King's major success began in the 1960s when she and her first husband, Gerry Goffin, wrote more than two dozen chart hits, many of which have become standards, for numerous artists. She has continued writing for other artists since then. King's success as a performer in her own right did not come until the 1970s, when she sang her own songs, accompanying herself on the piano, in a series of albums and concerts. After experiencing commercial disappointment with her debut album Writer, King scored her breakthrough with the album Tapestry, which topped the U.S. album chart for 15 weeks in 1971 and remained on the charts for more than six years.
King has made 25 solo albums, the most successful being Tapestry, which held the record for most weeks at No. 1 by a female artist for more than 20 years. Her record sales were estimated at more than 75 million copies worldwide. She has won four Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. She has been inducted twice into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, as a performer and songwriter. She is the recipient of the 2013 Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, the first woman to be so honored. She is also a 2015 Kennedy Center Honoree.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carole_King
Studio albums
Writer (1970)
Tapestry (1971)
Music (1971)
Rhymes & Reasons (1972)
Fantasy (1973)
Wrap Around Joy (1974)
Thoroughbred (1976)
Simple Things (1977)
Welcome Home (1978)
Touch the Sky (1979)
Pearls: Songs of Goffin and King (1980)
One to One (1982)
Speeding Time (1983)
City Streets (1989)
Colour of Your Dreams (1993)
Love Makes the World (2001)
A Holiday Carole (2011)
I Think I Can Hear You
Carole King Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
How can I serve you
Is it true what I do is the way to be near you
I'm listening, though sometimes I can't hear you
Looking around fills me with wonder
At the way you can keep this old world running smoothly
Thinking of you always seems to soothe me
I know you're probably not a man or a woman
Or a time or a season
But I'm here, and life is dear
And I guess that's a good enough reason
To say
Just let me do
What you put me here to
Let me be what you want me to be
And I hope it'll cheer you
I'm listening, and I think I can hear you
Even when I thought I didn't believe
You believed in me
And everyone is a part of you
And anyone can know you
All they've got to do is be
I'm listening, and I think I can hear you
The song "I Think I Can Hear You" by Carole King is a contemplative piece that appears to be a conversation with a higher power. The lyrics show an individual expressing their willingness to do whatever it takes to serve, be close to and understand the higher power. In the first stanza, the singer asks what they need to do in order to serve this higher power better, and wonders if what they're doing is enough to stay close. They also admit that they may not always hear the higher power but are always searching.
The second stanza shows the singer acknowledging the magnitude of the higher power and how it seems to keep the world running. Thinking of the higher power, for them, brings peace and comfort. They also acknowledge that this higher power may not be confines to the norms of society such as gender, age, or time. The singer continues to express their willingness to do what they are there for, to be what the higher power wants them to be in hopes that it would satisfy them.
In the final stanza, the singer expresses the realization that even when they didn't believe in the higher power, it believed in them. Furthermore, everyone is a part of this higher power, and anyone can get to know them if they choose to be. The song concludes with the singer affirming their willingness to listen and the hope that they can hear the higher power's messages.
Line by Line Meaning
What must I do
Asking a higher power what is required of me.
How can I serve you
Asking a higher power how to fulfill my purpose.
Is it true what I do is the way to be near you
Wondering if performing my purpose is how to feel closer to a higher power.
I'm listening, though sometimes I can't hear you
Open to receiving instruction from a higher power, even if communication is difficult to interpret.
Looking around fills me with wonder
Feeling in awe of the world created by a higher power.
At the way you can keep this old world running smoothly
Praising a higher power for the functionality of the world.
Thinking of you always seems to soothe me
Finding comfort in thoughts of a higher power.
I know you're probably not a man or a woman
Understanding that a higher power cannot be limited to human characteristics.
Or a time or a season
Recognizing that a higher power is not limited to a certain timeframe.
But I'm here, and life is dear
Acknowledging the preciousness of life.
And I guess that's a good enough reason
Feeling satisfied with the justification for existence.
To say
Expressing readiness to fulfill my purpose.
Just let me do
Requesting autonomy to fulfill my purpose.
What you put me here to
Fulfilling the purpose assigned by a higher power.
Let me be what you want me to be
Requesting guidance to become what a higher power needs me to be.
And I hope it'll cheer you
Expressing hope that fulfilling my purpose will bring joy to a higher power.
I'm listening, and I think I can hear you
Striving to listen to a higher power in order to fulfill my purpose.
Even when I thought I didn't believe
Reflecting on times of doubt about the existence of a higher power.
You believed in me
Realizing that a higher power never stopped believing in me.
And everyone is a part of you
Understanding that every individual is connected to a higher power.
And anyone can know you
Affirming that anyone can develop a relationship with a higher power.
All they've got to do is be
Emphasizing the simplicity of connecting with a higher power.
I'm listening, and I think I can hear you
Continuing to strive to listen to and interpret guidance from a higher power.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: CAROLE KING
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind