Recording original, high-quality songs is one thing, but the ability to perform them live with passion, energy and a great, unique sound is a completely different beast. Capital Cities have both down to a science. (The Chuckness) They controlled the audience with addictive beats that caused strangers to dance with each other. Everyone sang along throughout the night regardless if they were first-time listeners. (Campus Circle)
In 2008, Ryan Merchant found Sebu Simonian on craigslist in his search for a collaborator. The two formed a composing team, and in 2010, they began producing material for Capital Cities. The band released their debut EP last summer and saw their lead single 'Safe and Sound' climb to #2 on Hype Machine and hit #1 on CMJ's A&R unsigned spin chart.
Capital Cities have played sold-out shows in their hometowns of Los Angeles and San Francisco and embarked on a successful mini tour of the East Coast and Canada last October. In November, after reaching #1 on South American radio, the band flew to Lima, Perú to play in front of 1000 fans. They just headlined the W Hotel New Year's Eve party in San Francisco and are now back in L.A. as 987fm's January Resident Artist. Look for them in Austin, Texas at this year's SXSW.
Vowels
Capital Cities Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But words, they won't do it justice
I could write it on a sign
But words, they won't do it justice
I need a translator at the tip of my tongue
There's a freight train of emotion stuck in my lungs
I need to get it out, get it out before it's all gone
A-A
O-O
E-E
Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
A-A
O-O
E-E
Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
I could tell you what it's like
But words, they won't do it justice
Spell it out, turn up the mic
But words, they won't do it justice
I need a psychic to read my mind
Get me a Shakespeare to feed me lines
I need to let it out, let it out, I waited too long
I'm only using vowels from now on
A-A
O-O
E-E
Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
A-A
O-O
E-E
Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
A-A
O-O
E-E
Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
A-A
O-O
E-E
Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
A-A
O-O
E-E
Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
A-A
O-O
E-E
Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
The lyrics of Capital Cities’s song “Vowels” reveal the frustration of the singer’s inability to express their thoughts and feelings through words. The singer is unable to find the right words to convey the depth of their emotions and experiences. Throughout the song, the singer seeks unconventional means of expression, resorting to using only vowels to communicate their message.
The opening lines, “I got something on my mind but words, they won't do it justice. I could write it on a sign but words, they won't do it justice”, denotes the singer’s issue with words. Further in the song, lines such as “I need a psychic to read my mind, get me a Shakespeare to feed me lines” and “There's a freight train of emotion stuck in my lungs” highlight that despite the singer’s best efforts, they are struggling to articulate their thoughts and emotions.
The singer, in their attempt to find a solution, elegantly suggests to “just speak in vowels from now on". It is a creative and metaphorical way of expressing the idea that words are insufficient, and that sometimes we must express ourselves in ways that defy convention.
Overall, “Vowels” is a fascinating song that highlights the limits of language in communication. It invites the audience to ponder the importance of language and the role it plays in conveying our deepest emotions.
Line by Line Meaning
I got something on my mind
There's something I want to express
But words, they won't do it justice
But words are insufficient to convey it accurately
I could write it on a sign
I could make it visible for everyone to see
But words, they won't do it justice
But still, words will not be enough to show it completely
I need a translator at the tip of my tongue
I need someone to help me express my emotions better
There's a freight train of emotion stuck in my lungs
I have a lot of feelings that are trapped within me
I need to get it out, get it out before it's all gone
I want to express my feelings before I lose my chance
So I'll just speak in vowels from now on
So, I will express my emotions using only vowels
A-A
A pronounced as the English letter
O-O
O pronounced as the English letter
E-E
E pronounced as the English letter
Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
A sound expressing emotion
I could tell you what it's like
I could describe to you how I feel
But words, they won't do it justice
But still, words are insufficient for the task
Spell it out, turn up the mic
I can try to articulate it better, make it louder
But words, they won't do it justice
But words will not be enough, even then
I need a psychic to read my mind
I need someone who can understand my thoughts intuitively
Get me a Shakespeare to feed me lines
I need a great writer to help me articulate what I feel
I need to let it out, let it out, I waited too long
I need to express my emotions now, I've held them in too long
I'm only using vowels from now on
So, I will communicate my emotions using only vowels
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: SEBU SIMONIAN, RYAN MERCHANT, BRETT MCLAUGHLIN, JAMIE SANDERSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
MOrtaLbUrN
I got something on my mind
But words, they won't do it justice
I could write it on a sign
But words, they won't do it justice
I need a translator at the tip of my tongue
There's a freight train of emotion stuck in my lungs
I need to get it out, get it out before it's all gone
So I'll just speak in vowels from now on
A-A
O-O
E-E
Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
A-A
O-O
E-E
Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
I could tell you what it's like
But words, they won't do it justice
Spell it out, turn up the mic
But words, they won't do it justice
I need a psychic to read my mind
Get me a Shakespeare to feed me lines
I need to let it out, let it out, I waited too long
I'm only using vowels from now on
A-A
O-O
E-E
Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
A-A
O-O
E-E
Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
Rene Rivera
I got something on my mind
But words, they won't do it justice
I could write it on a sign
But words, they won't do it justice
I need a translator at the tip of my tongue
There's a freight train of emotion that's stuck in my lungs
I need to get it out, get it out before it's all gone
So I'll just speak in vowels from now on
A-A
O-O
E-E
Ooh-ooh-ooh
A-A
O-O
E-E
Ooh-ooh-ooh
I could tell you what it's like
But words, they won't do it justice
Spell it out, turn up the mic
But words, they won't do it justice
I need a psychic to read my mind
Get me a Shakespeare to feed me lines
I need to let it out, let it out, I waited too long
I'm only using vowels from now on
A-A
O-O
E-E
Ooh-ooh-ooh
A-A
O-O
E-E
Ooh-ooh-ooh
Ahh-ahh-ahh
Ahh-ahh-ahh
A-A
O-O
E-E
Ooh-ooh-ooh
A-A
O-O
E-E
Ooh-ooh-ooh
A-A
O-O
E-E
Ooh-ooh-ooh
A-A
O-O
E-E
Ooh-ooh-ooh
James Irving
lyrics like if helpful
I got something on my mind
But words, they won't do it justice
I could write it on a sign
But words, they won't do it justice
I need a translator at the tip of my tongue
There's a freight train of emotion stuck in my lungs
I need to get it out, get it out before it's all gone
So I'll just speak in vowels from now on
A-A
O-O
E-E
Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
A-A
O-O
E-E
Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
I could tell you what it's like
But words, they won't do it justice
Spell it out, turn up the mic
But words, they won't do it justice
I need a psychic to read my mind
Get me a Shakespeare to feed me lines
I need to let it out, let it out, I waited too long
I'm only using vowels from now on
A-A
O-O
E-E
Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
A-A
O-O
E-E
Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
A-A
O-O
E-E
Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
A-A
O-O
E-E
Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
A-A
O-O
E-E
Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
A-A
O-O
E-E
Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
CharlieCab
This is such an underrated song.
Nicolás Galeano
So underrated it hurts
m hitson
Thanks for keeping the word underrated in the comments section Just don’t see it used enough.
user1234
How about GOOBA SIX NINE
Fenerbahçeli2738
Still here
ERENJEAGER
Only people with good music taste like this song
CJFreeza
I really like how this has a very polished and feel good vibe with the classical Capital cities sound. It's arguably one of my favorites from you guys and easily part of my library.
deni sherlock
I can tell you this is the best song on FIFA, but words they won't do it justice...
Sten Vaine
best song on Dirt 4
WiLL Cavalcante
Amazing song. Meet in Fifa too!