The Annotated "Candyman"

Lyrics omitted. The annotations below are reproduced by permission of David Dodd; the song lyrics themselves are copyrighted and are not reproduced here. Read them at the official source: dead.net/songs.

• Key: C
• Time signature: 4/4 (12/8 feeling)
• Chords used: B-flat, F, C, G, Gm, Dm, Am7
• Songbook availability:
  • Anthology, vol. II

• American Beauty
• Dead Set

"Candyman" was debuted live on April 3, 1970, at the Field House, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio. It appeared in the middle, acoustic set of a three set show, following "Deep Elem Blues" and preceding "Wake Up Little Susie."

Since its debut, it has remained in the repertoire, appearing almost exclusively in the first set.

Deadlit topic number 85 on the WELL is about "Candyman," and contains several possible interpretations as to the identity of the protagonist.

"Another popular character in early 20th Century black music is the "Candyman," though most of the rural Southern tales about him are considerably more lascivious than Hunter's more involved story (e.g. 'He's got a stick of candy nine inches long,,' etc.)"

According to The Random House Historical Dictionary of American Slang:

"Candyman n. 1. CANDY KID 2.Narc. a seller of illicit drugs, esp. in capsule form.

Candy kid 2.a. a fellow who is lucky, successful, or held in high favor, esp. with women."

The Mississippi John Hurt version of the "Candy Man Blues" has these words:

"Well all you ladies gather 'round
That good sweet candy man's in town
It's the candy man
It's the candy man

He likes a stick of candy just nine inch long
He sells as fast a hog can chew his corn
It's the candy man...

All heard what sister Johnson said
She always takes a candy stick to bed

Don't stand close to the candy man
He'll leave a big candy stick in your hand

He sold some candy to sister Bad
The very next day she took all he had

If you try his candy, good friend of mine,
You sure will want it for a long long time

His stick candy don't melt away
It just gets better, so the ladies say" (The Blues Line, p. 229.)

roll them laughing bones

Subject: Insight on Candyman
Date: Wed, 23 Apr 1997 21:09:37 -0700
From: Tim Paulman

Hello David...

I was reading the lyrics to Candyman when the phrase "Roll those laughing bones" caught my attention...I remembered having read somewhere that dice used to be made out of bone. So I got on the web and went to a site that dealt with Anglo-Saxon entertainment. Here I found the following:

"Dice were made of antler for the most part, although examples of bone, walrus ivory and jet are also known. More perishable materials, such as wood and horn, were also likely to have been used. They were often rectangular, with the 1 and 2 on either end and the 3,4,5, and 6 on the four long sides. "--(Games of the Viking and Anglo-Saxon Age, by Ben Levick and Mark Beadle.)

While Hunter's allusion to dice is quite obvious, I never quite made the complete connection until now...

Thanks again for your time and deadication...
- Tim
paulmatr@flyernet.udayton.edu/~paulmatr/

"talk or conversation; spec. talk that is misleading, untrue, empty, or pretentious; hence, anything false, worthless, or unpleasant."

Binford was involved in the infamous 1917 "mutiny" in Houston, as a colleague of Lee Sparks, who was city detective at the time of the incident. (Haynes, Robert V.: A Night of Violence: the Houston Riot of 1917. LSU Press, 1976.)

In James Lee Burke's excellent novel, Lost Get-Back Boogie, a character retorts: "Well, thanks, Mr. Benson,"which is an indication that the word is a synonym for "the man". In this sense, it is a similar appellation to Mr. Charlie, referred to in the song of the same title.