Caroline
Pierre Lalonde Lyrics
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I say you were born up in the sky
You come floatin' down over New Orleans
To the sweet green levee on the river side
And your voice chirped like old squeaky shoes
And momma always said we had nothing to lose
And so we danced on the street corner
Oh Caroline
(Round) Caroline
Heartbroken hard times, they never got us down
Walkin' the same line through every single southern town
Hand in hand your arm round mine
Oh Caroline
Oh Caroline
(Round) Caroline
I seen it all change, watch it change some more
Seen hard times standin' right outside your door
Tell me gal what's on your mind
Oh Caroline
We were the Cardinals' biggest fans
Turnin' flips like Ozzy Smith all through the night
Til we got traded away
To the Red Clay Southern League up on the Georgia line
You be the pitcher and the catcher too
I'm the home run king before his muscles grew
Gonna knock the cover off this time
(Chorus)
These are different days
And the pace of the world has us thinking there's no time
To turn the other way
Take my hand and we'll walk on down the line
Though we may be a thousand miles apart
A brother and a sister have a single heart
And the beat don't stop for nothin'
(Chorus)
In Pierre Lalonde's song "Caroline," he describes his love for Caroline, whom he imagines was born in the sky and floated down over New Orleans to land on the river side. Her voice chirps like old squeaky shoes, and despite having nothing to lose, they dance together on the street corner. The chorus repeats Caroline's name as Lalonde declares his love and loyalty to her amidst hard times in southern towns.
The song is a reflection on their shared past, where they were the Cardinals' biggest fans and turned flips like Ozzy Smith all night. When they got traded away, they continued to play as Lalonde imagined himself as the home run king before his muscles grew. As the song progresses, Lalonde acknowledges different days and the pace of the world, but he still declares his love for Caroline, and they walk together down the line, even if they are thousands of miles apart.
Line by Line Meaning
They say you were born in St. Claire's hospital
Although what people say is you were born in St. Claire's hospital
I say you were born up in the sky
According to me, you were born up in the sky
You come floatin' down over New Orleans
Your arrival was such that it felt like you came floating down over New Orleans
To the sweet green levee on the river side
You arrived at the sweet green levee located on the river side
And your voice chirped like old squeaky shoes
Your voice had a chirpy sound like that of old, squeaky shoes
And momma always said we had nothing to lose
Our mother would always tell us that we had nothing to lose
And so we danced on the street corner
So, we would start dancing on the street corner
Oh Caroline Round Caroline Heartbroken hard times, they never got us down Walkin' the same line through every single southern town Hand in hand your arm round mine Oh Caroline
The chorus means that we've always stuck together and walked through tough times holding each other's arms in every southern town we visited.
I seen it all change, watch it change some more Seen hard times standin' right outside your door Tell me gal what's on your mind Oh Caroline
I have seen everything change, and it has kept changing. I've seen the hard times stand right outside your door, and I want you to tell me what's bothering you, my dear Caroline.
We were the Cardinals' biggest fans Turnin' flips like Ozzy Smith all through the night Til we got traded away To the Red Clay Southern League up on the Georgia line You be the pitcher and the catcher too I'm the home run king before his muscles grew Gonna knock the cover off this time
We were the Cardinals' most significant fans and would do stunts like Ozzy Smith all through the night but then got traded away. You'd be both the pitcher and catcher, and I'm the home run king before his muscles grew. Together we will knock the cover off this time!
These are different days And the pace of the world has us thinking there's no time To turn the other way Take my hand and we'll walk on down the line Though we may be a thousand miles apart A brother and a sister have a single heart And the beat don't stop for nothin'
These days are different, and the fast pace of the world makes us think that there is never enough time to turn around. Nonetheless, take my hand, and we will walk down the line together. Even though we might be miles apart, siblings have a single heart, and time never stops for anyone.
Contributed by Cole K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.