The similarity is still striking; in both songs, the male narrator questions a woman (his girlfriend/wife), about where she has been sleeping/going the previous night. But I guess that's a common motif. One interesting difference that in the case of "In The Pines", the woman answers the questions, while in "Caroline" we don't know how she answers; we only get one side- the narrator's. I wonder whether we are meant to interpret her silence as guilt, and also how it would sound done as a conversation number, with some added verses from her perspective. Although I'm sure that could be done, I don't have any ideas :(. Anyone want to comment on that possibility? Talking of added verses, six posts up I posted a new verse I'd written for the song. I don't think it's that good now :(.