Well now candyman, I said been here and gone
Well candyman, I said been here and gone
Well, candyman I said been here and gone
Wish I was in New Orleans just sittin' on a candy stand

Well now candyman I said salty dog
Well candyman I cried salty dog
Well candyman I said salty dog
I can't be your salty dog and I won't be your candyman

Well now run to the corner get the baby some beer
I said run a to the corner get the baby some beer
Well run a to the corner get the baby some beer, said
Run to the corner get the baby some beer
Now run a to the corner get the baby some beer
Said wish I was in New Orleans I was sittin' on a candy stand

Well now candyman I said been here and gone
Candyman I said been here and gone
Well candyman he been here and gone
Wish I was in New Orleans yeah sittin' on a candy stand


Lyrics submitted by Shep420

Candyman song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

3 Comments

sort form View by:
  • 0
    General Comment

    This is from the Hot Tuna: Live at the New Orleans House album.

    From what I've heard about blues lingo, salty dog means horny man. Candyman is of course someone who treats his girl with the bread he brings home, and it takes a lot of guts to admit you are a candyman and then nonetheless break up a relationship over it, but it couldnt have been put more beautifully than this song.

    "Candyman, been here and gone" reads like the markings on the tombstone of this relationship, which has him whipped running to the corner to "get the baby some beer". I think the repetition of "running" is on par with how we wishes he was just "sitting" on his candy stand, which may mean the wallet in his back pocket.

    Shep420on July 14, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    It's usually sung "Run & get the bucket, get the baby some beer"

    SocietysPlierson August 22, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I meant ORIGINALLY sung as ^^^^

    Same reference as Hank Williams' 'My Buckets's Got A Hole In it (I Can't Buy No Beer).' One used to have to bring your bucket to the tavern to have thm fill it with your beer for the evening. You din't go out and get a case.

    SocietysPlierson August 22, 2008   Link

Add your thoughts

Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.

Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!

More Featured Meanings

Album art
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve. The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future. Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere" The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
Album art
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988. "'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it." "There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
Album art
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.
Album art
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
Album art
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it. “I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.