Lyric discussion by aggroforgold 

Cover art for Surprise lyrics by Jars of Clay

I think the meaning of this song is much more obvious than what you might think. I think its about a friend who drugged himself/herself into a coma from heroin (or something els).

Shoot a dream in your arm and sleep away, It's not the stuff that kills you that keeps your life at bay.

this first line is clearly about some one using heroin.

These are just placebos to make us feel all right, Illusions in our pockets make our feathers float us high, For a second I thought I saw your eyelids rise, For a moment something restless caught you by surprise, Surprise, surprise, surprise.

the first part of this verse is the singer morning the loss of his friend to placebos to make us feel all right, drugs, and the second part is about wishing and hopeing that your friend comes back, for a second i thought i saw your eye lids rise.

We are so beautiful when we sleep, Hearts of gold and eyes so.. deep, deep, deep. But love won't cure the chaos, and hope won't hide the loss, And peace is not the heroine that shouts above the cause. And love is wild for reasons, and hope though short in sight, Might be the only thing that wakes you by surprise surprise, surprise, surprise.

the first two lines of this verse are about seeing some one in a coma, and the next two are the singer morning the fact that they cant do anything to help their sleeping friend. the final three lines are the singer accepting that he still needs to love and hope because it might be the only thing that wakes you by suprise.

it ends with the singer thinking that his friend has finally awoke, for a second i thought i saw your i lids rise, but fishes with him still waiting for his friend because, suprise, his friend is still helplessly sleeping.

My Interpretation