Sweet Caroline Lyrics

[Verse 1]
Where it began
I can't begin to know when
But then I know it's growin' strong
Was in the spring
And spring became the summer
Who'd have believed you'd come along?

[Pre-Chorus]
Hands, touchin' hands
Reachin' out, touchin' me, touchin' you

[Chorus]
Sweet Caroline
Good times never seemed so good
I've been inclined
To believe they never would

But now I…

[Verse 2]
Look at the night
And it don't seem so lonely
We fill it up with only two
And when I hurt
Hurtin' runs off my shoulders
How can I hurt when holdin' you?
[Pre-Chorus]
One, touchin' one
Reachin' out, touchin' me, touchin' you

[Chorus]
Sweet Caroline
Good times never seemed so good
I've been inclined
To believe they never would
Oh no, no

[Instrumental Break]

[Outro]
Sweet Caroline
Good times never seemed so good
Sweet Caroline
I believe they never could
Sweet Caroline
Good times never seemed so good

How to Format Lyrics:

  • Type out all lyrics, even repeating song parts like the chorus
  • Lyrics should be broken down into individual lines
  • Use section headers above different song parts like [Verse], [Chorus], etc.
  • Use italics (<i>lyric</i>) and bold (<b>lyric</b>) to distinguish between different vocalists in the same song part
  • If you don’t understand a lyric, use [?]

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About

Genius Annotation

“Sweet Caroline” was inspired by a photograph of the then-9-year-old Caroline Kennedy. The lyrics were written a few years later about Diamond’s then-wife Marsha.

In 1969, the song peaked at #4 in the US and #3 in Canada. Two years later, it reached the top 40 in three European countries including a #8 peak in the UK.

Playing “Sweet Caroline” in the middle of the eighth inning at Boston Red Sox home games has become a tradition, especially the chorus to which many in attendance sing along. It began when the Fenway Park music director at the time Amy Toobey began playing the song over the loudspeakers in 1998. The tradition was continued by her replacement Megan Kaiser. From NPR:

I spoke to a woman named Amy Toobey, who had been the music director before Megan Kaiser. It was Amy who started playing “Sweet Caroline.” The reason: She just liked the song. That’s it.

“Sweet Caroline” was also used as the theme song for the short-lived daytime variety show The Caroline Rhea Show (which replaced the long-running The Rosie O'Donnell Show).

Neil Diamond always dreamed of performing the song for Caroline, which he did on her 50th birthday!

Q&A

Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning

What are the words that the audience yells out in between lyrics?
Genius Answer

As this NPR article points out, the audience yells, “So good! So good! So good!”

What did Neil Diamond say about "Sweet Caroline"?
Genius Answer

Diamond told Associated Press in 2007 his inspiration for the song:

It was a picture of a little girl dressed to the nines in her riding gear, next to her pony. It was such an innocent, wonderful picture, I immediately felt there was a song in there … I’ve never discussed it with anybody before – intentionally. I thought maybe I would tell it to Caroline when I met her someday. I’m happy to have gotten it off my chest and to have expressed it to Caroline (at her 50th birthday party). I thought she might be embarrassed, but she seemed to be struck by it and really, really happy.

Tommy Cogbill, who played bass on the song, shared that originally Diamond originally wasn’t pleased with how the song turned out in the studio:

Neil didn’t like the song at all. I actually remember him not liking it and not wanting it to be a single.

What is the song about
Genius Answer

The song was inspired by a photograph of the then-9-year-old Caroline Kennedy. The lyrics were written years later about Diamond’s then-wife Marsha.

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