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1943 Lyrics by Tonya Pinkins, Capathia Jenkins, Tracy Nicole Chapman, Marva Hicks, Ramona Keller

Caroline, or Change (Original Broadway Cast Recording)

2004

[THE RADIO]
You give in to memories
[THE WASHING MACHINE]
1943 you marry
[CAROLINE]
Handsome boy, a navy man
He go off to fight Japan
[THE WASHING MACHINE]
You stay home
[CAROLINE]
Give birth to Larry
Then three years of lonely waiting
Fearful prayers
Anticipating
[THE WASHING MACHINE]
1945 the Navy
Send you home your handsome man
[THE RADIO]
Life is sunny, life is gravy
[CAROLINE]
Thank you, Jesus
Thank you, Navy
He is home now, every limb
Is beauty, lovely like a tree
Falling deep in love with him
[THE RADIO]
The handsome Navy man
Falling deep in love with him
Long and tall and sweet and slim
[CAROLINE]
Even now your hands can summon
[THE RADIO]
How his neck, his belly feel
Shoulders, what his breath was like
Hands burn then with happy fire
[CAROLINE]
Every inch of you
[CAROLINE & THE RADIO]
Desire
Longing sets your skin aflame
[CAROLINE]
Nurse the baby
Sing his name
[THE RADIO]
Sing his name!
Sing his name!
[THE WASHING MACHINE & THE RADIO]
Back in 1947
[CAROLINE]
Ain't no work for Negro men
[THE WASHING MACHINE]
You's both hanging on to heaven
[CAROLINE]
Emmie come
[THE WASHING MACHINE & THE RADIO]
Shipyard close
[CAROLINE]
'Mmonia factory almost hire him
[THE RADIO]
Only white mens in that union
[CAROLINE]
He get drunk, he scared, he angry
Feeling hopeless, I suppose
[THE WASHING MACHINE]
He hit you
[CAROLINE]
Just once
[THE WASHING MACHINE]
He break your nose
[CAROLINE]
Larry is a gentle baby
Emmie fussy, never sleeps
He get drunk
He broke my nose
[THE RADIO]
Even now your face can summon
[CAROLINE]
What his punch feel like, the pain
[THE RADIO]
Pain is white
Remember pain?
Pain is white
That is its color
Bright as sunshine
Nighttime follow
Bitterness you drink and swallow
[CAROLINE]
God, whose eye is on the sparrow
Please make Emmie go to bed
Folk'll stare tomorrow
Jesus, please fix up my swollen head
Please, a job so he stop drinking
Please, he don't like digging sewers
[THE WASHING MACHINE]
No one likes that diggin' sewers
[CAROLINE]
Please give me a mop and bucket
Please, a white folks' house to tend
Please, some money, feed my babies
Choke his throat when he drink liquor
Make my sis help with my babies
Let him see
He mess with me
After I have spent the day
Putting white folks' clothes away
Tell him God, if he ever
Ever
Ever hit me again
[THE RADIO]
Larry, Emmie, Jackie, Joe
[THE WASHING MACHINE]
Other men find work
[CAROLINE, spoken]
He don't
[THE RADIO]
Change come fast and change come slow
[THE WASHING MACHINE]
Other men leave drink
[CAROLINE, spoken]
He can't
[THE WASHING MACHINE]
Ahead of time you're gettin' old
Care beatin' down on you
Then one day
[CAROLINE & THE WASHING MACHINE]
Then one day
[CAROLINE]
One bad day
He hit again
[THE WASHING MACHINE]
You beat him black and blue
Then he disappear from view
[THE RADIO]
And even now
[CAROLINE & THE RADIO]
Your hand can summon
[CAROLINE]
What it like to beat his face in
What his back feel like, his kiss
[THE WASHING MACHINE]
Even now, your scar hand miss
[CAROLINE]
The handsome boy, the Navy man
[CAROLINE, THE WASHING MACHINE & THE RADIO]
Sorrow bleed you
[CAROLINE]
Where is he?
[THE WASHING MACHINE & THE RADIO, CAROLINE]
You are sixteen (Where is he?)
Sixteen
Sixteen (Where is he?)
Sixteen
Sixteen
[ROSE]
Caroline

About “1943” by Tonya Pinkins

Read the complete lyrics to "1943" by Tonya Pinkins, Capathia Jenkins, Tracy Nicole Chapman, Marva Hicks, Ramona Keller from the album "Caroline, or Change (Original Broadway Cast Recording)" in 2004. On Lyrks you can follow along with the full text, explore the artist's discography, and discover related songs. The track is often categorized under Broadway, Musicals, Pop.

"1943" is performed by Tonya Pinkins, Capathia Jenkins, Tracy Nicole Chapman, Marva Hicks, Ramona Keller. from the album "Caroline, or Change (Original Broadway Cast Recording)" in 2004 This page provides the full lyric text for fans who want to sing along, study the songwriting, or compare versions across releases. Lyrks organizes lyrics by artist and song slug so you can bookmark and share a stable URL. Music lyrics help listeners connect with emotion, narrative, and rhythm in a track. Whether you are learning English, researching a favorite chorus, or preparing for karaoke, having accurate line breaks and section labels (verse, chorus, bridge) makes the experience easier. We link to the official artist profile on Lyrks where available, including biography snippets, top songs, and chart placements when we have that data. If you enjoy "1943", explore more songs by Tonya Pinkins, Capathia Jenkins, Tracy Nicole Chapman, Marva Hicks, Ramona Keller using the links below. Chart and trending pages on Lyrks highlight what listeners are searching for this week. For copyright or correction requests, see our DMCA and contact pages.

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Frequently asked questions

"1943" is credited to Tonya Pinkins, Capathia Jenkins, Tracy Nicole Chapman, Marva Hicks, Ramona Keller. Songwriting credits may include additional writers listed on the release; check the credits section on this page for linked collaborators.

"1943" appears on "Caroline, or Change (Original Broadway Cast Recording)" in 2004.

Visit the Tonya Pinkins, Capathia Jenkins, Tracy Nicole Chapman, Marva Hicks, Ramona Keller artist page at /artist/tonya-pinkins for biography, popular tracks, and links to more lyric pages.