Surrender
Marilyn Manson Lyrics


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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 a 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, ay, ay, ay.
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, ay, ay, ay.

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, ay, ay, ay.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Marilyn Manson's song Surrender seem to be pieced together by various different voices and conversations. The song opens with the voice of a child recalling advice given by his mother about the dangers of meeting girls like the one being addressed, as well as the risk of catching something from them. The conversation then shifts to the father, who confirms the mother's wisdom by indicating her knowledge gained from her time serving in the WACS during the war. The father also surmises that the mother's experience explains her current behavior, which is described as slightly weird.


Manson's lyrics then transition to the voice of the child as an adult, wondering what happened to the losers of the past. Suddenly, he wakes up to find his parents "rolling numbers" (i.e. smoking marijuana), listening to KISS records, and generally acting youthful despite their age. This leads the child to question whether his parents might be a little weird or maybe just trying to relive their youth in ways that may seem odd to others. Despite the perception of the parents as strange, however, the chorus of the song encourages the act of surrendering to life, but with the warning to not give everything away.


Overall, the song Surrender by Marilyn Manson seems to be a commentary on the complex dynamics of family life, including conversations about sex and warnings about strangers, as well as the desire to recapture former glory or relive past experiences despite growing old. The song also highlights the generational gap that often exists between parents and children, and the tension that arises when each tries to understand the other's worldview.


Line by Line Meaning

Mother told me, yes, she told me I'd meet girls like you.
My mother warned me about girls like you and to stay away.


She also told me, "Stay away, you'll never know what you'll catch."
My mother suggested that I avoid you because you might bring trouble.


Just the other day I heard a of a soldier's falling off.
I recently heard about a soldier dying from a drug overdose.


Some Indonesian junk that's going round.
The cause of the soldier's death was likely drugs from Indonesia.


Mommy's alright, Daddy's alright, they just seem a little weird.
My parents are functioning fine, but they have some odd behaviors.


Surrender, surrender, but don't give yourself away, ay, ay, ay.
Give up control, but don't lose yourself in the process.


Father says, "Your mother's right, she's really up on things."
My father agrees with my mother's advice and thinks highly of her intelligence.


"Before we married, Mommy served in the WACS in the Philippines."
My mother served in the Women's Auxiliary Corps (WACS) during the war in the Philippines before they got married.


Now, I had heard the WACS recruited old maids for the war.
I previously believed that the WACS only recruited unmarried women.


But mommy isn't one of those, I've known her all these years.
Despite my previous misconception, my mother was not an old maid and I have known her long enough to know this.


Whatever happened to all this season's losers of the year?
I wonder what happened to those who were deemed failures or losers last year.


Every time I got to thinking, where'd they disappear?
Whenever I think about their disappearance, I can't help but wonder where they went.


Then I woke up, Mom and Dad are rolling on the couch.
But when I wake up, I find that my parents are smoking marijuana on the couch.


Rolling numbers, rock and rolling, got my KISS records out.
They are smoking marijuana, listening to music, and having a good time together.


Mommy's alright, Daddy's alright, they just seem a little weird.
Although they are indulging in recreational drugs, my parents are functioning well overall except for their odd behavior.


Surrender, surrender, but don't give yourself away, ay, ay, ay.
Give in to temptation, but remember to keep control of yourself and don't let go completely.




Contributed by Harper P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Comments from YouTube:

SightOfKanzeon

No one does cover songs quite like Marilyn Manson.

Travis Boggs

Damn I watched this live as a kid and now years later I appreciate how good this is actually mixed for a live performance (and they are playing live)

Wizard Bunny

I loved this lineup. I miss being a teenager. Twiggy was the best 🤘

Dreeza

Well last I knew Twiggy was back with Manson (havent been keeping up though). If you like John 5 and Ginger Fish they're in Rob Zombie's band now. Saw them live a couple times they seem to be much happier working with Rob, but at the show John does like a 5-8 minute guitar solo in the middle of Thunder Kiss '65. And Ginger Fish does an awesome also like 5-10 minute drum solo.

Marco Antonio

@Dreeza almost all the members of Marilyn Manson went with Rob Zombie's :(

jetfire Undbo

Well, it was the best MM lineup !

Cyberpunk 77

Memorables años 90s-2000! Marilyn Manson maestro!

Hating4AM

I remember seeing this live. They didn't censor it the one time it was live.

above92

The best members of the band ... miss 'em so much ...

Emily Alex

They should sell this on itunes as a music video <3 for sure

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