Don’t Swallow the Cap Lyrics
Gold light breaks behind the houses
I don't see what's strange about this
Tiny bubbles hang above me
It's a sign that someone loves me
I can hardly stand up right
I hit my head upon the light
I have faith but don't believe it
It's not there enough to leave it
[Pre-Chorus]
Everything I love is on the table
Everything I love is out to sea
[Verse 2]
I have only two emotions
Careful fear and dead devotion
I can't get the balance right
With all my marbles in the fight
I see all the ones I went for
All the things I had it in for
I won't cry until I hear
'Cause I was not supposed to be here
[Pre-Chorus]
Everything I love is on the table
Everything I love is out to sea
I'm not alone
I'll never be
And to the bone
I'm evergreen
[Verse 3]
I'm tired, I'm freezing, I'm dumb
When it gets so late I forget everyone
I need somewhere to stay
I don't think anybody I know is awake
Calm down, it's alright
Keep my arms the rest of the night
When they ask, what do I see?
I say a bright, white, beautiful heaven hanging over me
[Bridge]
Ah
Ah-ah-ah-ah
[Chorus]
I'm not alone
I'll never be
And to the bone
I'm evergreen
And if you want (Dead seriously)
To see me cry (Don't swallow the cap)
Play "Let It Be" (Pat yourself on the back)
Or "Nevermind" (Dead seriously)
Is it time to leave? Is it time to think about
What I wanna say to the girls at the door?
I need somewhere to be
But I can't get around the river in front of me
Calm down, it's alright
Leave my arms the rest of the night
When they ask, what do I see?
I say a bright, white, beautiful heaven hanging over me
[Bridge]
Ah
Ah-ah-ah-ah
[Chorus]
I'm not alone (Dead seriously)
I'll never be (Don't swallow the cap)
And to the bone (Pat yourself on the back)
I'm evergreen (Dead seriously)
And if you want (Dead seriously)
To see me cry (Don't swallow the cap)
Play "Let It Be" (Pat yourself on the back)
Or "Nevermind" (Dead seriously)
About
The first single off of The National’s 2013 release Trouble Will Find Me.
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
Singer Matt Berninger had the following to say about “Don’t Swallow the Cap” in an interview given to Under the Radar magazine:
It’s funny, because people have assumed things about that. One person thought it was “Don’t Swallow the Cat,” and they thought it was an Alice in Wonderland reference. Some people thought it was a druggy reference. And some people have interpreted it as “don’t swallow the cap on a mushroom,” like LSD. I honestly don’t know. It sounded good. Some people think I was referencing Tennessee Williams, because there’s something about how he died drinking a cap of something. I’m not sure. It might be because I have a 4-year-old, and they’re always sticking things in their mouths, like the cap on toothpaste. I don’t actually know what that title is about. I was just singing along and free associating with the ways words sounded, and weird little phrases ended up in there, and you don’t know where it comes from. You forget, and it evolves into other meanings. I mean, R.E.M.—Michael Stipe also wrote lyrics because they sounded good, just these weird, mumbly lyrics. It was more about how they sounded than having some sort of message in the lyrics. I always loved R.E.M. for that, because listening to it, you could almost make it about yourself. I could interpret it in ways that pulled me into their music. It wasn’t like I was being told a message or told a story. It sucked me into it because it was so blurry, and I could make their songs about whatever I was dealing with. Maybe I do a bit of that.
- 2.Demons
- 3.Don’t Swallow the Cap
- 4.Fireproof
- 5.Sea of Love
- 6.Heavenfaced
- 8.Graceless
- 9.Slipped
- 10.I Need My Girl
- 11.Humiliation
- 12.Pink Rabbits
- 13.Hard to Find
- 14.Learning