Caroline Says II

Track 26 on Between Thought and Expression: Selected Lyrics of Lou Reed (1991)

Producer

“Caroline Says II” is from the 1973 album Berlin (which also contains “Caroline Says I”). It is a re-write of “Stephanie Says”, which Reed recorded with The Velvet… Read More

Jul. 1, 19731 viewer23.2K views

Caroline Says II Lyrics

[Verse 1]
Caroline says
As she gets up off the floor
"Why is it that you beat me?
It isn't any fun"
Caroline says
As she makes up her eyes
"You ought to learn more about yourself
Think more than just I"

[Chorus]
But she's not afraid to die
All of her friends call her "Alaska"
When she takes speed, they laugh and ask her
What is in her mind
What is in her mind

[Verse 2]
Caroline says
As she gets up from the floor
"You can hit me all you want to
But I don't love you anymore"
Caroline says
While biting her lip
"Life is meant to be more than this
And this is a bum trip"

[Chorus]
But she's not afraid to die
All her friends call her "Alaska"
When she takes speed, they laugh and ask her
What is in her mind
What is in her mind

[Outro]
She put her fist through the window pane
It was such a funny feeling
It's so cold in Alaska
It's so cold in Alaska
It's so cold in Alaska

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Genius Annotation

“Caroline Says II” is from the 1973 album Berlin (which also contains “Caroline Says I”). It is a re-write of “Stephanie Says”, which Reed recorded with The Velvet Underground.

The song is about the album’s female protagonist and her disintegrating relationship with the album’s male protagonist Jim. Things get worse for Caroline in the album’s next two songs “Kids” and “The Bed.”