Surrender

Album: Heaven Tonight (1978)
Charted: 62
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  • 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 Writer/s: Rick Nielsen
    Publisher: CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
    Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 27

  • Anonymous from UsaI remember the alternate lyrics as "Now I had heard the WACs recruited old maids for the war, but Mommy isn't one of those she's just an old (something) whore." Might've been the Live at Budakan version, since that played the most on the radio?
  • Jeff Cella from Kingston NyThis is one of my favorite lyrics! When I first heard this song, I wanted to hear it again so badly that I slept with the radio on every night until I heard it in my sleep and woke up!

    I especially love that the lines don't rhyme. There should be more songs like this! That puts Bob Dylan out of business!
  • Eric from AntarcticaThe "surrender" can be interpreted any way you like. I take it as "surrender to the fact that you're going to get older, but don't forget how to have fun". The narrator discovers that his parents used to be horny teenagers too, and that side of them still comes out occasionally. Dad sounds like a funny guy, having a little dig at Mom over her alleged expertise on STD's.
  • Jocke from SwedenFunny someone mentioned that the gang vocals shout "Rick's alright!" at the end of the song. They actually mention all the guys in the band leading up to it.

    - "Bunny's alright, Tommy's alright, Robin's alright, Rick's alright"
  • Nv from OhioThe original lyrics in the part where he says "WACs recruited old maids for the war" was actually "WACs were d*kes, old maids -- either that or w*ores, but mommy's neither one of those"
  • Diamond DaveTo Shelby from Idiotville, KY..... I think it's really great that a 14-year-old loves a rock song from 1978. In 1978, I was 14 and I loved it too (and still do). I started playing guitar at 15 but, for some reason, I waited another 41 years before learning how to play this song (it's pretty easy to a lot of fun to play). Wish I had learned it just a wee bit sooner.
  • Bob from WisconsinJason from Shanghai, the "Indonesian junk that's going around" isn't drugs, it's STD's. Mother was concocting a story about a soldier's **** falling off, and trying to convince him that if he wasn't careful, his could fall off, too.
  • Rachael from WarminsterThis song is a grammatical nightmare I don't care that some of it makes sense, the rest of it is complete garbage. You can't surrender and not give yourself away, that's redundant. Also how the lyrics switch from third person to first person, you can't even keep track of what's going on. If I want to listen to nonsense lyrics I rather listen to anything else.
  • Cheaptrickster from For Me To KnowAs for the alternative lyrics about "Now I had heard the WACs were either old maids..." it jibes with this live version https://youtu.be/NFjOpqtKRq4?t=116 where you can hear them sing, "Mommy's **neither** one of those"
  • Jason from ShanghaiI somehow don't think this is about earning a new respect for your parents' KISS record collection. In my opinion, the lyrics are all about the hypocrisy of adults telling young people what to do and what vices they can have. Throughout the song adults are telling the singer what to do and doing the opposite every time. His parents are making out on the couch like teenagers and the soldier is on some "Indonesian junk that's going around." The point being that every time a figure of authority in your life tells you not to do something, they're probably doing something equally reprehensible.
  • Breanna from Heber, UtThe first time I heard this song was them playing it live. I was at Sgt. Pepper Live featuring Cheap Trick and it was so awesome! I came back like a month later and sat in the first row right infront of Robin Zander and he was like looking at me while singing this song! It was so cool!
  • Valentin from Beijing, ChinaWhen I first heard it I thought it was an unreleased song by The Who, because of the intro, as for me it sounds like "My Wife"
  • Dave from Toledo, OhThis song is also featured in the film "Over The Edge". Which is about teens who get in trouble.
  • Kent from Lodi, CaI think that the subject of John Hiatt's song, "Perfectly Good Guitar" is Rick Nielsen who early in Cheap Trick history, during a long solo would sling 5 or so guitars around his neck. As he finished a part of a solo, he would drop the guitar he was playing at the time down a 2 or 3 step riser. He would do this until the last guitar which he sometimes dropped and sometimes wouldn't.
    Hamer Guitars later build him a guitar with 5 necks, which I think ended his guitar dropping thing.
  • Derek from Shrewsbury, Machris frome chicago if it doesnt refer to the band kiss why do they through a kiss record in the crowd at most of their conserts after they sing that lyric
  • Steve from St. Peter's, Vatican CityEd from Westport has it right. The "WACS" reference means that the singer is aware of the reputation of the women for being lesbians. Eisenhower was asked to do something about this, but he said that he wasn't going to purge anyone who might help win the war.
  • Chris from Chicago, IlThe "kiss" in the kiss records line reffers making out, kissing not the band KISS
  • Walt from Astoria, OrCheap Trick opened for KISS on one of their tours, so the line "got my KISS records out" is a homage.
  • W from Big Lake, TxGood Catch on the Rick's alright, but if you listen closely they actually go through the whole band. Bun E.'s alright, Tommy's alright, Robin's alright, Rick's alright- we're all alright, we're all alright, etc.
    Also I have long wanted to know what the original lyric was following the old maid line. Thanks for the clarification.
  • Christina from Karlstad, -This song is really good, and the band Less Than Jake made a pretty good cover of this song on their album Anthem from 2003
  • Steve from Middletown, CtI guess that Johnny and I are the only ones who spent time rollin numbers on kiss albums.
  • Allie from Clarkston, MiInterseting song
    Love the refrain
  • Ed from Westport, CtTrue story about the lyrics:
    The lines from the song that appear on the record/CD were different in the original, demo version. Here is the final recorded version:
    <<"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.>>

    The original line that Rick Nielsen wrote was: "Now I had heard the WACS recruited old maids, dykes and whores."

    The record company made him rewrite it so it would get more airplay on the radio.
    And, yes, at the end you can hear them sing "Rick's alright" and it refers to Rick Nielsen, the Cheap Trick guitarist. But I thought everybody already knew that part!
  • Garoud from AricaDont Trust Anyone OVER 30!!!
    damn baby boomers....
  • Shelby from Idiotville , KyI don't think there are any morals to the story here.

    It's an excellent song i'll always love it and I'm 14 myself
  • Don from San Antonio, TxThe moral of the story is, surrender to your parents, but not all the way - just enough to lubricate the situation. They're not ALL bad.
  • Johnny from Los Angeles, CaThis song isn't about that. It's about how the singer's parents are uptight and tell him "do this" and "be like this" but it turns out his parents are smoking pot and listening to KISS, disobeying the rules they set for him. So the moral of the story is: don't listen to your parents kids.
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