Kapituliert means 'capitulated' or 'surrendered'. It's a strong and somewhat formal verb that you don't often hear in everyday pop songs, making it stand out.
In the song, the artist sings, "Doch schon beim zweiten traurigen Lied hab' ich kapituliert" (But already by the second sad song, I had capitulated). It vividly describes the moment of giving in to emotions or a situation, rather than just 'giving up', adding a dramatic flair to the lyrics.
Lea's "Nichts Geht Mehr" [Nothing Works Anymore] is such a relatable song about the messy aftermath of a breakup. She starts by pretending she doesn't care, but quickly admits, "Doch schon beim zweiten traurigen Lied hab' ich kapituliert" [But already with the second sad song, I capitulated]. We've all been there, trying to escape the pain by going out and "in Kneipen ertrunken, weil man das halt so macht" [drowning in pubs, because that's what you do]. She talks about envying "all diese freien Menschen, mit ihren freien Geistern" [all these free people, with their free spirits] while her own world feels like it's in ruins, surrounded by "volle Aschenbechern in meinem viel zu großen Zimmer" [full ashtrays in my much too big room].
It's a really honest look at regret and longing. Lea sings, "Alles verspielt, alles verloren, ich hab zu viel gesetzt" [Everything gambled away, everything lost, I bet too much], admitting she hurt both her ex and herself. There's this moment of frustration where she wishes she had fought harder, saying, "es nervt mich total, dass ich nicht noch mal gekämpft hab" [it totally annoys me that I didn't fight again]. Even though she thinks her ex is probably out celebrating with "irgendwelchen Idioten" [some idiots], she'd still "noch mal alles setzten, wenn du jetzt hier wärst" [bet everything again if you were here now], but this time, "diesmal auf dich" [this time on you]. It's a powerful and vulnerable song about wishing for a do-over, even when it feels like "nichts geht mehr" [nothing works anymore].
LEA (born Lea-Marie Becker) is a German singer-songwriter from Kassel, known for her warm, piano-driven pop and her honest, diary-like lyrics. She grew up in a musical home, started playing piano at six, and was writing her own songs by the age of eleven, before studying music in Hannover and playing the city's bars at night.
Her breakthrough came in 2016, when she toured as a backing singer for Mark Forster and released her debut album Vakuum. She has since become one of Germany's most-streamed pop artists, and Zu Dir, co-written with Mark Forster and released on her 2019 album Zwischen den Zeilen, is one of her best-loved songs. LEA has been based in Berlin since 2018.