Giuseppe (Joe) Venuti (September 16, 1903 – August 14, 1978) was a U.S. jaz… Read Full Bio ↴Giuseppe (Joe) Venuti (September 16, 1903 – August 14, 1978) was a U.S. jazz musician and violinist. Venuti claimed to have been born aboard a ship as his parents emigrated from Italy, though many believe he was simply born in Philadelphia. Considered the father of jazz violin, he pioneered the use of string instruments in jazz along with the guitarist Eddie Lang, a childhood friend of his. Through the 1920s and early 1930s, Venuti produced many recordings. He worked with Benny Goodman, the Dorsey Brothers, Bing Crosby, the Boswell Sisters and most of the other important white jazz and semi-jazz figures of the late 1920s and early 1930s. However, following Lang's early death in 1933, he began to slip off the radar. After a period of relative obscurity in the 1940s and 1950s, he was 'rediscovered' in the late 1960s and established a musical relationship with tenor saxophonist Zoot Sims, that was almost as fruitful as his previous collaboration with Lang. Venuti and Sims produced a number of very exciting recordings in 1974/75: an appropriate coda to the great violinist's career.

In the mid-1970s, Venuti performed and recorded, again in the limelight: good examples of his latter-day recordings are the Chiaroscuro CD's Joe Venuti and Zoot Sims (CR(D) 142) and Joe & Zoot & More (CR(D)126). He died in Seattle, Washington.

Venuti was also a legendary practical joker.

I Surrender Dear
Joe Venuti Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Pride, sad, splendid liar,
Sworn enemy of love
Kept my lips from saying
Things I was thinking of.
But now my pride you've humbled,
I've cast it to the winds,
Broken, beaten, sick at heart
My confession begins.

We've played the game of stay away
But it cost more that I can pay.
Without you I can't make my way,
I surrender, dear.

I may seem proud, I may act gay,
It's just a pose, I'm not that way,
'Cause deep down in my heart I say
I surrender, dear.

Little mean things we were doing
Must have been part of the game,
Lending a spice to the wooing,
But I don't care who's to blame.
When stars appear and shadows fall,
Why then you'll hear My poor heart call,
To you my love, my life, my all
I surrender, dear.

We've played the game of stay away
But it cost more that I can pay.
Without you I can't make my way,
I surrender, dear.

I may seem proud, I may act gay,
It's just a pose, I'm not that way,
'Cause deep down in my heart I say
I surrender, dear.

Little mean things we were doing
Must have been part of the game,
Lending a spice to the wooing,
But I don't care who's to blame.
When stars appear And shadows fall,

Why then you'll hear My poor heart call,
To you my love, my life, my all

Overall Meaning

The song "I Surrender Dear" is a heartfelt confession of love from a man who has finally let go of his pride and surrendered to his feelings. The first verse describes the singer's struggle with his own pride, which made it difficult for him to express what was in his heart. However, the second verse reveals that he has finally given in and is now willing to declare his love openly. He admits that the little "mean" things they did to each other in the past were all part of the game of love, and that he doesn't care who is to blame. The final verse is a poignant plea to the object of his affections, telling her that his heart belongs to her and that he is willing to do whatever it takes to win her back.

The lyrics to "I Surrender Dear" are deeply emotional and speak directly to the heart. They embody the feelings of vulnerability, humility, and surrender that are often associated with falling in love. The simple melody and plaintive lyrics make the song a classic of the jazz era.

Line by Line Meaning

Pride, sad, splendid liar,
Acknowledging the fact that pride has made the person a deceitful person, which is making them unhappy.

Sworn enemy of love
Pride is an obstacle in finding love and happiness.

Kept my lips from saying
Pride prevented the person from expressing their true feelings.

Things I was thinking of.
Feelings of love and affection could not be expressed due to pride.

But now my pride you've humbled,
The person’s pride has been broken, and they are now humbled.

I've cast it to the winds,
The person has discarded their pride and is ready to express their true feelings.

Broken, beaten, sick at heart
The person is suffering from the pain of unexpressed love due to pride.

My confession begins.
The person is confessing their true feelings of love and affection.

We've played the game of stay away
The two people have tried to stay away from each other in the past.

But it cost more that I can pay.
The price of staying away is too high to pay.

Without you I can't make my way,
The person cannot carry on without the other person's love and support.

I surrender, dear.
The person is admitting defeat and surrendering their heart to the other person.

I may seem proud, I may act gay,
The person may seem proud and happy on the outside, but it is just a façade.

It's just a pose, I'm not that way,
The person is not really proud or happy, but is only pretending to be so.

'Cause deep down in my heart I say
The person’s true feelings contradict their outward appearance.

Little mean things we were doing
Both people may have been playing childish games with each other.

Must have been part of the game,
The games they played might have been necessary in the process of wooing each other.

Lending a spice to the wooing,
The games they played may have served to keep things exciting and interesting.

But I don't care who's to blame.
The person is not interested in assigning blame, only in expressing their love.

When stars appear and shadows fall,
The expression of love will happen regardless of the time of day or circumstance.

Why then you'll hear my poor heart call,
The other person will hear the expression of love, and it will be genuine and heartfelt.

To you my love, my life, my all
The person is willing to give their love, their life and everything they have to the other person.

Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing, BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Capitol CMG Publishing, Integrity Music
Written by: GORDON CLIFFORD, HARRY BARRIS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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