Album: Hard Candy (2002)

License This Song 

• On certain Sundays in November
  When the weather bothers me
  I empty drawers of other summers
  Where my shadows used to be
  And she is standing by the water
  As her smile begins to curl
  In this or any other summer
  She is something altogether different
  Never just an ordinary girl
  
  And in the evenings on Long Island
  When the colors start to fade
  She wears a silly yellow hat
  That someone gave her when she stayed
  I didn't think that she returned it
  We left New York in a whirl
  Time expands and then contracts
  When you are spinning in the grip of someone
  Who is not an ordinary girl
  
  And when you sleep you find your mother in the night
  But she stays just out of sight
  So there isn't any sweetness in the dreaming
  And when you wake the morning covers you with light
  And it makes you feel alright
  But it's just the same hard candy you're
  remembering again
  
  You send your lover off to China
  And you wait for her to call
  You put your girl up on a pedestal
  Then you wait for her to fall
  I put my summers back in a letter
  And I hide it from the world
  All the regrets you can't forget
  Are somehow pressed upon a picture
  In the face of such an ordinary girl
  
  And when you sleep you find your mother in the night
  But she fades just out of sight
  So there isn't any sweetness in the dreaming
  And when you wake
  The morning showers you with light
  And it makes you feel alright
  But it's just the same hard candy you're
  remembering again Writer/s: ADAM FREDRIC DURITZ, BEN G MIZE, CHARLES THOMAS GILLINGHAM, DANIEL JOHN VICKREY, DAVID A IMMERGLUCK, DAVID LYNN BRYSON, MATTHEW MARK MALLEY
  Publisher: Universal Music Publishing Group
  Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 2

• Sridhar from NycI saw CC with Live at Jones Island and it was amazing... Like a dozen times between songs, Mr. Duritz couldn't stop gushing about a date he had the night before. Seriously. Like a kid. Then a couple years later I saw them at Jones Beach with John Mayer. Also amazing. He told me (and thousands of others) that the date he kept bringing up was there inspiration for the song "Hard Candy" because there was this whole ordeal with her hat and where she left it or something.
  Full disclosure: he was visibly drunk one of those shows.
  Fuller disclosure: he may have been visibly drunk one at other shows too.
• Robert from Clymer, PaOk on the CD it self for Hard Candy. If you pop it into your computer it will load up and allow you to watch a video or go to the ?Secrete Site? this will tell you the meaning of the each song on the album and how it came about. ?Hard Candy? the song and album is about memories and relates it to hard candy. Ever eat old hard candy? It is sweet but some times it can cut the inside of your mouth. Another way to put it is the saying ?Bitter Sweet?. Memories are bitter sweet depending on the memory. Think about a past lover. You remember all of the good things in that relationship and you sometimes miss that person because of the great memories. Then you become sad because you know you will not have great memories with that person again and you become sad. See Bitter sweet, just like hard candy.
  
  First verse
  ?On certain Sundays in November
  When the weather bothers me
  I empty drawers of other summer's
  Where my shadows used to be
  She is standing by the water
  As her smile begins to curl
  In this or any other summer
  She is something all together different
  Never just an ordinary girl?
  
  This verse is about looking back. ?Empty draws of other summers? can be taken as a photo album. Think about your photo album and you look at summer pictures of your self? Those are your draws of other summers. He is looking at a picture of a girl he used to be in love with.
  
  Verse two
  
  ?And in the evenings on Long Island
  When the colors start to fade
  She wears a silly yellow hat
  That someone gave her when she stayed
  I didn't think that she returned it
  We left New York in a whirl
  Time expands and then contracts
  When you are spinning
  In the grips of someone
  Who is not an ordinary girl?
  
  This verse he is still looking at the picture of his ex- girlfriend. He notices that she is wearing a yellow hat. He probably notices in his room that the hat that she is wearing in the picture is in his room or somewhere visible. He can?t remember when she returned it to him. Also where it says ?Time expands and then contracts? Think about having a great time at a party or you is very busy at work. Time seems to go really fast but, when the party or the day is over time slows down. It seems like its going slow. Hence ?time expands and then contacts.? A long period of time seems short but it?s actually a long time
  
  Chorus
  ?When you sleep
  you find your mother in the night
  but she stays just out of sight
  so there isn't any sweetness in the dreaming
  and when you wake the morning covers you with light
  and it makes you feel alright
  but it's just the same hard candy
  you?re remembering again?
  
  This is trying to relate memories of your mother to hard candy. Image for example image your mom has died, and you have a dream about her. You want to see her but she stays just out of sight. You want to talk to her but you can?t. If you had a dream like that ?There isn?t any sweetness in the dreaming.? When you wake up from the dream you see it?s a new day and you are see the sunlight and it makes you feel good but you remember the dream you had about your mother and the bitter sweet memories you have. The good memories and you come to the realization you will not have any more new memories with her. That?s why the lyrics go ?But it?s just the same hard candy, you?re remembering again?
  
  Verse 3
  
  ?You send your lover off to China
  Then you wait for her to call
  You put your girl up on a pedestal
  Then you wait for her to fall
  I put my summer's back in a letter
  And I hide it from the world
  All the regrets you can't forget
  Are somehow pressed upon a picture
  In the face of such an ordinary girl?
  
  In the song the girl he is in love with (the girl in the yellow hat) he is remembering what happened. ?You send your lover off to China? this means the girl left, moved away. So now his relationship with the girl becomes a long distance relationship. We all know those relationships usually don?t last. The line ?you wait for her to fall? means he doesn?t know if this is going to last and he is willing to make it work but can she take the distance. So he is waiting for her to fall in other words break up with him. Last lines of this song ?I put my summer?s back in a letter and I hide it from the world, all regrets you can?t forget are pressed upon a picture in the face of such an ordinary girl?. This refers to he was going to mail her a letter, a love letter, he places her picture into the letter and he places it back into his dresser ?draws of other summers?. He wishes he would have mailed her this old love letter that is why the lyrics go ?all regrets you can?t forget?
  
  
  Ending
  
  ?Go ask her to come around
  and see me late after dark
  don?t ask me to come around
  then wait to see if there's a spark?
  
  These final lyrics are about he wants to see his old flame again. So he wants to call or talk to her to see if she would come around a see him, maybe at a restaurant for dinner or a beach at night because it says ?see me late after dark?. Now where it says ?don?t ask me to come around, and then wait to see if there is a spark? this can be taken two different ways. A conversation is head about what he is telling himself he needs to do; which is go ask her and tell her to meet him. Then he is uncertain he thinks maybe she will say ?don?t ask me to come around?. The other way you can take it is that he actually did get a hold of this old flame and he asks her to meet him later one night and she says ? don?t ask me to come around, then wait to see if there?s a spark? meaning she doesn?t want to be with him.
  

More Songfacts:

Tubular Bells (Part 1)Mike Oldfield

The Exorcist theme music is a portion of "Tubular Bells," a 25-minute song released by 19-year-old Mike Oldfield.

Radio Free EuropeR.E.M.

Michael Stipe hadn't finished the lyrics when R.E.M. recorded "Radio Free Europe." He calls the vocal "complete babbling."

99 ProblemsJay-Z

Jay-Z's version of "99 Problems" is a cover of a 1993 song by Ice-T with the lyrics changed to be about Jay's rise to fame.

Blowin' In The WindBob Dylan

Thanks to a Newsweek article, there was a long-standing rumor that Bob Dylan stole the song "Blowin' In The Wind."

Jet City WomanQueensrÿche

The setting for the Queensrÿche song "Jet City Woman" is Seattle, the "jet city."

Come Out And PlayThe Offspring

The line, "Gotta keep 'em separated" in "Come Out And Play" by The Offspring came to lead singer Dexter Holland when he was a medical student and needed to keep bacteria samples away from each other.

Editor's Picks

Jonathan Edwards - "Sunshine"They're Playing My Song

"How much does it cost? I'll buy it?" Another songwriter told Jonathan to change these lyrics. Good thing he ignored this advice.

Grammar In LyricsMusic Quiz

Lyrics don't always follow the rules of grammar. Can you spot the ones that don't?

Top American Idol Moments: Songs And ScandalsSong Writing

Surprise exits, a catfight and some very memorable performances make our list of the most memorable Idol moments.

Graham ParkerSongwriter Interviews

When Judd Apatow needed under-appreciated rockers for his Knocked Up sequel, he immediately thought of Parker, who just happened to be getting his band The Rumour back together.

Mark Arm of MudhoneySongwriter Interviews

When he was asked to write a song for the Singles soundtrack, Mark thought the Seattle grunge scene was already overblown, so that's what he wrote about.

Matt SorumSongwriter Interviews

When he joined Guns N' Roses in 1990, Matt helped them craft an orchestral sound; his mezzo fortes and pianissimos are all over "November Rain."