In the mid 1970s, Chapin focused on social activism, including raising money to combat hunger in the United States and co-founding the organization World Hunger Year, before returning to music with On the Road to Kingdom Come. He also released a book of poetry, Looking...Seeing, in 1977.
His fellow Long Islanders loved him for his support of local artists, as well. He and his wife Sandy raised funds for the Performing Arts Foundation, a now-defunct local theatre group. They also supported the Long Island Ballet. The band shell at Huntington's Hecksher Park is named for Harry Chapin.
Chapin died on July 16, 1981 in an automobile accident on the Long Island Expressway at the age of 38. He was headed west from Huntington Bay, where he lived with his wife and three children, to perform a concert in Eisenhower Park in Nassau County when his car was struck by a truck. An autopsy showed that he had suffered a heart attack, but it could not be determined whether that occurred before or after the collision. Supermarkets General, the owner of the truck, paid $12 million in the ensuing litigation.
Caroline
Harry Chapin Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Comes from the rain
Glistening and shivering
She laughs as she shakes off the weather
Caroline
Whispers her words
Saying she'll always love me
At least when we are together
Starts closing in
Surrounding the spot
Where watching in wonder I stand
Caroline
She's shedding her rings
Her bracelets and stockings
And placing her skin still moist in the palm of my hand
You're pressing she smiles
It's too soon to ask
For me to cast off my cover
You assume that I'm caught
Up there in your head
So now I must go to my lover.
Her world is such a sudden place
A minute flashed before my face
To fly to feel to fall from grace
Oh Caroline I'm leaning, careening
This bubble that I choose to chase
Keeps breaking on the brink of space
Just as I'm about to taste
It's meaning Caroline
Caroline
Comes from the full moon
Trembling and grieving
Afraid of the march of the seasons
Caroline
You're too young to be running
Too old to be lying
Too wise not to see all the reasons
Caroline
Hangs her cape and her jeans
And surrenders her tears
To christen my pillow with sorrow
Caroline
She remains after times
To explain what she means, she speaks of today
More than she dreams of tomorrow
She says Never has life
Been so full of the urge
To let go of the night and believe
She collects all her things
While she's still of a mind
So soft it's like breathing she leaves.
The song 'Caroline' by Harry Chapin tells the story of Caroline, a mysterious and enigmatic woman who comes and goes as she pleases, leaving those who encounter her in a state of confusion and bewilderment. Caroline is presented as a free spirit, untouched by the constraints of society, who lives life on her own terms. She appears from the rain, surrounded by an air of mystique, and whispers words of love that are never fully realized.
The lyrics describe Caroline shedding her possessions, both material and emotional, and placing "her skin still moist in the palm of my hand" - a vivid image of intimacy and vulnerability. However, despite this closeness, the singer is unable to fully understand or possess Caroline. She refuses to be categorized or controlled, preferring to remain a mystery. The singer is left feeling lost and uncertain, struggling to comprehend her complex nature, as she disappears into the night with her lover.
Overall, 'Caroline' speaks to the ephemeral and elusive nature of life, and the way in which we are all searching for meaning and understanding in a world that is constantly changing and slipping away from us.
Line by Line Meaning
Caroline
The subject of the song, a woman named Caroline
Comes from the rain
She arrives in the midst of a downpour
Glistening and shivering
Caroline is wet and cold
She laughs as she shakes off the weather
She finds humor in her predicament and shakes the rain off her clothes
Whispers her words
She speaks softly and intimately
Saying she'll always love me
Caroline professes her love to the singer
At least when we are together
Their love may only exist in each other's presence
Starts closing in
Caroline begins to approach the artist
Surrounding the spot
She encircles the artist
Where watching in wonder I stand
The artist watches her in amazement
She's shedding her rings
Caroline is removing her jewelry
Her bracelets and stockings
She takes off her bracelets and stockings
And placing her skin still moist in the palm of my hand
She puts her damp skin in the singer's hand
You're pressing she smiles
The singer is asking for more than Caroline is willing to give
It's too soon to ask
She believes that the singer is moving too quickly
For me to cast off my cover
She is not yet ready to expose herself completely
You assume that I'm caught
The artist thinks he knows Caroline better than he does
Up there in your head
The singer's perception of Caroline is only in his mind
So now I must go to my lover.
Caroline is leaving to be with her true love
Her world is such a sudden place
Caroline's life is constantly changing
A minute flashed before my face
Time seems to move quickly
To fly to feel to fall from grace
Living life is a risky and sometimes painful endeavor
Oh Caroline I'm leaning, careening
The singer is unstable and unsteady around Caroline
This bubble that I choose to chase
The artist is pursuing something ephemeral
Keeps breaking on the brink of space
His quest is constantly thwarted
Just as I'm about to taste
He is always on the cusp of success
It's meaning Caroline
The meaning is always just out of reach
Comes from the full moon
Caroline appears when the moon is at its fullest
Trembling and grieving
She is distressed and in mourning
Afraid of the march of the seasons
Caroline is afraid of the passage of time and its effects
You're too young to be running
The singer thinks that Caroline is too young to be acting so recklessly
Too old to be lying
She's been around long enough to know better
Too wise not to see all the reasons
She is astute and perceptive
Hangs her cape and her jeans
Caroline removes her outer garments
And surrenders her tears
She cries openly and without shame
To christen my pillow with sorrow
She cries into the artist's pillow
She remains after times
Caroline endures throughout the ages
To explain what she means
Her message is still relevant
She speaks of today
Caroline urges us to live in the moment
More than she dreams of tomorrow
She values living in the present over dreaming of the future
She says Never has life
Caroline declares that life has never been better
Been so full of the urge
She feels an intense desire to live life to the fullest
To let go of the night and believe
She is ready to overcome her pain and believe in a brighter future
She collects all her things
Caroline gathers her belongings
While she's still of a mind
She is still rational and understands her situation
So soft it's like breathing she leaves.
She departs gently and with grace
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: HARRY F. CHAPIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
sling3shot
God rest his soul.......this is my favorite harry song.Thanks for posting.
Tiny Dancer
Always made me wish my name was Caroline :-) If I had a nickel for every dime store cowboy that serenaded me with "Help Me, Rhonda" over the years, why I'd have at least a buck! For all you lucky Carolines out there.
Frank M. Giallombardo
So Harry did Caroline, and James Taylor did Carolina.
Tiny Dancer
@Sheri451 We oughta start a club for all us wannabe Carolines ;-) Found another good one with your name, though, check out "Mon Cheri" by The Georgia Satellites, if you haven't already, there's one copy here on YT. Nowhere near as lovely as this song, but at least your future lovers have another choice, lol!
Caroline Higgins
I am the Caroline he sang about.......
Tiny Dancer
@Caroline Higgins If so, you're a very lucky lady to have such a beautiful song written for you by such a beautiful soul.