mis-heard lyrics - aka mondegreens

[Guest W***ledi*Time]

When I was a tyke, I was mystified by certain of the words to "God Save the Queen", which back then was sung at the start of every school day. I proudly belted-out:

 

"Send her victorious, happy and glorious, long to Raynoverous". As I did so, I pictured, in my mind's eye, some obscure place in the far-flung British Empire named Raynoverous - a place, I had no doubt, which had been the site of an epoch-making clash in Brittania's history. But I never did find that place of Imperial Glory on any globe, ha ha.

 

I was reminded of this not long ago by Randy Bachman's book "Vinyl Tap Stories". Of course, mis-hearing lyrics (such as "long to reign over us") has a long and honourable history.

 

They're also called "mondegreens" - a term apparently coined by Sylvia Wright in 1954. Wright, as a child, mis-heard the last line of "The Bonny Earl O'Moray":

 

Ye Highlands and ye Lowlands,

Oh, where hae ye been?

They hae slain the Earl O' Moray,

And Lady Mondegreen

. (actually reads "And laid him on the green"

 

 

A couple of my own favourite mondegreens I've heard from other people:

 

"'S'cuse me while I kiss this guy"

(Jimi Hendrix, Purple Haze, "S'cuse me, while I kiss the sky")

 

"I wanna rock and roll all night -

and part of every day

"

(Kiss, Rock and Roll all Night, "I wanna rock and roll all night - and party every day")

 

 

Another one of my own mistakes (I'll always sing it this way, I don't care that I'm wrong):

 

"

She's got electric boobs

..."

(Elton John, Benny and the Jets, "She's got electric boots ...")

 

 

I remember that "The Vacant Lot" had a hilarious sketch on their old TV show about this one:

 

"

Wrapped up like a douche

Another rumour in the night"

(Manfred Mann, Blinded by the Light, "Revved up like a deuce Another runner in the night")

 

 

Supposedly CCR catered to the mondegreen phenomenon by actually singing this oft-mis-heard version in concert:

 

"

There's a bathroom on the right

..."

(Creedence Clearwater Revivel, Bad Moon Rising, "There's a Bad Moon on the Rise")

 

 

I'm sure there's no end to them! Share your favourites?

[Studio 110 by Sophia 150333]

OMG!!! So funny WIT!! You had me in stitches reading these:) I will get back to you on this, as I am stumped, but I know I have had many!

[Athos 108589]

Don't know whether they still do it, but the Guardian used to have a weekly column devoted to these. It was always brilliantly funny! People would send theirs in.

[Annessa 22743]

Our friend's band sometimes plays the song suspicious Minds and sees if anyone notices them saying "I'm caught in a tramp"

 

(supposed to be "trap") ;-)

 

gives us the giggles... hehe

[AndyofHalifax 15339]

When I was a kid, I always thought that the line from "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" was

 

Now bring us from friggin' pudding.

[rdymango 673]

The first time my Great Uncle heard the song, "Ghostbusters," he thought the chorus was, "Those Bastards!" "Who you gonna call? Those bastards!" To this day it still makes me laugh when I think of it.

[Phaedrus 209521]

"'S'cuse me while I kiss this guy"

(Jimi Hendrix, Purple Haze, "S'cuse me, while I kiss the sky")

 

Really? Learn something new every day...

 

Anyway, my favorite:

 

We're trash, you and me

We're the nipples in the trees,

We're the lovers on the streets

 

Suede, Trash

 

I have no idea how I ever mis-heard that so badly, but I did. Repeatedly.

[mrgreen760 37785]

A friend thought the chorus from the Police song, Canary in a Coal Mine was rather than canary in a coal mine....she sang....I got married in a coma.

 

Her mis-heard lyrics actual made more sense to me :)

 

Peace

MG

[Studio 110 by Sophia 150333]

A friend thought the chorus from the Police song, Canary in a Coal Mine was rather than canary in a coal mime....she sang....I got married in a coma.

 

Her mis-heard lyrics actual made more sense to me :)

 

Peace

MG

 

OMG!! That is all I can say........so Fing cute:)