No Surrender
springsteen bruce-e street band Lyrics
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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
The lyrics to Bruce Springsteen's song No Surrender describe the feeling of youthful rebellion and the desire to follow one's dreams. Springsteen opens the song with a reference to leaving school, implying a disregard for traditional education, and instead puts faith in the lessons learned from music. The feeling of rebelliousness is further emphasized by the line "No retreat, baby, no surrender," which is repeated throughout the song like a rallying cry. This line represents the longing to preserve the passion and intensity of youth while facing the realities of adulthood.
As the song progresses, Springsteen shifts the focus to the present moment. He reflects on how time has passed and how the once bright faces and fiery hearts of youth have now grown sad and old. Despite this, the desire to follow their dreams remains. The lyric "Maybe we'll cut someplace of our own with these drums and these guitars" illustrates this need for creative expression and not conforming to societal norms.
Towards the end of the song, Springsteen acknowledges the harsh realities of the outside world and the feeling of being trapped, but still holds on to the hope for a better future. The final lines suggest a desire for peace, both in a literal sense and in the symbolic sense of finding peace within oneself.
Overall, No Surrender is a powerful anthem that celebrates the rebellion and passion of youth, while acknowledging the inevitable passage of time and the need to hold on to hope and dreams in the face of adversity.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, we bursted out of class
We left school in a rush
Had to get away from those fools
We had to escape from the meaningless, unfulfilling education system
We learned more from a three-minute record, baby
We gained more knowledge and inspiration from listening to music than we did from school
Than we ever learned in school
In comparison to the education system, music had a greater impact on our development
Tonight I hear the neighborhood drummer sound
I can hear the music of our community and feel the rhythm of life
I can feel my heart begin to pound
My passion and drive are being reignited
You say you're tired and you just want to close your eyes
You're exhausted with life and want to give up
And follow your dreams down
You want to pursue your passions and realize your aspirations
Well, we made a promise we swore we'd always remember
We committed to never forgetting our values and what we stand for
No retreat, baby, no surrender
We refuse to give up or back down in the face of challenges or adversity
Like soldiers in the winter's night
We are brave and resilient in the face of adversity
With a vow to defend
We take an oath to protect our beliefs, aspirations, and values
Well, now young faces grow sad and old
The youthful energy and spirit is lost as people age
And hearts of fire grow cold
Passion and drive slowly disappear over time
We swore blood brothers against the wind
We made a blood oath to stick together through thick and thin
Now I'm ready to grow young again
I'm ready to reignite my youthful passion and energy
And hear your sister's voice calling us home
We long for the comfort and community of our families and friends
Across the open yards
We journey through the open spaces of life
Well maybe we'll cut someplace of our own
We will create a new path for ourselves
With these drums and these guitars
We will do it with music and passion
'Cause we made a promise we swore we'd always remember
We hold tight to our commitment to ourselves and each other
No retreat, baby, no surrender
We will never back down, never give up
Now on the street tonight the lights grow dim
The end is near
The walls of my room are closing in
The world is closing in
There's a war outside still raging
There is still conflict and turmoil in the world
You say it ain't ours anymore to win
We feel helpless and powerless to change anything
I want to sleep beneath
I desire peace and comfort
Peaceful skies in my lover's bed
I want to be with someone I love and feel safe with
With a wide open country in my eyes
I long for open spaces and freedom
And these romantic dreams in my head
I hold onto my dreams and desires
Once we made a promise we swore we'd always remember
Our commitment to ourselves and each other has not changed
No retreat, baby, no surrender
We stand by our values and beliefs
Ohh ohh ohh
Musical interlude
Ohh ohh ohh
Musical interlude
Ohh ohh ohh
Musical interlude
Ohh ohh ohh
Musical interlude
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Thomas DiMura
I cry every time I hear this version. Incredible
DerLabbeduddel
I've never heard this song before, unfortunately, but when listened it the first time yesterday, I had goose flesh, and tears in my eyes. Thank you Bruce Springsteen.
Chris Rush
I cried when I first heard moonlight motel, this version of this always gives me goosebumps and has bought a tear or 2 to my eyes
Matthew Shannon
Nobody writes 'em like the Boss!!
rocknrollroy2007
I am a big Bruce Springsteen fan. When I first heard this song in 1987, I cried all the way through it. What a beautiful song.
Chris Rush
Its like Bruce reaches into your heart and just knows
By far the superior version, the rock n roll style is OK but the stripped back bluesy version just suits the lyrics
Francis ogle
His songs touches the
heart
Chris Rush
Such a sad beautiful melancholic version, hits me right in the feels everytime
Springsteen is quite simply the greatest, the boss
Math? Music!
Totally awesome.....He nailed it best here.....................just pure beauty and joy..........and longings too...........he cuts right thru me...........
Jeroen Rietdijk
I can still remember the days when being rich, meant having the album box Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band 1975-1985.