Taylor Swift popped her head out of her hiatus to release a new song “Carolina” written for the soundtrack for the upcoming movie ‘Where The Crawdads Sing.’ The song has a haunting melody accompanied by equally deafening vocals by Taylor about the protagonist of the movie, Kya.
‘Where The Crawdads Sing‘ movie is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by the American author Delia Owens. The story follows the life and adventures of a young girl named Kya as she grows up isolated in the marsh of North Carolina between 1952 and 1969.
Taylor Swift shared some insights about the songwriting process of “Carolina”;
About a year & half ago I wrote a song about the story of a girl who always lived on the outside, looking in. Figuratively & literally. The juxtaposition of her loneliness & independence. Her curiosity & fear all tangled up. Her persisting gentleness & the world’s betrayal of it. I wrote this one alone in the middle of the night and then @AaronDessner and I meticulously worked on a sound that we felt would be authentic to the moment when this story takes place. I made a wish that one day you would hear it. ‘Carolina’ is out now 🥺
Listen to “Carolina” by Taylor Swift from ‘Where The Crawdads Sing’ Movie OST
Taylor Swift “Carolina” Lyrics Meaning and Song Review
The eerie vocals scream the protagonist’s connection with the land she was born and raised in.
Oh, Carolina creeks running through my veins
Lost I was born, lonesome I came
The girl from the novel has North Carolina running all through her veins. She was born and raised in the marshes of the county and that has been all her life. Every crook and cranny of the land is part of her life and her story.
Taylor Swift pays special attention to the lonesome that engulfed Kya’s life. As per the novel, Kya’s mother leaves her and her family when she was just six years old.
If her mother left her at such a tender age, she probably never knew the warmth of a family. Lonely she came to this world and lonesome shall she stay.
And you didn’t see me here
No, they never did see me here
Kya was a spec of dust in the vast and gloomy marshes of North Carolina state. No one really noticed her presence. She was not a moving force–she was barely the protagonist of her own story.
Blue as the life she fled
This line may hint at Kya finally gathering up the courage to leave the Carolina marshes behind. Blue is a color often associated with depression and stagnation (on a negative pane).
Taylor Swift’s ability to paint a picture with words only seems to keep getting sharper by the day. She brings in many atmospheric references such as ‘creeks,’ ‘mist,’ ‘clouds,’ ‘Caroline pines,’ ‘back roads,’ and ‘muddy webs,’ to paint the dull and gloomy marshlands of the state. This adds to the story she is trying to narrate about this little girl and her existence in this land.
In the outro of the song, Taylor Swift ties the song back to the novel;
That I was guilty as sin and sleep in a liar’s bed
In the novel, Kya is charged with the murder of her former lover Chase Andrews, whose body is found near Kya’s house. Carolina remembers all the truths and lies of her people. The people of Carolina marshes charged Kya guilty of murder because she was an outcast, to begin with. But the universe always knows the truth and remembers the lies.
Let us hear what you think about this song in the comments below. Check out the complete lyrics on Genius.