No Surrender
Bruce Springsteen & The 'E' Street Band Lyrics


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Well, we bursted out of class
Had to get away from those fools
We learned more from a three-minute record, baby
Than we ever learned in school
Tonight I hear the neighborhood drummer sound
I can feel my heart begin to pound
You say you're tired and you just want to close your eyes
And follow your dreams down

Well, we made a promise we swore we'd always remember
No retreat, baby, no surrender
Like soldiers in the winter's night
With a vow to defend
No retreat, baby, no surrender

Well, now young faces grow sad and old
And hearts of fire grow cold
We swore blood brothers against the wind
Now I'm ready to grow young again
And hear your sister's voice calling us home
Across the open yards
Well maybe we'll cut someplace of our own
With these drums and these guitars

'Cause we made a promise we swore we'd always remember
No retreat, baby, no surrender
Blood brothers in the stormy night
With a vow to defend
No retreat, baby, no surrender

Now on the street tonight the lights grow dim
The walls of my room are closing in
There's a war outside still raging
You say it ain't ours anymore to win
I want to sleep beneath
Peaceful skies in my lover's bed
With a wide open country in my eyes
And these romantic dreams in my head

Once we made a promise we swore we'd always remember
No retreat, baby, no surrender
Blood brothers in a stormy night
With a vow to defend
No retreat, baby, no surrender
No retreat, baby, no surrender

Ohh ohh ohh
Ohh ohh ohh




Ohh ohh ohh
Ohh ohh ohh

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "No Surrender" by Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band express the theme of standing firm against any challenges and maintaining hope despite difficulties. The opening lines portray a feeling of youth and the desire to break out of everyday monotony to seek something more meaningful. The singer seems to have a feeling of being stuck and confined while being in school, which represents the routine nature of life. However, he feels liberated and energized by music, especially rock and roll. The sound of neighborhood drums can be heard, which symbolizes the promise of good times and breaking free of boredom.


Throughout the song, the concept of making a promise to never give up even when faced with seemingly impossible odds is repeated. The phrase "No retreat, baby, no surrender" emphasizes the idea of standing up to adversity and never giving up fighting. The lyrics also touch upon the theme of growing old and still holding onto the passion of youth. The idea of sticking together is expressed through the line "we swore blood brothers against the wind," depicting unity and something to fight for together.


The song also seems to lament the changing times and the loss of that youthful passion as people grow older, which is supported by the line "young faces grow sad and old, and hearts of fire grow cold." However, the singer expresses the hopefulness of rekindling that same passion and being able to return to those carefree, youthful days once again. The final lines of the song express a longing for a peaceful life and a happy ending, but the vow to never surrender is still present.


Line by Line Meaning

Well, we bursted out of class
We had to escape from the foolishness of school.


Had to get away from those fools
We needed to distance ourselves from the people who weren't helping us grow.


We learned more from a three-minute record, baby
We gained more knowledge from listening to music than from the school curriculum.


Than we ever learned in school
The ideas presented in music were inherently more valuable than the education given to us in school.


Tonight I hear the neighborhood drummer sound
I'm connected to the rhythm of our community through a powerful drummer.


I can feel my heart begin to pound
This music is so moving that it's affecting me physically with my heart pounding.


You say you're tired and you just want to close your eyes
You're weary and want to rest.


And follow your dreams down
You want to forget about your problems and pursue what makes you happy.


Well, we made a promise we swore we'd always remember
We had a steadfast commitment to stick together and never forget why we started.


No retreat, baby, no surrender
We're not going to back down, no matter the challenges we face.


Like soldiers in the winter's night
We are a united force against any adversity.


With a vow to defend
We've pledged to protect each other against any attack.


Well, now young faces grow sad and old
Over time, the optimism of youth fades with the wear of life.


And hearts of fire grow cold
We lose the passion we once had in life.


We swore blood brothers against the wind
We promised to stand together despite rough times and opposing forces.


Now I'm ready to grow young again
I'm eager to relive the youthful love and excitement we once had.


And hear your sister's voice calling us home
We long to be near the people we care about most.


Across the open yards
We envision a better tomorrow that we can reach if we work toward it.


Well maybe we'll cut someplace of our own
We want to create our own path and not rely on existing structures.


With these drums and these guitars
Through music, we aim to make the world feel our energy.


Now on the street tonight the lights grow dim
The world is changing and its evolution can be disorienting.


The walls of my room are closing in
It can be difficult to remain hopeful in the face of adversity when everything seems to be going wrong.


There's a war outside still raging
The world is still in the midst of turmoil and conflict.


You say it ain't ours anymore to win
You've lost faith that you're able to make a difference in the world.


I want to sleep beneath
I wish for a peaceful existence.


Peaceful skies in my lover's bed
Achieving a fulfilling relationship can lead to a sense of tranquility and love of life.


With a wide open country in my eyes
The world can have endless possibilities if you choose to see them.


And these romantic dreams in my head
Having hope and aspirations for a better future can make an otherwise mundane life worth living.


Ohh ohh ohh
This song expresses a feeling of unity and solidarity.




Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS

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