, dykes and whores
But mommy isn't one of those, I've known her all these years.
Notice how the lyric is "one of those" in both versions? does that mean she's not "old" or a "maid"? or is it just a leftover from a previous version of the lyric? In either case, the alternate version implies to me that the hidden rhyme might not be "whores." Maybe it's somethng like "But mommy isn't one of those, at least not since the war". ;-)
I agree with the third stanza, but i think rolling numbers just means rolling joints.
I think the chorus is just amazing because it has so many simultaneous meanings. Surrender (to lust, conformity, Americans, soldiers, whores, etc.) but don't give yourself away (go too far, lose your moral purity, catch a disease, reveal your true self, etc.). Hell, it might even refer to the Philipines (surrendering to the Japanese, then the Americans, etc.)
It's interesting that it has so many allusions to war (surrender, soldier, WACS, etc.)
The lyrics about the mother being in the WAC's is a reference to the Women's Army Corps, which was active during World War II. And if you're wondering why those lyrics, "Now I had heard the WACs recruited old maids for the war," don't make much sense, it's because they weren't written that way. The original lyrics were deemed too racy: "Now I had heard the WACs were either old maids, dykes or whores."
After hearing this, the line makes a lot more sense.
Great rock song.
Also, "rolling numbers" has nothing to do with cocaine. It's about rolling joints. Marijuana is a wholly different drug than cocaine, and the terminology you claim for one is only used for the other.
So before you start your diatribe with "Okay, here's what "Surrender" really means," perhaps you should have a clue as to what you are speaking about. Because you are completely wrong in most of what you stated. I'm really curious if you consider yourself a "grown-up or a smart enough teenager," because your interpretation of this song is ridiculous and incorrect.
I think this song's bigger message is of teenagers growing up; The specifics deal with their relationship with their parents, sex, drugs, rock n roll.
The song is great because it goes back and forth from the parents to the teenager. The chorus seems to be both... "mommy's all right, daddy's all right" is the teenager talking to himself about his parents; "Surrender, but don't give yourself away" is the parents coming to grips with getting older. It can also be interpreted as more parental advice to their teenager.
I (obviously) understand the sexual references throughout the song, but I think the song is more than that. The last verse is great!
How would you react if you saw your parents having sex while listening to your Kiss records? Talk about mixed emotions!
This is all pretty shocking for a lot of 1970s midwestern kids: mom had a life before marriage, dad knows all about it (she didn't lie or trick him), they still like each other & their kid & get it on & have fun. I'm sure there are still parents in the midwest not this honest.
I think you are surrendering to the truth that we are all going to be like our parents (and theirs), but don't give up on the idea that you are still yourself, special, something to value (and be careful of STD).
"Mother told me, yes, she told me I'd meet girls like you.
She also told me, "Stay away, you'll never know what you'll catch.
Just the other day I heard of a soldier's falling off
Some Indonesian junk that's going round.""
"heard of a soldier's falling off" is implicitly "heard of a soldier's (genitalia) falling off" due to "some Indonesian junk that's going 'round" - "you'll never know what you'll catch".
It seems that the kid grew up with partying parents who are trying to tamp it down now that they're parents. So, I think the song is really about teenagers growing up, and their relationship with their parents.