Caroline
The Dirty Nil Lyrics

The Dirty Nil's "Caroline" is a song about a lover who has done wrong and feels the weight of their guilt. The opening lines depict a sense of hopelessness and despair, as if the singer felt they were doomed to a life in darkness. However, the arrival of their lover, Caroline, gave them a sense of light and hope. Despite this, the singer acknowledges that they have done wrong and feels stained with shame. The line "Just as wilts all flowers, time makes sweet things sour" suggests that their wrongdoings have affected the relationship and that time has not been kind to it.

The chorus repeats the line "But I know that lovers are lions, untamed/But I know that lovers and lions live caged." This could be interpreted in a few different ways. It could mean that the singer feels confined by societal expectations of how they should behave in a relationship, either as a "tamed" lover or as a "caged" lion. Alternatively, it could suggest that they are aware of the intensity of their love for Caroline, which is wild and untamed like a lion, but that they fear that this passion could be stifled or caged in some way.

The final lines of the song reflect on the power of Caroline's presence: "My song is far from cleansing redemption/But your fiery night burned all in sight." While the singer's feelings of guilt are not instantly absolved, Caroline has a profound effect on them and is described as having a fiery presence that burns away all the darkness. The song ends with a repetition of the line "Caroline I've done wrong" suggesting that the singer is still grappling with their guilt but is hopeful that their love for Caroline will help them overcome it.