The song was played live at 118 shows on the War and Unforgettable Fire Tours. It was one of three songs played a few months before the release of the album, making its live debut on December 1, 1982, along with "Sunday Bloody Sunday" and "New Year's Day".
"Surrender" serves as the opening song on U2's first home video release, Live at Red Rocks: Under a Blood Red Sky. However, the 25th anniversary DVD release of the concert shows that the song was actually the fifth song played on the evening of June 5, 1983; editing of the video footage made it appear to be the opening song.
The female backing vocals were provided by Kid Creole's Coconuts.
Surrender
U2 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With lovers and lies
Bright blue eyes
Oh, the city is bright
It's brighter than day tonight
Surrender, surrender
Surrender, surrender
Sadie said she couldn't work out
What it was all about
And so she let go
Now Sadie's on the street
And the people she meets you know
She tried to be a good girl and a good wife
Raise a good family
Lead a good life
It's not good enough
She got herself up on the forty-eighth floor
Gotta find out
Find out what she's living for
Surrender, surrender
Surrender, surrender
Tonight
Oh, the city's afire
A passionate flame
It knows me by name
Oh, the city's desire
To take me for more and more
It's in the street, getting under my feet
It's in the air, it's everywhere
My love for you
It's in the things I do and say
And if I want to live I gotta
Die to myself someday
Papa sing my sing my sing my song
Papa sing my sing my sing my song
Papa sing my sing my sing my song
Surrender, surrender
Surrender, surrender
The lyrics of U2's song, Surrender, are complex and contain a variety of meanings, but at its core, it seems to point to the struggles of people in big cities like New York. The first few lines describe the beauty of the city at night, with its shining lights and bustling energy. The repetition of the word surrender suggests that the singer is trying to find a way to let go of something or someone.
The second verse introduces Sadie, a woman who cannot understand the purpose of her life, despite trying to live according to societal expectations. She finds herself on the forty-eighth floor, potentially suggesting her desire to escape her situation. The chorus of the song repeats the word surrender, potentially indicating Sadie's decision to let go of the expectations placed upon her.
The final verse describes the singer's struggles with the city, with its temptations and distractions. The mention of love suggests that this may be about a romantic relationship, and the final repetition of surrender seems to imply a need to give into those desires to fully live life. The use of "Papa" in the final lines suggests a plea for guidance or comfort, further emphasizing the need to let go and surrender.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, the city's alight
The city is full of energy and excitement
With lovers and lies
There are both romantic relationships and false intentions in the city
Bright blue eyes
Referring to a specific person with striking blue eyes in the city
Surrender, surrender
The artist is urging themselves or someone else to let go and give in to something greater
Sadie said she couldn't work out
A woman named Sadie was struggling to understand the meaning of life and her place in it
What it was all about
The purpose of existence
And so she let go
Sadie decided to give up trying to understand or control everything
Now Sadie's on the street
Sadie is now homeless or struggling in some way
And the people she meets you know
Sadie is encountering a variety of different people while living on the streets
She tried to be a good girl and a good wife
Sadie had tried to live a moral and virtuous life as a wife and mother
Raise a good family
She had hoped to create a happy and healthy family
Lead a good life
To live a positive and fulfilling existence
It's not good enough
However, Sadie's previous efforts weren't satisfactory or fulfilling
She got herself up on the forty-eighth floor
Sadie may be considering suicide by attempting to jump from a high building
Gotta find out
She feels a desperate need to discover the meaning of her life
Find out what she's living for
Sadie wants to figure out what purpose or goal she should be pursuing
Oh, the city's afire
The city is ablaze with passion and energy
A passionate flame
There is a strong intensity and heat in the atmosphere
It knows me by name
The singer feels a personal connection to and familiarity with the city
Oh, the city's desire
The city has an insatiable hunger or longing for more
To take me for more and more
The city wants to possess or control the artist and push them to their limits
It's in the street, getting under my feet
The city's energy and intensity permeates through everything, even the ground underfoot
It's in the air, it's everywhere
The city's presence can be felt and experienced all around
My love for you
The artist is talking about their love for someone or something else
It's in the things I do and say
Their affection and devotion is expressed through their actions and words
And if I want to live I gotta
The singer recognizes that they need to make a sacrifice in order to keep living
Die to myself someday
They must let go of their own selfish desires and priorities in order to truly live
Papa sing my sing my sing my song
Possibly an expression of the artist's faith or a plea for help
Surrender, surrender
Reiterating the need to let go of control and give in to something greater
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Adam Clayton, David Evans, Laurence Mullen, Paul David Hewson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
A me
on eleven o' clock tick tock
And girls can make children but not like this one...so will just have to walk around with a painted face then...
LMewdowlark
on One
Baby, baby, baby, I know I'm not alone
Ha, ha, ha
Oh, it's not a hill it's a mountain
As you start out the climb
You see, for me, I've been shouting
Let's shout into the darkness, squeeze out sparks of light
You know we're gonna go crazy, you know we'll go crazy
You know we'll go crazy, if we don't go crazy tonight
Oh, slowly
Oh
Hold me slow
Again, these are the wrong lyrics. They are not the lyrics for 'One' but a different song. I pasted the correct lyrics in my other comment.
LMewdowlark
on One
And there's a part of you that wants me to riot
Everybody needs to cry or needs to spit
Every sweet-tooth needs just a little hit
Every beauty needs to go out with an idiot
How can you stand next to the truth and not see it?
Oh, change of heart comes slow
It's not a hill, it's a mountain
As you start out the climb
Do you believe me or are you doubting?
We're gonna make it all the way to the light
But I know I'll go crazy if I don't go crazy tonight
Every generation gets a chance to change the world
Pity the nation that won't listen to you boys and girls
Is the sweetest melody the one we haven't heard?
Is it true that perfect love drives out all fear?
The right to be ridiculous is something I hold dear
Oh, but change of heart comes slow
It's not a hill, it's a mountain
As you start out the climb
You see, for me, I've been shouting
But we're gonna make it all the way to the light
But I know I'll go crazy if I don't go crazy tonight
Is it getting better
Or do you feel the same?
Will it make it easier on you now
You got someone to blame?
You say, one love, one life
When it's one need in the night
One love, we get to share it
Leaves you, baby, if you don't care for it
Did I disappoint you
Or leave a bad taste in your mouth?
You act like you never had love
And you want me to go without
Well, it's too late tonight
To drag the past out into the light
We're one, but we're not the same
We get to carry each other, carry each other
One
Have you come here for forgiveness?
Have you come to raise the dead?
Have you come here to play Jesus?
To the lepers in your head
Did I ask too much? More than a lot
You gave me nothing, now it's all I got
We're one but we're not the same
Well, we hurt each other then we do it again
You say love is a temple, love a higher law
Love is a temple, love the higher law
You ask me to enter but then you make me crawl
And I can't be holdin' on to what you got
When all you got is hurt
One love, one blood
One life, you got to do what you should
One life with each other
Sisters, brothers
One life but we're not the same
We get to carry each other, carry each other
One
One