Misheard Lyrics (Mondegreens): There's A Bathroom On the Right

[PrincessLuceval]

"Dunder Sheep" would be an awesome name for an AC/DC tribute band!

[GaT]

Here's an old one that I just discovered I've had wrong for years. Stroke Me by Billy Squier

 

What I heard:

"Say you're a winner, but maybe you could simmer down"

 

What the lyric really is:

"Say you're a winner, but man, you're just a sinner now"

 

I think my version makes more sense :-)

[VanillaBear85]

http://youtu.be/xLd22ha_-VU

I have watched this video too many times and now have no idea what the real lyrics are.

[Jeebus Cripes]

^^^ That was amazing. It truly is the ultimate mondegreen. It's pure gibberish. Potato wave... heh.

[beadgirl]

Send Me on My Way -- Rusted Root.  A friend from college thought the title lyric was "Simian My Way."  A friend from law school thought it was "Shimmy in My Whale."

[Princess Sparkle]

Justin Timberlake Not A Bad Thing

 

What he says:  Cuz you might look around and find your dreams come true with me

 

What I hear:  Cust you might fuck around and find your dreams come true with me

Until reading this, I totally thought it was "cuz you might fuck around".  Oops.

 

And in a really embarrassing moment, that I really can't explain, I always thought the lyrics to Jessie's Girl were "I wish that I was Jessie's Girl".  I still like my version better.

[Tabbyclaw]

And in a really embarrassing moment, that I really can't explain, I always thought the lyrics to Jessie's Girl were "I wish that I was Jessie's Girl".  I still like my version better.

 

I have heard a lot of people say that whatever the lyrics are, the whole song sounds like that's what the singer is really thinking.

[harrie]

The Rascals' Groovin' -  here are the real lyrics

 

We'll keep on spending sunny days this way
We're gonna talk and laugh our time away
I feel it coming closer day by day
Life would be ecstasy, you and me endlessly

 

Until recently, I heard:

 

We'll keep on spending sunny days this way
We're gonna talk and laugh our time away
I feel it coming closer day by day
Life would be ecstasy, you and me and Leslie

 

Maybe it was that whole '60s free love vibe that I thought, why not include Leslie? 

Edited November 4, 2014 by harrie

[StarBrand]

CCR's "Bad Moon Rising"

 

Actual-There's a bad moon on the rise

 

Thought it was-There's a bathroom on the right. I've heard John Fogerty sometimes purposely sings that at concerts.

[Tabbyclaw]

I heard "Slide" by the Goo Goo Dolls for the first time in years today, and I've got a long-standing mondegreen for it. They can tell me all they want that the little flourish at the end of the song is "slide between the sheets of all those beds you never knew." I'm still going to hear "God, it seems it's been so long, I'm glad to hear from you."

[DeLurker]

Always thought the lyrics to Driftaway were:

Give me the Beach Boys,

And free my soul,

Wanna get lost

In your rock & roll.

Color me surprised to find out it was "beat" not "beach" nor an ode to Brian Wilson and the gang.

[AntiBeeSpray]

Always thought the lyrics to Driftaway were:

Give me the Beach Boys,

And free my soul,

Wanna get lost

In your rock & roll.

Color me surprised to find out it was "beat" not "beach" nor an ode to Brian Wilson and the gang.

 

I thought it was that too.

[Sandman87]

All these posts and no one has explained yet where the term "mondegreen" comes from? Unacceptable.

Sylvia Wright coined the word based on how she misheard "The Bonnie Earl o' Moray" as a child.

What it really said: They have slain the Earl o' Moray, and laid him on the green
What she heard: They have slain the Earl o' Moray, and Lady Mondegreen

----------
Tim Scott's "Swear" sounded more interesting in my head until I figured out the real words.

The actual lyrics: Hand over heart and Swear that you love me
What I heard: Bend over hard and Swear that you love me

----------
Elton John's "Rocket Man" has that one line that no one can understand:
Rocket man, burnin' out my fuse up here alone

When I was in grade school I always heard:
Rocket Man, burnin' out the dudes on valium

----------
There's only one reason that I know what colitis is - I had to look it up after listening to "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds":
Real lyrics: The girl with kaleidoscope eyes
  I heard:   The girl with colitis goes by

[KatWay]

I've been listening to Taylor Swift's Blank Space for a week now (yeah, I know, but it's really catchy) and I just realised that she's not singing "go along those Starbucks lovers, they'll tell you I'm insane" but "got a long list of ex-lovers, they'll tell you I'm insane". Figured it was some kind of quip on mainstream, yuppie culture or...something. I swear it made sense in my head.

[Bastet]

Elton John's "Rocket Man" has that one line that no one can understand:

Rocket man, burnin' out my fuse up here alone

 

I like the commercial for ... something ... based around people screwing up the lyrics.  "I told you it wasn't provolone."

 

Found it:

Edited November 30, 2014 by Bastet

[aurora296]

"Hold me closer Tony Danza...."

 

 

The song Kodachrome by Paul Simon? He says, "Mama's gonna take my Kodachrome away!"

 

I always thought he said, "Mama's gonna take my combs and throw 'em all away."

 

As a little kid I always wondered why would his mom want to take his combs? Didn't she want him to have nice hair?

 

 

And thanks to the movie Lost in Translation, I was horrified to learn I was singing Carly Simon's Baby You're The Best wrong all these years.

 

Apparently she sings, "Nobody does it, half as good as you, baby you're the best."

 

I thought she said, "Nobody does it, heaven's caress you, baby you're the best."

Edited December 8, 2014 by aurora296

[Shannon L.]

 

The song Kodachrome by Paul Simon? He says, "Mama's gonna take my Kodachrome away!"

 

I always thought he said, "Mama's gonna take my combs and throw 'em all away."

 

As a little kid I always wondered why would his mom want to take his combs? Didn't she want him to have nice hair?

lol!  When I was little kid, I thought they were saying "coat of chrome" and wondered what exactly a coat of chrome was and what it had to do with the rest of the song.

Edited December 10, 2014 by Shannon L.

[AntiBeeSpray]

Was listening to the Doobie Brothers singing "China Grove" and I thought that they said:

 

Oh, Charlie Rose

 

instead of

 

Oh, China Grove

 

O_o

[AntiBeeSpray]

http://youtu.be/xLd22ha_-VU

I have watched this video too many times and now have no idea what the real lyrics are.

 

Love it. Just saved that one. It's too good not to listen to.

[Popples]

I always thought the opening line to the "Reading Rainbow" theme was, "Butterfly in disguise", instead of "Butterfly in the sky."

[AntiBeeSpray]

I always thought the opening line to the "Reading Rainbow" theme was, "Butterfly in disguise", instead of "Butterfly in the sky."

 

I thought that as well.

[Princess Sparkle]

I just heard this song on the radio and it made me remember my misheard lyric for Rihanna's "Only Girl in the World" - 

 

What I heard:  "I want you to love me, like I'm a hot guy."

What it actually is: "I want you to love me, like I'm a hot ride." 

 

Whoops!

[GaT]

I just heard this song on the radio and it made me remember my misheard lyric for Rihanna's "Only Girl in the World" - 

 

What I heard:  "I want you to love me, like I'm a hot guy."

What it actually is: "I want you to love me, like I'm a hot ride." 

 

Whoops!

I think stupid lyrics deserve to be misheard.

[FormerMod-a1]

When I was a kid I thought the lyrics in Winter Wonderland included this...
 
In the meadow we can build a snowman
And pretend that he is parched and brown
He'll say "Are you merry?", We'll say "No man!

But you can do the job while you're in town"

Of course, they are really...

In the meadow we can build a snowman
Then pretend that he is Parson Brown
He'll say: Are you married? we'll say: No man
But you can do the job when you're in town 

 

In my defense, I had never heard the word Parson or knew what one was.  But I did wonder why they wanted to pretend the snowman was old and at the end of the snowy season (thus making him parched (shrunken in from partial melting) and brown (dirty).

[Sandman87]

He'll say "Are you merry?", We'll say "No man!

But you can do the job while you're in town"

I'd like to know just what sort of "job" you thought he was going to do to make them merry.

[FormerMod-a1]

Just help them have fun.  In my young child's mind I'm sure it was stuff like decorating cookies, sleigh rides, drinking hot cocoa, getting together with friends and family.

[harrie]

I'd like to know just what sort of "job" you thought he was going to do to make them merry.

 

Maybe a snow job? 

Edited December 20, 2014 by harrie

[DeLurker]

You made me simultaneously cringe and laugh!

[WendyCR72]

I thought that:

 

Then she whipped out a gun
Tried to blow me away

 

Per Google, this *is* correct!

 

A lyric I always screwed up - and it's an old song my parents liked - was from Jimmy Buffet's "Come Monday".

 

I heard:

 

"I spent four lonely days in a brown leather haze and I just want you back by my side."

 

It really said:

 

"I spent four lonely days in a brown L.A. haze and I just want you back by my side."

 

Eh, close enough!

[potatoradio]

Ever listened to a song and thought you knew what the lyrics were, even though they seemed, erm, strange, only to find out you were way off? Who knows - maybe your misheard lyrics are an improvement.

 

Mine that I've had to relearn:

 

"blinded by the light...racked up like a deuce" became "wrapped up like a douche"

 

"Rock the Casbah" became "rob the cash bar. Rob the cash bar."

 

The weirdest, Billy Squier's "Stroke me, stroke me" became "strong man's strumpet. Strump! Strump!" What can I say? I though it was a weird song, too, but I figured, who was I to judge?

 

Friends who have told me what they misheard:

 

The Eurythmics' "would I lie to you" line "I'll make it, make it" became "I'm naked, naked" My friend wondered WTH Annie Lennox was going on about.

 

Irene Cara's "flashdance" line "take your passion...and make it happen," became "take your pants off...and make it happen." Yowsers! You go, girl!

 

 

 

[Shannon L.]

Hi!  Those are pretty funny mistakes. We have a thread for this already called Misheard Lyrics aka Mondegreens.  You'll find some entertaining admissions in there.

Edited January 5, 2015 by Shannon L.

[potatoradio]

Cool-thanks! Sorry.-didn't see the original thread. Didn't mean to remake. :)

[GaT]

"Rock the Casbah" became "rob the cash bar. Rob the cash bar."

 

 

LMAO

[DeLurker]

I always got the lyrics to Come Together wrong.  The actual lyrics don't always make more sense than mine, but I thought they sang:

He bad production,

he got war-a-scumbo,
He got oh no sideburns,

he one spinal cracker

 

Actual Lyrics

He bag production,

he got walrus gumboot
He got Ono sideboard,

he one spinal cracker

[briochetwist]

I've been listening to Taylor Swift's Blank Space for a week now (yeah, I know, but it's really catchy) and I just realised that she's not singing "go along those Starbucks lovers, they'll tell you I'm insane" but "got a long list of ex-lovers, they'll tell you I'm insane". Figured it was some kind of quip on mainstream, yuppie culture or...something. I swear it made sense in my head.

I came here last night to write the exact same thing, but you beat me to it by a month!  So yeah, for  a couple months now I've been thinking it was Starbucks lovers until my 15 year old laughed at me when I asked her about it.  It made sense it my head too.  

[Brandi Maxxxx]

No one's mentioned "Somewhere over the rainbow, weigh a pie".

[GaT]

No one's mentioned "Somewhere over the rainbow, weigh a pie".

LOL, this is the first time I've ever heard this, LMAO

[Jeebus Cripes]

Gin Blossoms - "Found Out About You"

 

Actual lyrics:

Whispers at the bus stop
I heard about nights out in the school yard
I found out about you

 

What I hear and still sing every single time:

Whispers at the bus stop
I heard about Max out in the school yard
I found out about you

 

I can't make my brain correct this.

[PrincessLuceval]

"Girlfriend Is Better" by Talking Heads:

 

Right lyric: I got a girlfriend with bows in her hair, nothing is better than this.

 

Wrong lyric:I got a girlfriend with balls in her hands, nothing is better than this.

 

I still sing it the wrong way, it makes the girlfriend sound more kickass.

[BatmanBeatles]

Chandelier by Sia

 

Right Lyric: 123...123...drink

 

What I heard: 123...123...kick

[Rick Kitchen]

Chandelier by Sia

 

Right Lyric: 123...123...drink

 

What I heard: 123...123...kick

 

Considering it's Sia, I'm surprised anybody understands anything she's singing.

[BatmanBeatles]

Another couple from Chandelier.

 

Right lyric: I want to swing from the chandelier

Wrong lyric: I want to be in a chandelier

 

Right lyric: I'm holding on to dear life.

Wrong lyric: I'm holding on for tonight.

[Shannon L.]

This one makes no sense, but I simply couldn't figure it out until a few years ago:

 

Pride by U2.

 

Real lyric:

"Early morning, April 4"

and

"Free at last! They took your life, but they could not take your pride."

 

I heard (This is embarrassing!)

 

"Early morning, April fall."

and

"Relax!  They took your life, but they could not take your pride!"

 

For the life of me, I could not figure out what the hell "April fall" meant and why they'd say to "relax" after he died.   It wasn't until a few years ago, when I was listening to the song and I thought  "fall...as in falling into death?  Wait--when was he assassinated?"   That's when I though to actually google the lyrics.  I  felt like an idiot.

[potatoradio]

 

 

Real lyric:

"Early morning, April 4"

I heard (This is embarrassing!)

"Early morning, April fall."

 

Wait, what? So it's NOT "April fall," which I, too, had been hearing (and, gulp, singing) all along? Talk about shattered self perception. But at least that's another U2 lyric I can now sing correctly. I misheard the entire refrain of "Angel of Harlem" and asked my DW (while at a U2 concert, of course, because one cannot make these types of blunders in a private setting while not surrounded by die hard fans who would throw you out on your ear for your ignorance): "do you think they'll perform 'Angelheart?'"  Too late for her to back out - we had a house, a cat and a CD collection together by then.

 

 

[Shannon L.]

lol!  If it's any consolation, I've heard worse at concerts.  My husband and I were at Queen (featuring Paul Rodgers) and they were playing rock and roll songs before the show started.  When "All Night Long" by AC/DC came on, we heard a kid exclaim to his friend "Guns and Roses!". 

 

BTW:  At least we can make some sense out of "April fall".  I'm embarrassed by "Relax!"

[Jeebus Cripes]

Also, instead of "What more in the name of love" I heard "One man, in the name of love."

 

I always thought it was "once more, in the name of love."

[BatmanBeatles]

So did I!

[DeLurker]

 

Also, instead of "What more in the name of love" I heard "One man, in the name of love."

I always thought it was "Want more in the name of love".

 

Back in college, a friend was mystified by Stevie Wonder's new song that was getting a lot of airtime - she thought Part-Time Lover as Apartheid Lover.

[Beezel]

"wrapped up like a douche"

 

 

Always thought this too!

 

Admittedly, "Benny and the Jets" is easy to misinterpret, but I came to some strange conclusions. Example:

 

Actual lyric: Maybe they're blinded,

But Bennie makes them ageless

 

My lyric: Maybe they're mindless, 

Their daddy makes them minions 

 

Also, I always misheard America's "Sister Golden Hair." 

 

Instead of, "I don't mind saying, I just can't make it," I always heard "Just get naked."  Which really grossed me out as a kid. 

Edited January 17, 2015 by Beezel

[smittykins]

I could be here all night listing all of mine(except ones already mentioned, like Bad Moon Rising), so I'll just do one:

In Jan and Dean's Dead Man's Curve, I misheard "Won't come back from Dead Man's Curve" as "Welcome back..." Which made sense to me since the narrator obviously survived.