![]() The song's another outlaw ballad, like " Friend of the Devil," but the central character is noticeably more violent. He's not a nice guy, but you'd never guess that from the sweet harmonizing of the singing. Where the Dead's candyman differs from Hurt's candyman is that he seems out for blood as much as womanizing. He likes a stick of candy just nine-inch long ![]() The latter version seems to fit better with the song, as the character announces his arrival to all the women in town and tells them they ought to open their windows (presumably to let him in).ĭavid Dodd at the Annotated Grateful Dead Lyrics ties the inspiration directly to the very particular candyman that appears in "Candy Man Blues" by Mississippi John Hurt, the lyrics of which would be risqué even on today's radio stations. The Random House Historical Dictionary of American Slang defines the term "candyman" primarily as a drug dealer and secondarily as a man who is lucky in general and lucky with women in particular. Dead lyricist Robert Hunter said he certainly didn't resonate with the character's penchant for violence (more on that below). It makes everything about the candyman character in the song seem sympathetic, when the lyrics suggest that he is anything but. The effect of the melodic sadness on the song's context is interesting, to say the least. The melancholic aura comes through in "Candyman" as much as any other song on the album. Jerry Garcia's mother was still seriously injured and her still fate uncertain following an automotive accident, while Phil Lesh was still grieving his father's passing. The American Beauty album is infused with sadness.
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