Candyman
Siouxsie \\& The Banshees Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
For the young ones who don't understand
The danger in his hands
With a jaundiced wink see his cunning slink
Oh trust in me my pretty one
Come walk with me my helpless one
Candyman
Ge latine saliva spills
The flash of a guillotine a smile
Candyman - oh candyman
No pity for him, their misery screams
Unspeakable things
A cool missile, yes it's in his smile
With open arms to welcome you
Beware the masked pretender
He always lies, this candyman
Those lips conspire in treachery
To strike in cloak and dagger, see!
Candyman - oh candyman
And all the children, he warns ''don't tell,''
Those threats are sold
With their guilt and shame they think they're to blane
For candyman - oh candyman
The lyrics of Siouxsie and the Banshees' song "Candy Man" can be interpreted in different ways but the general theme of the song is about the danger and deception lurking behind something that appears pleasant or sweet. The Candy Man is depicted as a seductive and cunning figure who preys on young and innocent individuals who are oblivious to the dangers he poses. The "sickly sweet" nature of his poison refers to the way that he masks his intentions behind sweetness and charm, drawing in his victims with a "jaundiced wink" and promises of safety and comfort.
The second part of the song delves deeper into the darkness and treachery of the Candy Man's actions. The syrupy lies and saliva spills refer to the way that he manipulates and controls his victims, creating a sense of addiction or dependency that keeps them under his thumb. The lyrics also allude to violence and the potential harm that comes with blindly trusting the Candy Man. The warning to "beware the masked pretender" suggests that his facade is just that, a mask, and that he is hiding a cruel and violent nature. The Candy Man is portrayed as a sadistic figure who threatens and abuses those who dare to cross him.
Line by Line Meaning
Sickly sweet, his poison seeks
The candyman is sweet but his intentions are harmful.
For the young ones who don't understand
He targets innocent children who are unaware of his danger.
The danger in his hands
The candyman's hands hide danger that the children are not aware of.
With a jaundiced wink see his cunning slink
His actions betray his true intentions.
Oh trust in me my pretty one
The candyman lures the children into trusting him.
Come walk with me my helpless one
The candyman preys on the children's vulnerability.
Candyman
Refrain of the song.
Syrup lies upon your tongue
The candy the children take fills their mouths and they enjoy the sweetness.
Ge latine saliva spills
Their saliva mixes with the candy, causing them to salivate even more.
The flash of a guillotine a smile
The candyman's smile is deceiving and hides his true intentions like a guillotine hides its sharp blade.
Candyman - oh candyman
Refrain of the song.
No pity for him, their misery screams
The children suffer but the candyman shows no empathy for them.
Unspeakable things
The candyman does things that are too terrible to be talked about.
A cool missile, yes it's in his smile
The candyman's smile is like a weapon that he uses to lure the children.
With open arms to welcome you
He pretends to be friendly and open to the children.
Beware the masked pretender
The candyman pretends to be someone he is not.
He always lies, this candyman
The candyman's lies are part of his deception.
Those lips conspire in treachery
His lips are part of his plan to deceive the children and harm them.
To strike in cloak and dagger, see!
He uses secrecy and deception to carry out his harmful actions.
Candyman - oh candyman
Refrain of the song.
And all the children, he warns ''don't tell,''
The candyman threatens the children not to tell anyone about what happens when they are with him.
Those threats are sold
His threats are effective in scaring the children into keeping quiet.
With their guilt and shame they think they're to blame
The children feel responsible for what happens to them, blaming themselves rather than the candyman.
For candyman - oh candyman
Refrain of the song.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Peermusic Publishing, IMAGEM MUSIC INC
Written by: MATTHEW DAVID CLAYDEN, MARK WILLIAMS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@mroldnewbie
It is about her own experience according to many interviews. I think I trust her more about it than I trust you.
From an interview:
"It's a song about child abuse. "Oh trust in me my pretty one/ Come walk with me my helpless one..."
"...That song," says Siouxsie, "was an outlet for a lot of things that had not been expressed."
At the age of nine, Susan and a friend were sexually assaulted. When they told adults what had happened the police were called, and Susan was taken to see a police doctor who examined her; but her family quickly swept the fuss under the carpet - it was another undiscussible item. Presumably that was the moment that Siouxsie started to acquire that total disrespect for adulthood and authority that she exuded in later years?
"Definitely" she agrees. "I grew up having no faith in adults as responsible people. And being the youngest in the family I was isolated - I had no-one to confide in. So I invented my own world, my own reality It was my own way of defending myself - protected myself from the outside world. The only way I could deal with how to survive was to get some strong armour..."
@mnmlstellar
#lyrics Sickly sweet, his poison seeks
For the young ones who don't understand the danger in his hands
With a jaundiced wink see his cunning slink
Oh, trust in me my pretty one, come walk with me my helpless one
Candyman
Syrup lies upon your tongue
Gelatine saliva spills the flash of a guillotine a smile
Candyman
Oh, candyman
No pity for him, their misery screams unspeakable things
No pity for him, their misery screams unspeakable things
Candyman
A cool missile, yes, it's in his smile
With open arms to welcome you beware the masked pretender
He always lies, this candyman
Those lips conspire in treachery to strike in cloak and dagger, see
Candyman
Oh, candyman
And all the children, he warns, don't tell those threats are sold
With their guilt and shame they think they're to blame for candyman
Candyman
Candyman
Candyman
Candyman
@wildechild5
I wish I was still a teenager when this song came out and I just thought it was a cool song. That was long before I knew everything about this song. It always guts me to hear it and to think about what Siouxsie Sioux went through as a child. For those of you that don't know (if you don't want to know stop reading now) this song is about the sexual assault of Siouxsie Sioux at the age of nine, she and a friend were sexually assaulted by a stranger. The assault was ignored by both her parents and the police, and was not spoken of in the family. The incident and its later treatment would lead Siouxsie to distrust adults. Years later, she stated:
"I grew up having no faith in adults as responsible people. And being the youngest in the family I was isolated – I had no one to confide in. So I invented my own world, my own reality. It was my own way of defending myself – protecting myself from the outside world. The only way I could deal with how to survive was to get some strong armour."
💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜
@lucius0malfoy
Thanks so much.
@wildechild5
@El gran regreso del consejero Rojo' for what?
@lucius0malfoy
@The Real Wilde Child For share this valuable information.
@wildechild5
@El gran regreso del consejero Rojo' you are very welcome. It is extremely sad when happened to her and my heart broke when I read the interview. It sickens me to know there are people out there that do this especially to children. It also sickens me that her parents did nothing for her.
@lucius0malfoy
@The Real Wilde Child i feel the same i guess.
@MebThemes
Siouxsie is easily among the greatest frontwomen of all time.
@MD-ru5vs
Sure, what a performance !!
@petekelsall4299
I’ll second that.
@d3athr0ck3r
She is the greatest