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Candyman Lyrics
Come all you pretty women
with your hair hanging down
Open up your windows 'cause
the Candyman's in town
Come on boys and gamble
Roll those laughing bones
Seven come eleven boys
I'll take your money home
Look out
Look out
The Candyman
Here he come
and he's gone again
Pretty lady ain't
got no friend
till the Candyman
come round again
I come in from Memphis
where I learned to talk the jive
When I get back to Memphis
be one less man alive
Good Mornin Mr. Benson
I see you're doin well
If I had me a shotgun
I'd blow you straight to Hell
Look out
Look out
The Candyman
Here he come
and he's gone again
Pretty lady ain't
got no friend
till the Candyman
come round again
Come on boys and wager
if you have got the mind
If you got a dollar boys
lay it on the line
Hand me my old guitar
Pass the whiskey round
Want you to tell everybody you meet
the Candyman's in town
Look out
Look out
The Candyman
Here he come
and he's gone again
Pretty lady ain't
got no friend
till the Candyman
come round again
with your hair hanging down
Open up your windows 'cause
the Candyman's in town
Come on boys and gamble
Roll those laughing bones
Seven come eleven boys
I'll take your money home
Look out
The Candyman
Here he come
and he's gone again
Pretty lady ain't
got no friend
till the Candyman
come round again
where I learned to talk the jive
When I get back to Memphis
be one less man alive
Good Mornin Mr. Benson
I see you're doin well
If I had me a shotgun
I'd blow you straight to Hell
Look out
The Candyman
Here he come
and he's gone again
Pretty lady ain't
got no friend
till the Candyman
come round again
if you have got the mind
If you got a dollar boys
lay it on the line
Hand me my old guitar
Pass the whiskey round
Want you to tell everybody you meet
the Candyman's in town
Look out
The Candyman
Here he come
and he's gone again
Pretty lady ain't
got no friend
till the Candyman
come round again
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I remember seeing/hearing an interview w/ Jerry from way back where he said something to the effect that, most of his songs (written with Robt Hunter) are not about specific events from his life, but Candyman was an exception (there are others, certainly, New Speedway Boogie comes to mind). He also said, or hinted, that Candyman is NOT about a drug dealer. Rather, the Candyman is a guy who screws around with other guys' girlfriends/wives - a dirty rounder, if you will.
I've always listened to the song w/ that interpretation in mind. It makes sense. The first verse is from the Candyman/Casanova standpoint. A guy doesn't have to come in through the window to see his own girlfriend/wife, does he? The second verse, I think, is of the cuckold - the man whose girl banged the Candyman behind his back. Makes sense, he wants to blow the guy's head off. Third verse, we're back to the Candyman's viewpoint. Not sure how the gambling references fit in, (but Hunter loved him some gambling references in his songs, didn't he?). The last verse may just show the Candyman to be an arrogant braggart (most philanderers have monster egos). Maybe the Candyman's taunting..."wanna bet I can't get in bed w/ your woman?"...
I may be wrong, but I always assumed this was Jerry's response to a specific person who he knew and who, possibly, even banged one of Jerry's girls. Which I always found a bit ironic since Jerry wasn't exactly known for being Mr Monogamy.
Excellent interpretation. I like CA's Candyman much better. It's musically more fun.
Excellent interpretation. I like CA's Candyman much better. It's musically more fun.
Ok, thanks to some previous comments, which put me on the trail of Candyman’s possible meaning (or plot or however you’d like to phrase it) being not about a drug dealer but a “rounder” or a “back door man” (“I eats mo’ chicken any man ever seen” — godDAMN that’s STILL a BAD ASS lyric, I am not sure exactly why it is, but it is. But I digress…), which I believe makes a lot of sense, and the final detail is that the Candyman brings a floating craps game with him wherever he goes, gets word out so that men flock to gamble, then, while the men are throwing dice, Candyman goes around and “comforts” as many of their lonely, lonely wives he can get to while he’s “in town”.
One of the best songs ever, as is this entire album, American Beauty.
Definitely... American Beauty is stellar.
Insert "candyman" for "drug dealer" and the song makes sense
Insert "candyman" for "drug dealer" and the song makes sense
that would be the most obvious interpretation. it's what I've long called my hookup.
In the early 20th century a "candyman" was either a drug dealer(as previously stated) or someone who was renowned for being lucky, especially with women. The later meaning does seem to fit the first stanza and refrain better.
yes this album should be in everyone's iPod but the question is who is Mr. Benson? is it a reference to a real person? obviously a drug dealer, just wondering what the story was.
I think bbrockme's post is on the right track, except the lyrics were written by Hunter, not Garcia.
The "Candyman" is a somewhat common song theme among blues and folk musicians. Hunter wrote his own versions of many folk songs, two that come to mind are Betty and Dupree, Casey Jones and Stagger Lee. There are others...
The songs is not about drugs, but it's about a man the ladies like a lot.
[Edit: left out Casey Jones...]