Born in 1989 in Long Island, Rose grew up in Center Moriches, New York. The daughter of two artists, Rose began writing songs and poems at age 13. Rose attended Wellesley College in Massachusetts, where she graduated in 2011 with a bachelor's degree in architecture.
In 2012, Rose and producer/multi-instrumentalist Jer Coons launched a Kickstarter to fund the production of Rose's first album America Religious. The album, blending American folk music, country, and rockabilly styles was self-published later that year. Two years later, Rose released her first nationally distributed album, I Will Not Be Afraid on Little Hi! Records. Like the first album, it was produced with Jer Coons and featured music in a variety of Americana musical styles, including two songs previously released on America Religious.
Following the release of I Will Not Be Afraid, Rose took an extended hiatus from touring and releasing new material, while she explored new musical directions that would broaden her sound. After three years, numerous personnel changes, a signing to mother + Pop Music, and a switch to New West Records, Rose released her third album. The new album, Loner, was co-produced by Rose and Paul Butler of The Bees, and represented a radical shift away from the musical style of her previous work, blending pop and alternative rock elements, and incorporating prominent synthesizers throughout. Notably, this album also saw a change in lyrical tone, incorporating a number of overtly humorous, sarcastic, and satirical songs. Although Rose played most of the instruments on the album, she formed a new band to perform on tour.
Prior to Loner's release, Rose released "Money" and "Soul No. 5" with accompanying music videos. Rose released a music video for "Jeannie Becomes a Mom" on October 17, 2018. The video, which was directed by Amanda Speva, features Abby Pierce as the titular character, depicting Jeannie moving into a new home, performing a dance routine with the movers, and preparing a rainbow Jell-O cake. The song was ranked the fifteenth-best single of the year by National Public Radio.
On January 7, 2020, Rose announced a new album called Superstar, releasing a single and a music video for the song "Feel The Way I Want". The video was shot on an iPhone over the course of an 11-day roadtrip from Hollywood, California to Hollywood, Florida, documenting the protagonist's journey after she travels to the wrong Hollywood for an audition. According to Rose, the album is a "cinematic pop album that tells a story of someone who leaves behind everything she knows and loves in search for something bigger and more glamorous. It's a story about losing yourself but also finding the brazen self-confidence to follow a dream." The album Superstar was released on March 6, 2020, and Caroline Rose made her television debut on February 24, 2020, performing "Feel The Way I Want" on Late Night with Seth Meyers.
Blood on Your Bootheels
Caroline Rose Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I heard the man was roamin' free, now he's livin' in chains
Woah wo, everywhere I got the world in tow,
no matter where I turn I got to carry its load.
Well Shoeshine Brother thinks I'm so naive;
lookin' at me thinkin' I got something hidden up my sleeve.
No, Sirree, I'm cool as can be;
So what you think you're doin'; who do you think you are?
Drinkin' bottles of whiskey, smokin' Cuban cigars;
Think if you act like a man, you can alter this wheel;
You can make it in this world without that blood on your bootheels
Well get your head right, a-put your keys up on the table
while they polishin' their pistols,
and they're staring out the windows
Wonderin' who's a comin' down my gate,
hey, pick a side, Love, tie your boots up
and then get your ass in line.
Well see them [swirlers got the bub?]
it's a wonder that they'll ever see the light of day,
with people like you walkin' on the street.
If police were policin' then I probably wouldn't
have to follow him every step of his feet.
They look me in the eye, and they look me in the face,
and they review my fate, say my name [raise your name?],
son grab your gun and run, ah, you got no appeal;
you can make it in this world without that blood on your bootheels.
I have a dream too; you think I ain't got dreams?
When I close my eyes and sleep, only thing I can believe in:
my religion I envision murderin' everything livin'
when I'm cookin' up my goddamn future in the kitchen.
What makes you all my favorite mess,
a vision of a blackened head bent over a fence;
took a beatin' to his head, forty bullets to his chest;
Now with one hand on the bible, claimed it was in self-defense.
I read all those books, yeah I seen all them films,
I bet you got a pretty degree up in your window sill.
Well leave me out of it; people like me don't live to feel
we can make it in this world without that blood on our bootheels.
The song "Blood on Your Bootheels" by Caroline Rose is a protest song with lyrics that address different issues like police brutality, social injustice, and discrimination. The lyrics paint a picture of the struggles and daily hardships faced by marginalized groups like African Americans in America. The song is sung from the point of view of someone who is fed up with the existing system and the way things work. The song critiques the way police handle situations and calls for an end to the killings of innocent people by law enforcement agents.
The first verse sets the tone for the song, "We jump 'round the ring, and we loosen your reigns, I heard the man was roamin' free, now he's livin' in chains." The lines talk about the way the system is set up to restrict freedom and the injustices faced by those who dare to go against it. The second verse speaks to the need for caution and vigilance in a society where there is no justice, "Well Shoeshine Brother thinks I'm so naive; lookin' at me thinkin' I got something hidden up my sleeve. No, Sirree, I'm cool as can be; I got no money, but I'm always feelin' free, free, free."
The chorus, "You can make it in this world without that blood on your bootheels," is a hopeful refrain that suggests that even in the face of oppression and violence, there is still the possibility of rising above it. The song is a call to action for people to take a stand against social injustice and fight for change.
Line by Line Meaning
We jump 'round the ring, and we loosen your reigns
We play by your rules, but we're not your puppets
I heard the man was roamin' free, now he's livin' in chains
The system punishes those who try to escape it
Woah wo, everywhere I got the world in tow,
no matter where I turn I got to carry its load.
The weight of the world is constantly on my shoulders and follows me everywhere
Well Shoeshine Brother thinks I'm so naive;
lookin' at me thinkin' I got something hidden up my sleeve.
No, Sirree, I'm cool as can be;
I got no money, but I'm always feelin' free, free, free.
People underestimate me, but I'm content with what I have and who I am
So what you think you're doin'; who do you think you are?
Drinkin' bottles of whiskey, smokin' Cuban cigars;
Think if you act like a man, you can alter this wheel;
You can make it in this world without that blood on your bootheels
Just because you act tough doesn't mean you can change the corrupt system without resorting to violence
Well get your head right, a-put your keys up on the table
while they polishin' their pistols,
and they're staring out the windows
Wonderin' who's a comin' down my gate,
hey, pick a side, Love, tie your boots up
and then get your ass in line.
Get in line and follow the rules or face the consequences
Well see them [swirlers got the bub?]
it's a wonder that they'll ever see the light of day,
with people like you walkin' on the street.
If police were policin' then I probably wouldn't
have to follow him every step of his feet.
The police don't do their job and innocent people suffer for it
They look me in the eye, and they look me in the face,
and they review my fate, say my name [raise your name?],
son grab your gun and run, ah, you got no appeal;
you can make it in this world without that blood on your bootheels.
The system is rigged against me and leaves me with no other choice but to fight back
I have a dream too; you think I ain't got dreams?
When I close my eyes and sleep, only thing I can believe in:
my religion I envision murderin' everything livin'
when I'm cookin' up my goddamn future in the kitchen.
My dreams are dark and violent because the world has been so harsh to me
What makes you all my favorite mess,
a vision of a blackened head bent over a fence;
took a beatin' to his head, forty bullets to his chest;
Now with one hand on the bible, claimed it was in self-defense.
The system allows those in power to get away with murder and justify it to themselves and others
I read all those books, yeah I seen all them films,
I bet you got a pretty degree up in your window sill.
Well leave me out of it; people like me don't live to feel
we can make it in this world without that blood on our bootheels.
I may not be educated, rich, or privileged like you, but I still deserve to live without resorting to violence
Contributed by Riley C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.