Before beginning his solo career, Fulks joined the Bluegrass band Special Consensus. Here he showcased his unique guitar playing, and appeared on the Grammy-nominated album "Hole In My Heart" released in 1989. Fulks' solo debut, "Country Love Songs" was released on Bloodshot Records in 1996 to positive reviews. This album was followed by 1997's South Mouth, which cemented Fulks' retro-alternative image.
As fans had grown used to Bloodshot's rough and sparse sound, many were shocked by the release of Fulks' third album, 1998's "Let's Kill Saturday Night," on Geffen Records. When Geffen disbanded shortly after the release of the record, Fulks found himself without a label, and did the logical thing, starting his own company, Boondoggle Records (distributed by Bloodshot), and releasing an album of previously unreleased material called "The Very Best of Robbie Fulks."
2001 saw the release of both "Couples in Trouble," a dark, brooding, and decidedly non-country album, and, just 3 months later, "13 Hillbilly Giants," a collection of covers of classic country numbers both obscure and well known.
Fulks would not release another album until 2005, when the release of "Georgia Hard" showed a return to his county roots. He also gained attention for a novelty single he wrote called "Fountains of Wayne Hotline," in which he imagined the power pop band Fountains of Wayne as having a hotline which struggling songwriters could call for help with their song structure.
Caroline
Robbie Fulks Lyrics
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On blindly through the rain
She likes to think she's turning wise
No one can tell her how
But she crashes every time she flies
Don't lay a hand on her
She can undress herself
Eyes steady and bloodless
Burning the torch at her own auto-da-fe
Caroline, she's running through the window
Caroline, she's crawling on the ground
Caroline, all the words in the whole world
Will never work now
Let her smile and cast you off
Like a skin she's worn too long
The past only changes in her mind
She blazed like a candle
But she's gone, with the smoke, straight out of time
Caroline, she's creeping on the ceiling
Caroline, she's crying out loud
Caroline, all the words in the whole world
Will never work now
Caroline, she's running through the window
Caroline, she's crawling on the ground
Caroline, all the words in the whole world
Will never work now
The song Caroline by Robbie Fulks is a reflective piece about a woman named Caroline. The lyrics imply that Caroline is someone who prefers to walk alone in the rain because she believes it makes her wiser. The singer tells us that nobody can tell her how to live her life, but she crashes every time she takes flight. He then goes on to say that Caroline ‘can undress herself’, meaning that she doesn't need anyone else to help her out of her problems, even if she's a thousand miles away. She is steady and bloodless - burning the torch at her own auto-da-fe.
The chorus implies that Caroline is troubled and changing uncontrollably, as the singer repeatedly sings, ‘all the words in the whole world will never work now’. This lyric is reminiscent of the old phrase ‘actions speak louder than words’ - no matter how much others speak or try to help Caroline, she won't change unless she decides to do so. Caroline is portrayed as someone who’s been hurt in the past, and the pain she carries within herself cannot be remedied by words alone. Despite this, the singer advises to let her smile and cast you off like a skin she's worn too long. In other words, they suggest to accept Caroline for who she is because she cannot change her past, which may be the root cause of her current struggles.
Line by Line Meaning
Just let her walk alone
On blindly through the rain
She likes to think she's turning wise
No one can tell her how
But she crashes every time she flies
She wants to be independent and figure things out on her own, but she keeps making the same mistakes.
Don't lay a hand on her
She can undress herself
Even when she's a thousand miles away
Eyes steady and bloodless
Burning the torch at her own auto-da-fe
She's fiercely independent and doesn't need anyone's help, even if she's far away. She's willing to face her own trials and doesn't shy away from them.
Let her smile and cast you off
Like a skin she's worn too long
The past only changes in her mind
She blazed like a candle
But she's gone, with the smoke, straight out of time
She's moved on from the past and doesn't dwell on it. Her personality can burn hot like a candle, leaving a strong impression, but she's always moving forward and changing.
Caroline, she's running through the window
Caroline, she's crawling on the ground
Caroline, all the words in the whole world
Will never work now
Caroline is unpredictable and wild, impossible to control or predict. Any attempt to reason with her or change her mind is futile.
Caroline, she's creeping on the ceiling
Caroline, she's crying out loud
Caroline, all the words in the whole world
Will never work now
Caroline is unstable and emotional, unable to be contained or tamed. She won't listen to reason or attempts to calm her down.
Caroline, she's running through the window
Caroline, she's crawling on the ground
Caroline, all the words in the whole world
Will never work now
Caroline is constantly moving and changing, always out of reach or understanding. Nothing anyone says or does can change that.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: ROBERT WILLIAMS FULKS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind