Candlebox is a rock band from Seattle, Washington. Formed in December 1991,… Read Full Bio ↴Candlebox is a rock band from Seattle, Washington. Formed in December 1991, they originally named the band Uncle Duke and later changed it as a tribute to a song by Midnight Oil. They were sometimes looked down upon by grunge fans for their style, which was considered by many to be a derivative version of true grunge, and their commercial success suffered as a result. Despite this, the band played the Seattle club circuit during the early 1990s to the many of the same fans who had supported many of the bands that had come immediately before them. The members did not consider Candlebox to be a grunge band however; they viewed themselves as a rock and roll band more than anything. Nevertheless, Candlebox had sold more than 4 million copies of their self-titled debut which, after many months of gaining momentum, peaked at number 7 on Billboard's album charts. Their follow up album, Lucy, was certified as platinum. Their third and last album was Happy Pills, which was released in 1998. Candlebox was the first successful act on Madonna's Maverick Records, which went on to sign Alanis Morissette, Deftones, and Prodigy.

Candlebox was known for an explosive live show and throughout their 8 year career, they toured with such bands as Living Colour, The Flaming Lips, Our Lady Peace, Rush, Henry Rollins, and Metallica. They were also a featured band on the main-stage at Woodstock '94 and made repeat live performances on the David Letterman show.

They are best known for the singles "Change", "You", "Far Behind" and "Simple Lessons". "Far Behind" entered Billboard's Top 20 in July of 1993 and didn't drop off the charts until January of 1994. The videos for "Far Behind" and "You" were in seemingly perpetual rotation on MTV and became two of the most requested videos of 1993.

Drummer Scott Mercado left the band in 1997 and was replaced by former Pearl Jam member Dave Krusen. Krusen later left the band in 1999 and was replaced by Shannon Larkin of Ugly Kid Joe. Bardi Martin also left the band that year, and was replaced by Rob Reddick (formerly of Dig). The band split in year 2000.

As of 2005, singer Kevin Martin is currently recording and performing as the leader of The Hiwatts. Peter Klett is currently recording and performing as the leader of redlightmusic.

In 2006, Candlebox has reunited with their original line-up. They went on a three-month North American tour beginning on July 1st of the same year. This marks their first collaboration since 1996.

In 2008, Candlebox released their fourth studio album called "Into the sun". This meant their return since 1998's Happy Pills. Also, they released a Live album called "Alive in Seattle" which includes tracks from all their past albums.

In 2009, Kevin Martin (along with Sean Hennesy, Candlebox's guitarist) helped form the super-group The Gracious Few with three of the members of the band LIVE. Functioning as lead singer, the band went on to release a self-titled album which accompanied an extensive tour. Though LIVE has reformed with a new lead singer, more material from The Gracious Few is said to be released in the future

Mothers Dream
Candlebox Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I'm flipping through these pages
Me memory seems jaded
A lot's been lost since my mothers dream
But these sudden flashing colors
Close my eyes
Only seven
Full of life
Feel my heart it's aching over

Feel my heart it's aching over
And I
I remember being young
Seventeen
Yes you'd come to my house
Won't you tell me the things that I'd done to you this time
Never in my life did I feel so unsheltered
In my mind I could feel you're nothing
Good for nothing
As you told me
Yes you told me how hard I tried
Oh these broken bones
You carry me home
My mothers dreams
She called it
My mothers dreams
She called it
Yes my age
Has turned in my direction
Cold and lonely resurrection
Lies they told me why I'm lost within your soul
But I've worn all those patches in my dreams
Always broken at the seams
Won't you help me

Won't you help me
Oh no angel

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Candlebox's song Mothers Dream reflects on the memories of the singer and the passage of time. The singer begins by flipping through pages of memories that seem jaded because a lot has been lost since his mother's dream. Despite this, sudden flashing colors close his eyes and he remembers being young at age seventeen, full of life. However, his heart is aching over something that has happened and he can't shake the feeling. He then reflects on a time when someone came to his house to tell him something he had done to them, and he felt unsheltered and worthless. The broken bones are a reminder of how fragile life can be, yet this person is still carried home by his mother's dream.

The singer's age has turned in his direction, imparting feelings of coldness and loneliness. However, he has worn all the patches in his dreams, signifying that he has experienced and overcome adversity. He then asks for help from an angel, someone who can lift him up from the broken seams of his existence.

The song reflects on the journey of life and how it's often difficult to move forward when we are weighed down by the past. The memory of the mother's dream serves as a beacon of hope that one day we will overcome our adversity and hardships with the help of others.

Line by Line Meaning

I'm flipping through these pages
The singer is looking through their memory and feeling unsure about how much they really remember.

Me memory seems jaded
The singer feels like their memory is not as clear as it used to be.

A lot's been lost since my mothers dream
The singer has forgotten a lot of things since their mother's dream.

But these sudden flashing colors
The artist is experiencing vivid flashes of memory.

Close my eyes
The artist is trying to focus on these flashes of memory.

Only seven
The singer is remembering when they were seven years old.

Full of life
The singer felt alive and energetic at that age.

Feel my heart it's aching over
The artist is feeling emotional and sad about the memory.

And I
The artist continues to remember.

I remember being young
The artist is reminiscing about their youth.

Seventeen
The singer specifically remembers being seventeen years old.

Yes you'd come to my house
The artist remembers someone visiting them at their house.

Won't you tell me the things that I'd done to you this time
The singer is asking the visitor to remind them of something that happened in the past.

Never in my life did I feel so unsheltered
The singer felt exposed and vulnerable in a way they never had before.

In my mind I could feel you're nothing
The singer has negative feelings towards the person they are remembering.

Good for nothing
The artist is specifically thinking of negative traits to describe this person.

As you told me
The person the artist is thinking of had said something to them.

Yes you told me how hard I tried
The person the singer is thinking of had said something encouraging to them.

Oh these broken bones
The singer is feeling physical pain, possibly as a metaphor for emotional pain.

You carry me home
The artist is asking for help from someone they trust.

My mothers dreams
The artist is reminded of their mother's dream and how it was important to them.

She called it
The artist's mother had named the dream something specific.

Yes my age
The singer is acknowledging that they are older now.

Has turned in my direction
The artist's perspective has changed as they have grown older.

Cold and lonely resurrection
The singer feels like they have been reborn to a cold and lonely world.

Lies they told me why I'm lost within your soul
The singer is acknowledging that they were lied to about the person they were thinking of earlier and how it affected them.

But I've worn all those patches in my dreams
The singer has dreamt about patches that represent their emotional wounds and have been trying to heal them.

Always broken at the seams
The artist feels like they are always on the brink of breaking down or giving up on healing their emotional wounds.

Won't you help me
The artist is asking for help again.

Oh no angel
The singer is desperate for help and willing to accept it from anyone, even if that person is not an angel.

Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BARDI DAVID MARTIN, KEVIN COLIN MARTIN, PETER ANDREW KLETT, SCOTT MERCADO

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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