The band recorded several singles for independent labels in the early 90's as well as contributing to several compilations. In 1995, they released their only full-length album, "Burritos, Inspiration Point, Fork Balloon Sports, Cards in the Spokes, Automatic Biographies, Kites, Kung Fu, Trophies, Banana Peels We've Slipped on and Egg Shells We've Tippy Toed Over" (better known as "Shmap'n Shmazz") on the tiny Man with Gun label.
The band broke up in July 1995, shortly after "Shmap'n Shmazz"'s release, on the night of a show at Little Rock's Das Yutes a Go-Go. In 1998, the Jade Tree label assembled a double-disc Cap'n Jazz retrospective titled "Analphabetapolothology" which compiles the band's complete recorded works: Shmap'n Shmazz, early singles, material from split releases, compilation tracks, unreleased demos and outtakes and several tracks from their farewell performance in Chicago.
After the band's split, the band members formed several new bands including The Promise Ring, American Football, Make Believe, Ghosts and Vodka, Owen, Joan of Arc and Owls
Cap'n Jazz reunited for a four-song set on January 22nd, 2010 at Chicago's Empty Bottle, which eventually led to a full tour in the second half of the year.
Little League
Cap'n Jazz Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
you got me coughin' up my cookie heart
makin' promises to myself
promises like seeds of everything i could be
hey ringwald haze
we're using bruises too loosely in a haste to lose me
and i've given all i could give
to snap us outta these statue traps
but i've taken all i could take
hey ringwald haze
we're using bruises like bruce lee
in a haste to bruise me
and i've given all i could give
i've taken all i could take
i've pushed all that i could push
i've pulled all that i could pull
kitty kitty cat, kitty kitty cat
thin kids get a skinny neck hex
heads hang heavy
i'm feelin' heavy
museum mouth
museum mouth
my how you've misused me
The song "Little League" by Cap'n Jazz is a poignant and introspective reflection on the experiences of youth and the emotional turmoil that often accompanies it. The first verse speaks to the power of young love and the way it can consume someone completely, leaving them vulnerable and exposed. The metaphor of "coughing up my cookie heart" suggests a sense of fragility and innocence, as if the singer's heart is something sweet and delicate that has been forcibly expelled from their body. The promises made to oneself are like seeds, full of potential and possibility, yet also small and easily crushed.
The second verse shifts the focus to the singer's relationship with someone named "Ringwald Haze." The use of "bruises" as a metaphor suggests a physical and emotional violence that is all too common in adolescent relationships. The phrase "we live in quick flips, slips, tips, and taps/ to snap us outta these statue traps" suggests a sense of urgency and restlessness, as if both the singer and Ringwald are eager to break free from something that is holding them back. However, the repetition of "I've taken all I could take" suggests that the relationship has become too much for the singer to handle and that they are at their breaking point.
The final lines of the song are cryptic but powerful. The serpent-like hiss of "kitty kitty cat" suggests a sense of danger and unpredictability, while the phrase "thin kids get a skinny neck hex/heads hang heavy/ I'm feeling heavy" implies a sort of psychic weight that is dragging the singer down. The repeated use of the phrase "museum mouth" suggests a sense of stagnation, as if the singer feels trapped in their own mind with no way out. The final line - "my how you've misused me" - is a devastating indictment of the way that youth and inexperience can leave people vulnerable to emotional manipulation and abuse.
Line by Line Meaning
hey coffee eyes
Addressing a person with attractive brown eyes
you got me coughin' up my cookie heart
Attracted towards the person and is feeling a flustered heart state
makin' promises to myself
Self-determination to become a better person
promises like seeds of everything i could be
Self-reflection to grow and explore possibilities
hey ringwald haze
Addressing someone as a reference to the character Molly Ringwald played in 'Pretty in Pink'
we're using bruises too loosely in a haste to lose me
Being hurt and taken for granted in a relationship
and i've given all i could give
Being at the verge of exhaustion in a relationship
we live in quick flips, slips, tips, and taps
Sudden changes and an unstable relationship
to snap us outta these statue traps
Trying to break free from the current state of the relationship
but i've taken all i could take
At the limit of endurance in a relationship
hey ringwald haze
Addressing someone as a reference to the character Molly Ringwald played in 'Pretty in Pink'
we're using bruises like bruce lee
Being hurt physically and emotionally faster than one could recover
in a haste to bruise me
Hurtfully breaking the relationship without any consideration
i've taken all i could take
Having exhausted all the emotional and physical strength in a relationship
i've pushed all that i could push
Having given one's all in the relationship
i've pulled all that i could pull
Input maximum possible action possible in the relationship
kitty kitty cat, kitty kitty cat
Addressing someone affectionately, playfully
thin kids get a skinny neck hex
Making fun of skinny people, calling them weak
heads hang heavy
Being weighed down by something
i'm feelin' heavy
Suffering from an emotional and physical burden of a relationship
museum mouth
Feeling unimportant and neglected in a relationship
museum mouth
Feeling unimportant and neglected in a relationship
my how you've misused me
Being taken for granted in a relationship, feeling unimportant
Contributed by Mackenzie O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.