Carrying Cathy is meant to be a somber, depressing song. It is about a girl, possibly with a disability, who is slowly slipping into madness, even to suicide, told from a friend or boyfriend’s point of view, who’s mad he didn’t step in to help her, and was even embarrassed by her around his friends....
Her window was hung like a painting
She worried it might come to life
She
Stared for hours
So obsessed was I and self-absorbed that I
Didn't see that she was
Crying
[Chorus]
There was always someone carrying
There was always someone carrying
Always someone's carrying Cathy
There were times when I'd find myself saying that:
"Friends, you don't understand"
And she's different when it's just me and her, and I
Closed the door, and I tried to hang on, and she
Sank into the dark
I was over my head
[Chorus]
There was always someone carrying
There was always someone carrying
Always someone's carrying Cathy
We gave you everything
You could have been anything
We gave you everything
You could have done anything
But to imagine a fall
With no one at all to catch you
There'd always been someone
Then one night she climbed into the picture frame
Out in the frozen air
And out of sight
Woke up sad from this dream I've been having
The last couple nights or so
With her father and brothers we're all at the funeral
Carrying a box through the rain
Then somebody says that it's always been this way
[Chorus]
There was always someone carrying
There was always someone carrying
Always someone's carrying Cathy
Carrying Cathy was written by Ben Folds.
Carrying Cathy was produced by Ben Grosse & Ben Folds.
Ben Folds released Carrying Cathy on Tue Sep 11 2001.