Surrender

Okay, here's what "Surrender" really means. It's such an awesome song, especially if you're a grown-up or a smart enough teenager. I'll go verse by verse. 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 a soldier's _ falling off Some Indonesian junk that's going round." I corrected the placement of the quotations marks to make more sense. This verse is now pretty self explanatory. A young boy is talking to a girl (probably first encounter w/ opposite sex) and recalling his mother's "urban legend" warnings about STD's....Soldier's falling off. I'll get to the chorus later...it'll make more sense. 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. For those who don't know, WAC's is the Womens Army Corp. The father is trying to validate the mother's advice to the son, but at the same time being quite sarcastic to the mother. Someone else clued everyone in on a very important play on rhyming scheme...Things/Philippines, War/Years??? Listener is supposed to anticipate "I've known she was a WHORE". This is just like in the movie, Nacho Libre. Jack Black sings an ode to his forbidden love interest after exiling himself to the desert: I ate some bugs, I ate some grass I used my hand...to wipe my face Get it? Whatever happened to all this season's losers of the year? Ev'ry time I got to thinking, where'd they disappear? When I woke up, Mom and Dad are rolling on the couch. Rolling numbers, rock and rolling, got my Kiss records out. The first two lines are the teenage boy's of attitude, actually starting to think that maybe parents/adults aren't such losers all the time. He's maturing, discovering that grownups were actually young rebels once too. This is further reinforced by the last two lines, when the boy finds his parents mackin on the couch, doin' lines with rolled dollar bills, rockin' to Kiss records. He's wokin up to the reality. Mommy's alright, Daddy's alright, they just seem a little weird. Surrender, surrender, but don't give yourself away, ay, ay, ay. The chorus/song is saying: So what if you're a grown up! Go ahead and surrender your inhibitions now and then. Get freaky and let loose once in awhile...just don't let the kids catch on!!! ;)

I feel compelled to finally spell some of this out for people: "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 a soldier falling off Some Indonesian junk that's going round." -- This is the about the mother warning her son about loose girls because they are trouble. She also tells him that she has heard that some soldier's you-know-what actually fell off from an Indonesian V.D. "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." -- This is the father telling the son that the mother is really up on things because she used to server in the WACs (Womens Army Core) in the Phillipines. The kid doesn't buy it. I'm not certain but it sounds like the father is actually being sarcastic poking fun at her for trying to claim she knows about soldiers and VDs. "Whatever happened to all this season's losers of the year? Ev'ry time I got to thinking, where'd they disappear?" -- Never really understood this one, more information is needed. "When I woke up, Mom and Dad are rolling on the couch. Rolling numbers, rock and rolling, got my Kiss records out." -- Mom & Dad smoking some weed, making out on the couch, playing their kids "hip" music while they thought their kids were in bed. Any parent understand this one ... parents have two faces, the one they show their kids, and the real one they show each other after they think the kids are in bed. "Surrender, surrender, but don't give yourself away, ay, ay, ay." -- Not 100% sure on the actual meaning of Surrender ... but I have always assumed it meant that you have to give in and realize that your parents, like you, are strange and quirky and unique. It also could mean that as parents you surrender to being parents, without fully revealing your secrets/dark side, etc.

im still a kid (12) and i understand the song completly. not all kids are as naive as to think that their parents had no life befor them and no life after them.

Whatever happened to all this season's losers of the year? Ev'ry time I got to thinking, where'd they disappear? This is probably the hardest part to interpret. Well, what's a "loser of the year"? To me, it sounds like something kids call someone at school. For example, "check out that dweebus Marsha, she's got to be the loser of the year". The "season" probably refers to the school semester, the school year, session, or whatever. It implies that every semester there was a different "loser of the year"; it wasn't always the same person. Now he's wondering, what ever happened to all those people, all those "losers of the year"? Many of them, of course, grow up to be normal, everyday people, seemingly like his parents... The "surrender" part probably has multiple meanings, along the lines of (1) You have to grow up someday, so accept it (2) you're going to end up like your parents, more often than not (3) You are who you are, so best to accept that and learn to love it. The "don't give yourself away" part is almost a plea to the listener to remember his/her childhood and younger years and to stay true to the boundless dreams of our youth...or somesuch poetic gibberish

Excellent song that I only just rediscovered. I rediscoverd it by finding it in Winamp's media library under the music video section. This live version is totally awesome. It was only shot in the last couple of years I think but they sing and play it perfectly true to original specs. But, I give up regarding the actual meaning of the song.!?! Some of you guys are implying something about a kid that walks in on his parents gettin' busy. Ok, sure, the last verse is obviously talking about that. But, I don't see how the rest of song is about that. Is anyone else a little confused here? Can anyone walk us through the verses and tell us what they mean. Especially the first verse about soldier's falling off some ....etc. I have no idea what that's referring to and how it interconnects with the rest of the song.

cheap trick did the theme to that 70's show dude

Kids just don't get this one, which is why parents love it. Kids, you only know your parents as parents. They'd shock the heck out of you if you knew them as kids. The song says that in spite of what you think, there is a lot you DON'T know. All us parents have been there, done that. It's not that we don't get it, there is a reason why we are the way we are! Figure it out if you can!

i hate how parents think that kids are stupid coz were younger, its like just coz ur older doesnt mean ur right, it just means your gonna die first

that 70's show makes a reference to this song "WERE ALL ALRIGHT, WERE ALL ALRIGHT!!"

Mr. Jack - In the repeating lines at the end of the song, there's no "rent's alright." They're actually singing the names of the members of the band. It goes... Bun E.'s alright, Tommy's alright, Robin's alright, Rick's alright We're all alright, we're all alright... et cetera.