Back when it was easy to burn and listen to CDs, my kids continuously tried to pull me into the modern era by curating new music they thought I’d like. They were always spot on and I found tons of good music because of them.
The other day I was listening to one of songs—now on my ultra-hip iTunes playlist—my daughter had sent me years ago. It’s by Mika who sings, “We’re running with blood on our knees.” But what did I hear? “We’re running with mud in our tea.”
Does it make sense? Absolutely not. Did I confidently sing it at the top of my lungs for years? Yes, I did.
But suddenly I heard it differently and, puzzled, went to look up the lyrics. Cue laughter.
How could I so confidently and for so long mishear those lyrics?? And what changed the other day?
I’m also going to confess to singing along with England Dan and John Ford Coley’s “I’m not talkin’ ‘bout movin’ in” as “I’m not talkin’ ‘bout molybdenum” which is weird, unless you know that an older cousin I admired was getting her geology degree. *shrug* That’s my story and I’m sticking with it.
And I’m sure I’m not the only Sunday school kid who thought we were singing about Gladly, the Cross-Eyed Bear.
To soothe my ego, I began searching for others who sang equally weird lyrics and let me tell you … I found some hilarious ones!
• “Strummin’ my veins with his fingers” … instead of Roberta Flack’s “strummin’ my pain”
• “Life in the Vaseline” … instead of the Eagles’ “life in the fast lane”
• “Holy infantry tender and mild” … instead of Silent Night’s “holy infant” [this comes with a cute story, though. Her father was in the Army so it made perfect sense to her child-like worldview.]
• “If she’s beside me I know I’ll need Medicare” … instead of The Beatles’ “I know I need never care”
• “Dancing queen, young and sweet, only seven teeth” … instead of Abba’s “only seventeen”
• “I’m courting a tramp” … instead of Elvis’ “caught in a trap”
• And this two-fer— “Highly indiscreet, that is what we are” and “Ireland’s industry, that is what we are” … instead of Kenny and Dolly’s “islands in the stream”
• “A secondhand emotion” … instead of Smokey Robinson’s “I second that emotion”
• “A singer in a smoky room, smiling wine and sheep perfume” … instead of Journey’s “a smell of wine and cheap perfume”
• “Just wreck my Jeep before you leave” … instead of Juice Newton’s “just touch my cheek before you leave”
• “You’re the wombat I want” … instead of Grease’s “You’re the one that I want”
• “Trixie’s chimpanzees, you hear it from the people in the crowd they holler, ‘Trixie’s chimpanzees’ and every night the men would come around and lay that monkey down” … instead of Cher’s “Gypsies, tramps, and thieves laying their money down”
• “The cat backed into the outhouse” … instead of Elton John’s “you can’t plant me in your penthouse”
• “She’s got electric boobs, her mom has too” … instead of Elton John’s “electric boots, a mohair suit”
• “If you tease me you’ll be sorry, falalalala lalalala” … instead of “’tis the season to be jolly”
• “You picked a fine time to leave me, loose wheel” … instead of Kenny Roger’s “Lucille”
• “Hope you make a lot of nice friends out there, but just remember there’s a lot of bad underwear” … instead of Cat Stevens’ “remember there’s a lot of bad and beware”
• “He ain’t Kevin, he’s my brother” … instead of The Hollies’ “he ain’t heavy”
• And some more name-dropping— “Klaus to the left of me, Joe comes to the right, here I am stuck in the middle with you” … instead of Stealers Wheel “clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right”
• “Desperado, you’ve been outright offensive for so long now” … instead of The Eagles’ “you’ve been out riding fences”
• “Wake me up to pour you cocoa” … instead of Wham’s “wake me up before you go go”
• “Every girl’s crazy ‘bout a shy brass band” … instead of ZZ Top’s “sharp dressed man”
• “Lemming on a bear” … instead of Bon Jovi’s “Living on a prayer”
Got a favorite? Do you have any misheard lyrics you’ll confess to? What kind of music do you like? Do you ever run with mud in your tea?
The Credence Song:
“Don’t go around tonight
Well it’s bound to take your life
There’s a bathroom on the right.”
And Jimi Hendrix: “Scuse Me While I Kiss This Guy.”
They’re called mondegreens, and they are super fun! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mondegreen
Or eggcorns, which is where you mis-hear something, but it makes sense (like calling an acorn an egg-corn, because it’s an egg-shaped seed). https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/articles/spoonerisms-mondegreens-eggcorns-and-malapropisms/
Great links, thank you!! 🙂
Fun trivia!
I mean, bathrooms are essential. And eggcorns sound so cute!
They DO sound cute!
Eggcorns make perfect sense. When my daughter was young, she marveled at the sky one day, saying it was “blueful.” And we always waved to the flutterbies.
I love me a good mondegreen. My favorite, though, is my wife’s mishearing of the Young Rascal’s lyric “you and me endlessly” as “you and me and Leslie,” which she likes to sing to our dog, Ziggy.
Awwwwwww! So cute.
Super sweet!
I sure hope Ziggy appreciates that, Leslie!
These are hilarious! Yes, many such mishears have happened over the years around our house too…my favorite was one of the boys singing “Royals”–instead of “You can call me Queen Bee,” it was “You can call me green bean.” 😉
Oh, that made me legit LOL, Cynthia!
We visited the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix, and I think they had coasters or something with misheard lyrics. One of my favorites was “Sweet dreams are made of cheese” instead of “Sweet dreams are made of these” (Eurythmics).
Classic! And how fun!
I think, but I may be wrong, sweet dreams are made of this. Not these.
The Eye of the Tiger: the last known survivor stalks his bread in the night.
Wait. That’s not right? LOL
LOL
As a fan of R.E.M., I spent the majority of the 1980s having no idea what Michael Stipe was singing about.
Also, I always thought the refrain to Redbone’s “Come and Get Your Love” was “lovin’ each other.” Didn’t know better until the Guardians of the Galaxy film.
LOL! And don’t get me started on how wrong I was about “Greased Lightning”! Oy vey.
I still need to look up a lyric in “Greased Lightning”!
Be vewy, vewy careful! And don’t do what I did and have the realization while you’re singing along with kids in the car. Scandalous!
You must watch the movie.
But does anyone know what “wrapped up in the dushion of the runner in the night” is supposed to be?
“Revved up like a deuce, another runner in the night”
I won’t tell you, though, what I thought it was for waaaay too long ….
But now you have to tell me, don’t you??
Next time I see you, I’ll whisper in your ear.
Really? And a deuce is some kind of engine, I guess. This has ALWAYS been a complete mystery to me. THANKS!
OH, I just found it! It’s like the little deuce coupe! I should have known.
Found this online: “A Deuce Coupe is a 1932 Ford Coupe (deuce being for the year).” But I prefer those cute little Citroen 2CVs, which are called “deux cheveax” (two horses) in French.
Yes, that’s what I found. I’d never thought to liken that lyric to a car.
Kaye, you crack me up! You googled and found little deuce coupe, but never googled the lyrics that flummoxed you for so long?? This is just one of the reasons I love you!
You love me because I’m so dumb? I thought I had them right and just didn’t know what they meant! 🙂
Not dumb! Hilarious! And your point is well-taken. Why look something up when it’s so obviously correct?
Precisely! Love you too!
The Kenny Rogers one is the punch line to a joke: What did the rancher say when his wagon fell apart? You picked a fine time to leave me loose wheel.
There is always the classic, “Hold me closer Tony Danza” instead of “Hold me closer tiny dancer.”
Ha! But once you hear “loose wheel” and “Tony Danza” you simply can’t unhear them!
Not in the slightest. Which is why I know have a lot of the ones in these comments stuck in my head! LOL
I might start singing Dancing Queen that way …
Back in first grade when we learned to salute the flag I heard ” . . .and to the republic for which it stands,” as “and to the republic for Richard Stands.” I wondered for a long time who Richard Stands was.
Oh, I love that one! What if you were a kid named Richard Stands and every day an entire school saluted you! I may have to put that in a book ….
I will always remember Ramona Quimby wondering assuming that Dawnzer was another word for lamp, and that it gives off Lee-light:
“Oh say, can you see, by the Dawnzer Lee-Light…”
ohmygosh, yes! I think of Ramona EVERY time I hear the Star Spangled Banner!
High-larious, Becky!! Big fan of misheard lyrics. I used to have a calendar called Kiss This Guy (a riff on mishearing Hendrix’s Kiss the Sky), which had a different misheard lyric every day.
One of my favorites from the friends and family category is “How’s about a date” instead of “Eyes without a face” by Billy Idol.
Then there’s “Big ol’ Jan in a lineup” instead of “Big old jet airliner” of Steve Miller Band fame. Ha!
Wait. Was that 365 misheard Kiss the Sky lyrics? Cuz that’s a lot!
Yes it was!!
WHAT?? That. is. hilarious! Poor Jimi ….
ACKshually (she deftly segues…) I think this is the key to good Cozy Mystery titles. You take a common phrase or lyric and bastardize it somehow so that it is recognizable, but also fits the subject. Like Plantation Shudders or Police Navidad. 🙂
Correctamundo! she said, channeling Fonzie.
For years, I thought “second-hand emotion” was a real thing. I even came up with a definition: an emotion that feels used or insincere. Which is obviously what the songwriter meant…
I feel like Terry Britten MUST have been aware of that when he wrote “What’s Love Got to do With It?” for Tina Turner.
I absolutely agree, Joni. I’ve always thought a secondhand emotion was one that wasn’t the primary emotion. Like if you’re furious, but also a little chagrined at your fury.
Sooooo, my wife and I were driving along, the girl-child in the back decided to join in singing along to Dream Weaver. She sang Dream Beaver! 🦫 Well, Kathy sprayed her coffee along the windshield and dash. I had to pull over due to hysteria and laugh-crying! Omg! I still torture her to this day about that!
Ack! I just realized I forgot to comment on this hilarious post. Sorry! My lyric misfires? I always thought the lyric in the song “Blinded by the Light” was “wrapped up like a douche” instead of “revved up like a deuce” – still have no idea what THAT means.