Neil Sedaka (born 13 March 1939 in Brooklyn, New York) is an American pop s… Read Full Bio ↴Neil Sedaka (born 13 March 1939 in Brooklyn, New York) is an American pop singer, pianist, and songwriter often associated with the Brill Building era of songwriting. He teamed up with Howard Greenfield to write many major hit songs for himself and others.

Sedaka wrote his 1959 hit "Oh! Carol" about his then-girlfriend, Carol Klein, later to become Carole King. In 1963, King released a humorous answer entitled "Oh Neil".

The Laughter In the Rain Songfacts says Sedaka's hits dried up when The Beatles arrived, but then he teamed up with the lyricist Philip Cody and had a a number 1 hit with "Laughter In The Rain." It re-ignited Sedaka's career and he had 6 more Top-40 hits in America by 1977.

Sedaka's voice is in the tenor range.

All the Words in the World
Neil Sedaka Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Ooh All the words in the world
Ooh All the words in the world
Ooh All the words in the world
Ooh All the words in the world

Darling Je vous aime beaucoup
That in french means I love you
Yo te quiero mi amor

That's what they say on the spanish shore
But oh my darlin' what can I say
The right words just won't come my way
All the words in the world
Could never tell you I love you

Io ti amo they agree
Is the proper thing in Italy
Ich liebe Dich mein Frulein
That's the way the germans say the same old line
And though I try I can't express
The way you fill my heart with happiness
All the words in the world
Could never tell you I love you

Ooh All the words in the world
Ooh All the words in the world
Ooh All the words in the world
Ooh All the words in the world

I could spend my time
learning every line in Webster's dictionary
I could go from A to Z
But still I couldn't tell you what you mean to me

I could search for a million ways
But I know I'd never find the phrase
I looked around but I regret
The words I need weren't written yet
And so my darlin' please take my hand
Tell me, tell me, tell me, that you understand

All the words in the world
Could never tell you I love you

Overall Meaning

"All the Words in the World" is a song about the struggles of finding the right words to express love in different languages. Neil Sedaka touches upon the common phrases used for expressing love in different countries, but he admits that even with all the words in the world, he cannot find the right way to articulate his love towards his significant other. He feels that no matter how many languages he knows or how many words he learns, those words will never be enough to express his love. He humorously suggests that he could search for a million ways but still not find the phrase that perfectly conveys his feelings for his lover.

The song reflects how language and cultural differences can create barriers in communication, especially when it comes to expressing emotions like love. Sedaka brilliantly highlights the fact that sometimes simple declarations of love may transcend language barriers, and they may not need any specific words to convey affection.

Line by Line Meaning

Ooh All the words in the world
The enormity of the love that I have for you goes beyond what the entire world can express

Darling Je vous aime beaucoup
I love you dearly, as expressed in the French language

Yo te quiero mi amor
My love, I want you, just as the Spanish express

But oh my darlin' what can I say
Despite my love for you, I feel at a loss for words

The right words just won't come my way
I'm struggling to find the perfect words to accurately and fully express my love for you

Io ti amo they agree
In Italy, they use the phrase 'Io ti amo' to express the love we share

Ich liebe Dich mein Frulein
My love, the Germans would say 'Ich liebe Dich mein Frulein' to express how much they adore you, and so do I

And though I try I can't express
Despite continually trying, I'm still unable to adequately express my immense love for you

The way you fill my heart with happiness
The happiness and love you bring are so indescribable and beyond words.

I could spend my time learning every line in Webster's dictionary
Even if I dedicated my time to studying every word in the English language, I'd still fail to find the words that fully express my love for you

But still I couldn't tell you what you mean to me
Despite all my efforts, I still can't bring myself to describe how much you truly mean to me

I could search for a million ways
I could explore all avenues and possibilities to find a way to express my love for you

But I know I'd never find the phrase
But I'm sure that it's an impossible feat to find the right words to express how much I love you

I looked around but I regret
I've searched high and low but I feel regretful that I couldn't find a way to express how much I love you in words

The words I need weren't written yet
Perhaps the words I need to describe my love for you haven't been created yet

And so my darlin' please take my hand
Instead of telling you how much I love you with words, my love, take my hand and feel how much I cherish you

Tell me, tell me, tell me, that you understand
My heart desires that you understand how much I love you even without having the perfect words to express it

All the words in the world
No matter how vast our vocabulary, the words in the world can't describe my love for you

Could never tell you I love you
Words don't do justice to the depth of my love for you

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: HOWARD GREENFIELD, NEIL SEDAKA

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS