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Candy's Room Lyrics

In Candy's room there are pictures of her heroes on the wall
but to get to Candy's room you gotta walk the darkness of Candy's hall
Strangers from the city call my baby's number and they bring her toys
When I come knocking she smiles pretty she knows I wanna be Candy's boy
There's a sadness hidden in that pretty face
A sadness all her own from which no man can keep Candy safe

We kiss, my heart's rushes to my brain
The blood rushes in my veins fire rushes towards the sky
We go driving driving deep into the night
I go driving deep into the light in Candy's eyes

She says baby if you wanna be wild
you got a lot to learn, close your eyes
Let them melt, let them fire, let them burn
Cause in the darkness there'll be hidden worlds that shine
When I hold Candy close she makes these hidden worlds mine

She has fancy clothes and diamond rings
She has men who give her anything she wants but they don't see
That what she wants is me,
oh and I want her so
I'll never let her go, no no no
She knows that I'd give
all that I got to give
All that I want all that I live
to make Candy mine
Tonight
Song Info
Submitted by
oofus On Jun 05, 2004
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Cover art for Candy's Room lyrics by Bruce Springsteen

This is not a song about a prostitute, or a stripper. You have to look at where Springsteen was in his life when he was writing the Darkness album. The characters on this album are in their mid 20's. Bruce saw many of his characters still living at home, with their Dads. The girl in Racing in the Street sat on her daddys porch, The girl from Talk to Me sat with her daddy upstairs, the Preachers Daughter worked with her dad, and lived at home. Even the boys had an attachment to their parents, the singer in Promised Land worked at his Daddys garage, and of course Independence Day, written during Darkness is a goodbye to the singers dad. The album focuses on the point in your life where you are making that break to independence. The romantic days of being Born to Run, are giving way to manhood, responsibility, and a sense of settling down.

Bruce also saw himself as this guy that you wouldn't necessarily want to bring home to meet your folks. Long hair, playing rock and roll, and normally looking pretty scruffy probably didn't go over well with the folks in general. This isn't really related in this song, but look at the song with Bruces vision of himself in mind. Now Candy is probably young, good looking, and coming from a family with a bit of wealth. Much like the theme that was played out in the I'm on Fire video years later. Scruffy mechanic, pretty rich lady, and some cross class romance.

Candys Room has pictures of her heroes on it, because she is still living at home probably with movie posters or singers on her walls from her recent youth. Now the men calling her from the city are suitors, Candy is a pretty girl, and many men would like to be dating her. They will bring her things to try and convince her to go out with them, as men will do. There's a sadness in her pretty face, just like the girl from Racing in the Street, they are growing up, and the innocence, and freedom of youth is giving way to the realities of her life ahead.

They kiss, and go driving deep into the night, Candy likes riding with the bad boy, similar to the singer in Preachers daughter. The singer is a little more naive than Candy, and she is trying to show him that there is a better life waiting, and when he pulls her close he feels he has everything.

The final verse is just an affirmation of what we already knew, She has fancy clothes, and diamonds, because she comes from a more established family than the singer. She has men who would bring her anything to be in his position, but she wants the singer even though he can't give her those things. He affirms at the end that she knows while not much, he would give her all the things he has.

@chrisg19 I think that's sort of right. I think Candy has men who take care of her, give her fancy gifts, and the darkness is complicated and compromised life, and her sold-out soul. The protagonist likes to think she really prefers to be with him, and she clearly rocks his world. He's infatuated and obsessed.

@chrisg19 Chris you nailed it. Thanks for the interpretation. What an amazing song.

Cover art for Candy's Room lyrics by Bruce Springsteen

the song is as short as candy's relationships with men...amazing, explosive, and over just as quick as it starts...and then there's nothing...and is it just me, or is the wailing guitar at the very end just intoxicating?

Cover art for Candy's Room lyrics by Bruce Springsteen

The song is about a young, sexually inexperienced man who becomes infatuated with a high-end prostitute.

The song is told from the perspective of an unreliable narrator. His infatuation (and her performance) allows him to trick himself into believing that she is in love with him when he’s really just another of her punters.

For clues to her occupation, and our narrator’s relationship with her, look at the following lines:

“Strangers from the city, call my baby’s number and they bring her toys” -why are (multiple) strangers phoning her? Where are they getting her number? And why are they bringing her toys?

“She has fancy clothes and diamond rings / She has men who give her anything she wants” -Her fancy clothes and diamond rings are gifts from her ‘clients’ who are bringing her expensive gifts (and money) to pay for her time.

“To get to Candys room, you gotta walk the darkness of Candys hall” -why is a woman with expensive clothes and diamond rings living in a single room at the end of a dark hallway? Our narrator has to knock to enter.

“They don’t see / that what she wants is me” -he believes that she is equally infatuated with him.

“She knows that I’d give / all that I got to give, / All that I want, all that I live, / to make Candy mine / Tonight” -he’ll give all that he has to buy Candy’s time for one night. And - what’s more - she knows it. Everything that’s gone before with her seduction has been a sales pitch. Now that he’s infatuated, he’s just another punter bringing her money, expensive gifts and toys to be with her.

Song Meaning

@milominderbinder I think you have perfectly expressed it here my friend! This is always how I have interpreted these lyrics - with maybe one slight difference but I don't think it matters too much. In my interpretation, Candy is not necessarily high-end, but she's definitely experienced in getting what she wants from these 'strangers from the city', and as you say, the narrator just doesn't see it. Also, I detect an undertone of maybe she wants to escape this life she is trapped in (is she trapped? It's unclear, but that's the great mystery of this song that makes it brilliant) and...

Cover art for Candy's Room lyrics by Bruce Springsteen

i absolutely adore this song. i just wish it was a little longer.

Cover art for Candy's Room lyrics by Bruce Springsteen

about a stripper.

Cover art for Candy's Room lyrics by Bruce Springsteen

Such passion, such power - the song leaves you breathless - reminds me of pure lust

Cover art for Candy's Room lyrics by Bruce Springsteen

One can say this song is about a stripper, a prostitute or whatever, it doesn't really matter. It's a very emotional, physical song that tugs at different feelings to most of the album and Springsteen's catalogue. Whereas much of Darkness on the Edge of Town is about difficulty, this is about the delusions of lust.

The guitar solo is, along with the one in Incident on 57th Street, the best and most vital in his enormous collection, while the buildup is absolutely stunning. Compositionally this is a masterpiece.

Cover art for Candy's Room lyrics by Bruce Springsteen

Agreed - prostitute (to get to Candy's room...) - the driving beat of the drums is fantastic and works so well in the song. It wouldn't be right if the song were longer since the lust is short, powerful, concentrated, but ultimately short lived (she's not called "Candy" by coincidence). The ending is perfect - "All that I want all that I live to make Candy mine...(wait for it)...Tonight".

Cover art for Candy's Room lyrics by Bruce Springsteen

Agreed - prostitute (to get to Candy's room...) - the driving beat of the drums is fantastic and works so well in the song. It wouldn't be right if the song were longer since the lust is short, powerful, concentrated, but ultimately short lived (she's not called "Candy" by coincidence). The ending is perfect - "All that I want all that I live to make Candy mine...(wait for it)...Tonight".

Cover art for Candy's Room lyrics by Bruce Springsteen

Where do lyrics like " Let them melt, let them fire, let them burn" come from. So powerful, so delicious, so picturesque