Oh Caroline – English Lyrics

• By: The 1975
• Album: Being Funny In a Foreign Language

Lyrics & Translation

[English]

(distant clattering)

(man sipping loudly)

(man swallowing)

(footsteps echoing)

(upbeat music)

♪ I've been suicidal ♪

♪ You've been gone for weeks ♪

♪ If I'm undecided ♪

♪ Will you decide for me ♪

♪ Baby, I'll do anything that you want to ♪

♪ I'll try anything that you want to, I'll try ♪

♪ 'Cause you're on my mind ♪

♪ Oh, Caroline ♪

♪ I want to get it right this time ♪

♪ 'Cause you're always on my mind ♪

♪ Oh, Caroline ♪

♪ Getting suicidal ♪

♪ It's honestly not for me ♪

♪ I'm gettin' on my nerves ♪

♪ By gettin' on my knees ♪

♪ Getting cucked, I don't need it ♪

♪ The place I want to be ♪

♪ Is somewhere in your heart ♪

♪ Somewhere guaranteed ♪

♪ 'Cause baby, I'll do anything that you want to ♪

♪ I'll try anything that you want to ♪

♪ I'll find myself in the moonlight ♪

♪ 'Cause baby, I want everything that you want to ♪

♪ And I've tried to just be me like a thousand times ♪

♪ But you're on my mind ♪

♪ Oh, Caroline ♪

♪ I want to get it right this time ♪

♪ 'Cause you're always on my mind ♪

♪ Oh, Caroline ♪

♪ Oh, I've tried to find ♪

♪ Another name a thousand times ♪

♪ But the only one that rhymes, always on my mind ♪

♪ Is oh, Caroline ♪

♪ Just give me one more chance tonight ♪

♪ 'Cause I don't want to waste my life without you, baby ♪

♪ No, I don't want to waste my life without you, baby ♪

♪ Oh, Caroline ♪

♪ Get it right this time ♪

♪ Always on my mind ♪

♪ I want to get it right ♪

♪ But you're on my mind ♪

♪ Oh, Caroline ♪

♪ I want to get it right this time ♪

♪ 'Cause you're always on my mind ♪

♪ Oh, Caroline ♪

(men laughing)

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
mind /maɪnd/ B1	noun - the part of a person that thinks, feels, and perceives
Caroline /kəˈriːlɪn/ A2	proper noun - female given name
time /taɪm/ A1	noun - a measured period during which events occur
right /raɪt/ A2	adjective - correct or true
want /wɒnt/ A1	verb - to desire or wish for something
get /ɡɛt/ A1	verb - to obtain or receive
try /traɪ/ A1	verb - to attempt or make an effort
waste /weɪst/ B1	verb - to use carelessly or squander
life /laɪf/ A1	noun - the existence of an individual living being
heart /hɑːt/ A2	noun - the organ that pumps blood; also the centre of emotions
place /pleɪs/ A1	noun - a particular position or area
find /faɪnd/ A2	verb - to discover or locate something
give /ɡɪv/ A1	verb - to hand over or provide
chance /tʃæns/ B1	noun - an opportunity or possibility
suicidal /suːˈɪsɪdəl/ C1	adjective - relating to a desire to end one’s own life
decide /dɪˈsaɪd/ B2	verb - to make a choice or come to a conclusion
need /niːd/ A1	verb - to require or be necessary
thousand /ˈθaʊzənd/ A2	adjective - the number 1,000
night /naɪt/ A1	noun - the period of darkness between sunset and sunrise
laugh /læf/ A1	verb - to express mirth with vocal sounds

Key Grammar Structures

• ♪ I've been suicidal ♪

  ➔ Present Perfect

  ➔ The 'Present Perfect' ('I've been') is used to describe an action or state that began in the past and continues to the present, or has a connection to the present. Here, it indicates a state of feeling that has persisted up to now.

• ♪ If I'm undecided ♪ ♪ Will you decide for me ♪

  ➔ First Conditional

  ➔ The 'First Conditional' expresses a real or very probable situation in the future. The 'if' clause uses the present simple ('If I'm undecided'), and the main clause uses 'will' + base verb ('Will you decide').

• ♪ I'll do anything that you want to ♪

  ➔ Defining Relative Clause

  ➔ The clause "that you want to" is a 'defining relative clause' modifying "anything". It provides essential information about what "anything" refers to. The relative pronoun "that" can often be omitted when it's the object of the relative clause.

• ♪ I want to get it right this time ♪

  ➔ Verb + Infinitive

  ➔ Many verbs, like "want," are followed by an 'infinitive' ('to get') to express a desire, intention, or plan. This structure is common for expressing what someone wishes to do.

• ♪ Getting suicidal ♪ ♪ It's honestly not for me ♪

  ➔ Gerund as Subject

  ➔ A 'gerund' (verb + -ing) can function as the subject of a sentence, referring to an activity or concept. Here, "Getting suicidal" acts as the noun phrase subject, meaning 'the act of becoming suicidal'.

• ♪ By gettin' on my knees ♪

  ➔ Preposition + Gerund

  ➔ After prepositions like "by," verbs are typically used in their 'gerund' (-ing) form. "By" indicates the method or means, and "gittin'" (getting) is the gerund, describing how the action is performed.

• ♪ The place I want to be ♪

  ➔ Relative Clause with Omitted Pronoun + Infinitive

  ➔ This is a 'relative clause' where the relative pronoun (e.g., "that" or "where") is omitted because it acts as the object of the clause or refers to a place. "I want to be" describes "the place". The 'infinitive' "to be" expresses a desired state or location.

• ♪ I'll find myself in the moonlight ♪

  ➔ Reflexive Pronoun

  ➔ A 'reflexive pronoun' ("myself") is used when the subject ("I") and the object of a verb are the same person or thing. It indicates that the action of the verb reflects back on the subject.

• ♪ And I've tried to just be me like a thousand times ♪

  ➔ Present Perfect + Infinitive + Hyperbole/Simile

  ➔ "I've tried" is the 'Present Perfect', indicating repeated attempts up to now. It's followed by the 'infinitive' "to be" to express the purpose of the trying. "like a thousand times" is a 'hyperbole' (exaggeration) or a 'simile' (comparison) indicating a very large, possibly countless, number of attempts.

• ♪ Cause I don't want to waste my life without you, baby ♪

  ➔ Verb + Infinitive + Prepositional Phrase

  ➔ "Don't want" is followed by the 'infinitive' "to waste" to express an undesired action. "without you" is a 'prepositional phrase' showing absence or lack of someone, modifying how life would be wasted.