Misheard lyrics - can you give (funny!) examples

[thesurfingalien]

Hi All,

 

This has very little to do with audio, but maybe you are willing to help me out here...

 

I work as an English teacher for one of the many private schools here in Brazil. One of the things we have to do is create conversation-classes. These usually have some kind of exercise in them.

 

A couple of weeks ago I ran into a video on youtube with the most misheard lyrics. I thought of using that as the topic for what we call "Joy Conversation". The idea is to have students listen to short fragments with lyrics that can be (easily) misheard, play these a few times and let them write what they hear.

 

One example is Abba's "Dancing Queen". Many people seem to have heard:

 

See that girl (= OK)

Watch her scream (= Watch that scene)

Kicking the dancing Queen (= Digging the Dancing Queen)

 

Can you help me out by posting your own misheard lyrics, preferably popular music? The funnier, the better!

 

Thanks in advance & Kind regards,

Peter

 

PS:

 

The class will be named "Play That F***in' Music, White Boy'

[esldude]

Steve Miller "the Joker" Pompetus of love lyric is a classic. Heard as lots of things. Often puppeteers of love.

 

Steve Miller "Jet Airliner" is another one with a couple of oft mangled lyrics. Someone has a page on just Steve Miller

 

Misheard Song Lyrics Stories, Steve Miller Band

 

I have seen a youtube video at one point I can't find now with a dozen such examples.

 

And the Jimi Hendrix song oft heard Let me Kiss this guy when it was Let me Kiss the Sky. From the song "Purle Haze" of course.

 

It also inspired a website.

 

KissThisGuy.com - The Archive of Misheard Song Lyrics

 

I almost forgot Clash's famous song "Rock the Cashbox" or at least that is what I have heard some people sing.

[AudioDoctor]

Don't forget "There's a bathroom on the right..."

 

Bad Moon Rising by CCR

 

Bad Moon Rising (song) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[gcorley]

It's not English, but I could have sworn Manu Chao's "Me Gustas Tu" was saying "me gusta uma lasagna" rather than "me gusta malazana" ...

[robbbby]

Play anything by pearl jam and ask them to write what they hear.

[One and a half]

Spandau Ballet - This much is true

 

The chorus sounds like, "This smuch is true poo"

[Musicophile]

Spandau Ballet - This much is true

 

The chorus sounds like, "This smuch is true poo"

Daft Punk robbing a Mexican.

[Musicophile]

And it's a monkey:

[Audio_ELF]

Boheiem Rhapsody by Queen...

 

"Spare him his life from these pork sausages" and "the devil has a sideboard".

 

R.E.M, Jimi Hendrix & Aerosmith Have ‘Most Misheard Lyrics’ | Live4ever Ezine may be of interest.

[Jud]

Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo (Rick Derringer with Johnny Winter, covered by many bands) has a line "Lawdy (Lordy) Mama, light my fuse," which for some reason I always heard as "Lawdy Mama, bite my shoes."

[thesurfingalien]

Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo (Rick Derringer with Johnny Winter, covered by many bands) has a line "Lawdy (Lordy) Mama, light my fuse," which for some reason I always heard as "Lawdy Mama, bite my shoes."

 

Hi Jud,

 

Thanks! I was actually hoping for more personal "mishearings" like yours!

 

But an honest question for you... Did you hear the right lyrics after you started the audiophile hobby? :)

 

Kind regards,

Peter

[Jud]

I never heard the song except on radio or at a bar, so I can't tell you.

 

The song "Louie, Louie" by the Kingsmen has had people trying to figure out the correct lyrics for years, with many people insisting they describe a sexual encounter, others saying they are quite tame. Maybe not for your English class, but you may enjoy doing personal research.

[wkhanna]

I always heard the Manfred Mann's Earth Band's song 'Blinded by the Light' lyric as "Rapped up like a douche, Another rumour in the night".

[recordgeek]

Crystal Gayle - Don't It Make Your Brown Eyes Blue - misheard as "donuts make your brown eyes blue"

 

Elton John - Tiny Dancer - "hold me closer Tony Danza"

 

Almost forgot one of my favourites, I'm sure this will be on the kissthisguy list...

 

From Deep Purple, Smoke on the Water - "slow walking Walter, the fire engine guy"

[wkhanna]

Elton John - Tiny Dancer - "hold me closer Tony Danza"

 

 

[LBob]

Bull Durham,

 

Young girls they do get wooly!

[crisnee]

Tufts of Slaw. Now if I could only remember what the real lyric was.

 

My brother used to hear that and I remember I could not convince him that he was wrong. But the pathetic part is that now I can't remember what it was all about. I think it was a Stones song.

 

And then there's Angie and Andy.

 

Chris

[4est]

In HS I remember a girl asking me if I had heard that Aerosmith song "Wheels in Motion".

[Paul R]

Billy Joel's _We Didn't Light The Fire_.

 

It might be fun be because it is loaded with history references. Has one of the most misheard lines of all time-

"Children of the little mind" = "Children of Thalidomide"

 

If the kids have net access, they might have a real blast digging out some of the other references.

[sauerball]

Bull Durham,

 

Young girls they do get wooly!

 

You don't need a quadraphonic Blaupunkt! You need a curve ball.

[Superdad]

I've always had trouble with the meaning of one verse in "Walking in a Winter Wonderland." It'e the part where they sing about the snowman, "are you married, he'll say no ma'am, but you can do the job when you're in town." My wife has tried to explain it to me many times, but I still think it sounds sexual and possibly inappropriate… Not sure who is inviting who though.

Then again, I have kind of a dirty mind.

[recordgeek]

Ok, since you've brought it up... you mean hearing that as "Walking 'round in women's underwear"?

[Paul R]

BWaaaahhhhhaaaahhaaaa....

 

In the Winter we can make a snowman,

We'll pretend that he is Parson Brown.

He'll say 'Are You Married?' we'll say 'No man!',

But you can do the job while your in town...

 

That last half does sound like a downright snow job, does it not?

 

-Paul

 

 

I've always had trouble with the meaning of one verse in "Walking in a Winter Wonderland." It'e the part where they sing about the snowman, "are you married, he'll say no ma'am, but you can do the job when you're in town." My wife has tried to explain it to me many times, but I still think it sounds sexual and possibly inappropriate… Not sure who is inviting who though.

Then again, I have kind of a dirty mind.

[Munchoba]

Living in French Quebec City in the 80's, a fan called into the French radio station and asked for the new Def Leppard song... and says he wants , in a thick French accent...'Possum-Sue Gommet'... took the DJ a while to figure out he was asking for Pour Some Sugar on Me...

[astrotoy]

In Don McLean's American Pie

 

"And while Lenin read a book on Marx"

"A Quartet practiced in the Park"

 

I thought it could have meant

 

"And while Lennon read a book on Marx (Groucho)"

"A Quartet practiced in the Park" (the Beatles)

 

Larry