Caroline
Brandi Carlile Lyrics


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I woke up long after dawn
Twenty years had come and gone
I know when it changed for me
A day in June you came to me
I've seen through someone else's eyes
With nothin' on the other side
Every motel, every town
Pieces scattered all around

Promises that I can't be
Someone's heart that I can't keep
Days so long I couldn't speak
Roads so rocky I can't sleep
But I've seen things so beautiful
All around this broken world
That pale in comparison to you

Caroline, I'm on my way back home to you
Imagine what I'm a-goin' through
Without you by my side
It's been a long, long time
Oh, won't you say a prayer for me
I hope you will remember me
You're always on my mind

I have seen the canyon lands
Crooked lines like in your hands
To swear the earth was split in two
I wouldn't lie I promise you
That I have seen it, you will too
You could not believe if not for
Photographs I took for you, Caroline
They've built towers to the sky
It hurts sometimes to watch them try
They run themselves into the ground
But I know you will love them
And their city lights and city sounds
There's beauty in the struggle
Anytime I feel it get me down
I see you smiling

Caroline, I'm on my way back home to you
Can't imagine what I'm a-goin' through
Without you by my side
It's been a long long time
Oh, won't you say a prayer for me
I hope you will remember me
You're always on my mind
My Caroline

Yeah, my Caroline

Now, I have seen things in the sky
Stars and lights and birds and I
I've been rocky mountain high
Told them all about you
Because you are still the only thing
That constantly amazes me
I love the road and I've been blessed
But I love you best

Caroline, I'm on my way back home to you
Can't imagine what I'm a-goin' through
Without you by my side
It's been a long, long time
Oh, won't you say a prayer for me
I hope you will remember me
You're always on my mind
You were always on my mind
My Caroline





Oh, my, my, my Caroline

Overall Meaning

Brandi Carlile's "Caroline" is a song about searching for a lost friend, who the singer is trying to reach out to. The song is filled with a sense of longing and fear surrounding loss and the inability to connect with someone you care about. The lyrics begin with the singer introducing themselves as someone who is looking for a lost friend, whom their mother wants back home. The singer understands that sometimes when you think you've found yourself, you've really just lost yourself, or you're afraid to be alone. This suggests that the friend may be going through a difficult time and perhaps has run away from home. The singer's willingness to help and support the friend is evident through the lines "you surely can depend on me / to keep you out of the sun" and "It's phony, you owe me / Come on don't fly away before your time".


The central theme of the song is understanding and connection, which is expressed through the repeated lines "But if I could see behind blue eyes / At all the things that dusty windows tried to hide / Then I could see behind the walls of Caroline / And behind blue eyes". The blue eyes serve as a metaphor for the emotional walls that the friend has put up, possibly due to past traumas or experiences. The dusty windows represent the past, which the friend may be trying to forget or ignore. The singer wishes to understand the friend's struggles and fears, and help them to move forward.


Line by Line Meaning

Hello I'm looking for a friend I lost some time ago
I'm trying to reconnect with someone who was once important to me.


Your mother says she wants her girl back home
Your family misses you and wants you to come back.


Sometimes you think you've found yourself you really only lost yourself
You may feel like you've gained perspective, but in reality, you're just more lost than before.


Or maybe you're afraid to be alone
You could be struggling with feelings of loneliness and fear of being by yourself.


But if I could see behind blue eyes
If I could understand your perspective completely


At all the things that dusty windows tried to hide
All of the secrets and emotions that have been kept hidden


Then I could see behind the walls of Caroline
I would be able to understand what's really going on with you.


I heard that you're in town again you surely can depend on me
I heard you're back and want you to know you can rely on me.


To keep you out of the sun
To protect you from the harsh realities and keep you safe.


Down and out and out and then I'm climbing up the walls again
I'm struggling with some hardships and frustrations.


We're standing in line to be the one
We're all trying to stand out and be noticed.


I've faced it
I have come to terms with something difficult.


I'm wasted
I'm feeling exhausted, both mentally and physically.


Don't fly away before your time
I'm pleading with you to stay around for a while longer.


It's phony,
Something doesn't feel genuine or authentic.


You owe me
I feel like you owe me an explanation or answer.


Come on don't fly away before your time
Please don't leave yet, there's still more to say.


Yeah
An exclamation used to express agreement or excitement.




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Brandi M. Carlile, Phillip John Hanseroth, Timothy Jay Hanseroth

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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