A D
Where it began I can’t begin ^to know it
A E
But then I know it’s going strong
A D
Was in the spring, and spring became a summer
A E
Who’d have believe you’d come along
A F#m
Hands washing hands
E D E
Reaching out don't touch me, I won't touch you
A D (D,A,D) E
Sweet Caroline Good times never seemed so good
A D (D,A,D) E
I'd be inclined to believe there never would
D C#m Bm
But now I’m
A D
Look at the night and it don’t seem so lonely
A E
We fill it up with only two
A D
And when I hurt Hurting runs off my shoulder
A E
How can I hurt when holding you
A F#m
Hands washing hands
E D E
Reaching out don't touch me, I won't touch you
A D (D,A,D) E
Sweet Caroline Good times never seemed so good
A D (D,A,D) E
I'd be inclined to believe there never would
D C#m Bm
Oh no no
[Instrumental] E E E E
A D (D,A,D) E
Sweet Caroline Good times never seemed so good
Sweet Caroline I believe they never could 2x
********************************************************
The song reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart the week ending August 16, 1969.
In a 2007 interview, Diamond stated the inspiration for his song was John F. Kennedy's daughter, Caroline, who was eleven years old at the time it was released. Diamond sang the song to her at her 50th birthday celebration in 2007. However, in 2014 Diamond said the song was about his then-wife Marcia, but he needed a three-syllable name to fit the melody. In 2019, \"Sweet Caroline\" was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry for being \"culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant\".
During the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic, Diamond changed some of the lyrics to \"Hands ... washing hands ... don't touch me ... I won't touch you.
