Mommy’s alright, Daddy’s alright/
They just seem a little weird.
“Surrender” by Cheap Trick is a crazy song. It is even more fun/funny when you get into the lyrics. A teenager is having a conversation with his girlfriend about how his parents always warned him about girls like her. (Inferring she is loose and might have STDs). Then he starts to think about what he really knows about his parents.
What were they like in the old days when they were his age? Well, supposedly there were lots of women in the army, but mother was never one of those, so how exactly did dad meet her while he was in the army!? Was she a prostitute?
Meanwhile, he’s always wondered what happened to people who were once happening but who just kind of faded away. Then he looks over at his parents-who are making out on the couch, smoking weed and listening to rock n roll and realizes they all probably turned out ok like his parents, and his parents were probably a bit crazy back in the day. So, let’s surrender and get weird while we’re young…it doesn’t lead to harm. It can even lead to a loving marriage.
“Surrender” is a crazy teenage anthem about teenagers and parents and coming of age and the stories we tell our kids. Rob Zander delivers the vocals perfectly as an angsty teenager. The guitar work is standard power chords but it manages to feel alive. The drumming and keyboard work is stellar as well, but the vocals really steal the show.
Surrender Lyrics
Mother told me, yes, she told me,
That 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.
Your Mommy’s all right,
Your Daddy’s all right,
They just seem a little weird.
Surrender,
Surrender!
But don’t give yourself away.
Hey, heeeey.
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.
Your Mommy’s all right,
Your Daddy’s all right,
They just seem a little weird.
Surrender,
Surrender!
But don’t give yourself away.
Hey, heeeey
Whatever happened to all this season’s
Losers of the year?
Every time I got to thinking
Here’d they disappear?
But when I woke up, Mom and Dad
Are rolling on the couch.
Rolling numbers, rock and rollin’,
Got my KISS records out.
Your Mommy’s all right,
Your Daddy’s all right,
They just seem a little weird.
Surrender,
Surrender!
But don’t give yourself away.
Hey, heeeeeey.
Away. Away.
Surrender,
Surrender,
But don’t give yourself away.
Surrender,
Surrender!
But don’t give yourself away.
written by Rick Neilsen
Man, you’re close on the mom in the Army part, but I think there’s solid evidence for another interpretation. “Old Maid” is simply older slang for a lesbian. He had heard that many women who volunteered to serve in the various military auxiliary forces, including the WACs, were lesbians, a historically persistent rumor. “Mommy can’t be one of those, I’ve known her all these years”, AKA “There’s now way mom’s a lesbian”.
While I can’t disagree with your overall here, there are some statements that I think are assumptive.
I doubt he’s talking to his girlfriend. More likely that one girl at school who’d go after just about any guy. And he’s not inferring, he’s implying, and you are (correctly) inferring.
Back when this song was written, there were definitely NOT a lot of women in army. There’s nothing to imply that his parents meeting had anything to do with the army. Simply a statement that in her younger days she served as a WAC… meaning she likely has some experience as a nurse. How could mommy have been an old maid when she was young? He’s bringing a prejudice into the conversation. I guarantee you that, in the 60s and 70s, no kid was thinking prostitution or lesbianism, by the way. He’s literally thinking old lady who’s never been serious with a man. And in those days, that implied being a virgin.
“Surrender and get weird”? Hardy. “Surrender, but don’t give yourself away.”
Listened again to this song today and for the first time I realized that it purposely does not rhyme for one of the lyric sets:
—-
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.
—
Maybe I’m jaded, but I think that last line is intentionally wrong. “Years” does not rhyme with “war” but there’s another word that begins with “W” that does. It’s as if the line was swapped out quickly. I read it as intentional humor.
Anyway, great song. Always gets me emotional for whatever reason that I can’t remember.
I was 17 when this song came out. Saw dream police tour in Detroit and they were unbelievable. Always had at least one of their tapes in my car. Always thought they were very tongue in cheek in style, lyrics and performances and loved them all the more for it. Still one of my all time favorites. Don’t think surrender lyrics have any deep meaning, just some a little rebellious fun written by one quirky dude. Love it.