Misheard song lyrics

[dcharlie]

CCR's Bad Moon Rising "There's a Bathroom on the Right".  On Fogerty's new live CD he even sings it once.

I heard bathroom on the right as well...

[1995hoo]

"I'm your penis!...It's on fire!...You, have perspired!"?  (OK...something like that!)

When I first heard "Sledgehammer" (1986) by Peter Gabriel, I misheard one line. He sings "Show me round your fruit cage". I thought he was saying fruit cake. Not unless the lyrics about sex was for the holidays. 

You're saying he's not saying fruit cake?

[KEVIN_224]

YUP! It's exactly what I'm saying. This is a good related read:

https://genius.com/Peter-gabriel-sledgehammer-lyrics

[jp the roadgeek]

Rush's Spirit of Radio

Correct Lyric: Invisible airwaves crackle with life/ Brilliant antennae bristle with the energy

Misheard Lyric: Invisible airwaves crackle with life/ Playing Nintendo whistle with the energy


The Grateful Dead's Truckin'

Correct Lyric: Arrows of neon on flashing marquees out on Main Street

Misheard Lyric: Arrows of neon I'm flashing my keys out on Main Street

[texaskdog]

"You See in the Sky with Fire" (Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds)
"Ribeye, Wholesome, Listen to the Band" (If I only listen to the band)
"Bread and Butter Bread and Butter" (ZZ Top-La Grange)
"here we are now, entertainers" (Nirvana)

[Flint1979]

"You See in the Sky with Fire" (Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds)
"Ribeye, Wholesome, Listen to the Band" (If I only listen to the band)
"Bread and Butter Bread and Butter" (ZZ Top-La Grange)
"here we are now, entertainers" (Nirvana)

I just heard Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds on the radio yesterday. It was part of a quiz. The question was in Elton John's cover of Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds who played rhythm guitar? If I had called in I would have got it right it was John Lennon there were people guessing George Harrison and Eric Clapton. I'm thinking to myself those are lead guitarists not Rhythm guitarists.

[hbelkins]

Rush's Spirit of Radio

Correct Lyric: Invisible airwaves crackle with life/ Bright antennae bristle with the energy

FIFY

[cwf1701]

Jimmy Castor Bunch - Troglodyte (Cave Man):
Incorrect lyric: Dynamite Woman (repeat 3 times)
Correct lyric: Gotta find a woman (repeat 3 times)

[Buck87]

So here's one I just tonight realized I was hearing wrong...

I'm not very familiar with Judas Priest, and I tend to kinda zone out during commercials and not pay very close attention to them......so for the past couple weeks I was thinking the song in one of the Aaron Rodgers State Farm Commercials was saying "Frankie Malone! Frankie Malone!"

It's "Breaking the law! Breaking the law!"

[Verlanka]

Hearing Wilco's "You and I" I always think "you will die" for some reason.

[roadman65]

I actually had some classmates of mine make fun of the song Pass The Dutchie On The Left Hand Side and insert "Pussy" for Dutchie.  Did not know of the song on radio, but when I did I actually believed that was the lyric of the song, and felt another group busted the censorship barrier once again.  Yes, REO Speedwagon in Tough Guys said the word shit that made a controversy.   Then Good ole Charlie Daniels  with his Devil Went Down To Georgia song and using the line "SOB" that had some stations play the edited version that Daniels was forced to make a change to Son of a Gun to please the public of a time where certain things were like forbidden. 

Funny as Charlie Daniels now is born again and sings songs about God.  Ironic that he of all took part in changing public radio despite the censorship was cause of the Judeo Christian values this country used in the decades before he now embraces in his own personal life.  Then again the Producer of The Passion appeared in Lethal Weapon with his bare ass to the world.

Anyway, the song Blinded By The Light has some people mistaking the lyrics considering that Manfred Mann and Springsteen both have somewhat different lines in the song.  I believe Earlie Curly Worly in the original Bruce song was a different name than what Manfred Mann used.   Then at first I always thought wrapped up like a duce was wrapped up like a douche.   

Only in one song by Prince you are not hearing things.  There is Pussy Control that is what you hear.

[texaskdog]

I actually had some classmates of mine make fun of the song Pass The Dutchie On The Left Hand Side and insert "Pussy" for Dutchie.  Did not know of the song on radio, but when I did I actually believed that was the lyric of the song, and felt another group busted the censorship barrier once again.  Yes, REO Speedwagon in Tough Guys said the word shit that made a controversy.   Then Good ole Charlie Daniels  with his Devil Went Down To Georgia song and using the line "SOB" that had some stations play the edited version that Daniels was forced to make a change to Son of a Gun to please the public of a time where certain things were like forbidden. 

Funny as Charlie Daniels now is born again and sings songs about God.  Ironic that he of all took part in changing public radio despite the censorship was cause of the Judeo Christian values this country used in the decades before he now embraces in his own personal life.  Then again the Producer of The Passion appeared in Lethal Weapon with his bare ass to the world.

Anyway, the song Blinded By The Light has some people mistaking the lyrics considering that Manfred Mann and Springsteen both have somewhat different lines in the song.  I believe Earlie Curly Worly in the original Bruce song was a different name than what Manfred Mann used.   Then at first I always thought wrapped up like a duce was wrapped up like a douche.   

Only in one song by Prince you are not hearing things.  There is Pussy Control that is what you hear.

Pass by "in his Curly Wurly"...I think

Thanks Prince if you've ever had an uber passenger pee in your car you'd appreciate that.

[michravera]

Funny as Charlie Daniels now is born again and sings songs about God.  Ironic that he of all took part in changing public radio despite the censorship was cause of the Judeo Christian values this country used in the decades before he now embraces in his own personal life.  Then again the Producer of The Passion appeared in Lethal Weapon with his bare ass to the world.

Anyway, the song Blinded By The Light has some people mistaking the lyrics considering that Manfred Mann and Springsteen both have somewhat different lines in the song.  I believe Earlie Curly Worly in the original Bruce song was a different name than what Manfred Mann used.   Then at first I always thought wrapped up like a duce was wrapped up like a douche.   

I always thought that Charlie Daniels' reference to the Devil as an SOB was grounded in piety for God and contempt for the Devil. I haven't heard him sing the song live in a while, so I don't know how he renders it today.

You are right that Manfred Mann's and Springsteen's lyrics differ. For one, Manfred Mann uses only about *HALF* of Springsteen's lyrics.

"... And Little Early Pearly came by in *HER* curly wurly and asked me, if I needed a ride." undergoes a gender swap in the Manfred Mann version. It becomes "... in *HIS* curly wurly ..." which is actually incredulous. "An short in stature African-American prostitute with really white teeth drove up to solicit me in a big 50s-era American-tagged car with huge fins."

"... Take a right at the light and keep going straight until night and after that you're on your own"
"Some hazard from Harvard was skunked on beer playing backyard bombardier"
"Some fresh-sown moonstone was messing with his frozen zone to remind him of the feeling of romance"
"Flesh-pot mascot whispered 'Daddy's within earshot' Save the buckshot! Turn up the band!"
"Scotland Yard was trying hard. They sent some dude with a calling card. He said 'Do what you like, but don't do it here.'"

[dlsterner]

I actually had some classmates of mine make fun of the song Pass The Dutchie On The Left Hand Side and insert "Pussy" for Dutchie.  Did not know of the song on radio, but when I did I actually believed that was the lyric of the song, and felt another group busted the censorship barrier once again.

There actually was a change to clean up the lyrics in "Pass The Dutchie".  The original version was titled "Pass The Kouchie", where "kouchie" is slang for a marijuana pipe.  As the version most of are familiar with was being recorded by a group of teenagers, it was felt a song with drug related lyrics was inappropriate.  Hence the change to "Dutchie" which was slang for a cooking pot.

[Rothman]

I actually had some classmates of mine make fun of the song Pass The Dutchie On The Left Hand Side and insert "Pussy" for Dutchie.  Did not know of the song on radio, but when I did I actually believed that was the lyric of the song, and felt another group busted the censorship barrier once again.

There actually was a change to clean up the lyrics in "Pass The Dutchie".  The original version was titled "Pass The Kouchie", where "kouchie" is slang for a marijuana pipe.  As the version most of are familiar with was being recorded by a group of teenagers, it was felt a song with drug related lyrics was inappropriate.  Hence the change to "Dutchie" which was slang for a cooking pot.

I remember interviews with the singers and they couldn't say they were singing about a cooking pot with a straight face.

[texaskdog]

I actually had some classmates of mine make fun of the song Pass The Dutchie On The Left Hand Side and insert "Pussy" for Dutchie.  Did not know of the song on radio, but when I did I actually believed that was the lyric of the song, and felt another group busted the censorship barrier once again.

There actually was a change to clean up the lyrics in "Pass The Dutchie".  The original version was titled "Pass The Kouchie", where "kouchie" is slang for a marijuana pipe.  As the version most of are familiar with was being recorded by a group of teenagers, it was felt a song with drug related lyrics was inappropriate.  Hence the change to "Dutchie" which was slang for a cooking pot.

I remember interviews with the singers and they couldn't say they were singing about a cooking pot with a straight face.

How does it feel when you've got no food?

[roadman]

In the live version of Jerry Jeff Walker's LA Freeway, I originally thought he was singing "Forty boxes of vanilla wafers" instead of "A moldy box of vanilla wafers".  Finally realized what the line was when I heard the studio version some years later.

[Buck87]

Daydream Believer - The Monkees

actual line: "Oh what can it mean"
what I thought as a kid: "Owatt County Queen"

[OracleUsr]

I just thought of two:

When I was six, I asked my parents if they had ever heard of the song about the Owl.  You know, "She's a great....OWWWWWLLL" rather than Brick House, by the Commodores.

And I frequent an Italian restaurant who I thought at first was playing some song about a paper latte, when it actually was the Sicilian Folk Song, Eh Cumpari (sp?)

And, until I tried to sing (quite badly, I admit) Shinedown's Sound of Madness at karaoke, I thought Brent Smith was singing "you've been bitten, by a social disease, well, here's your medicine" 

It's actually INFECTED by a social disease

[1995hoo]

On Saturday I was on my way back from the grocery store when "Drift Away" came on the radio. The first few times I heard that song way back when, I thought it sounded like "Give me the Beach Boys and free my soul ...."

[NWI_Irish96]

Neither of these make any sense but when I was a kid it's what I thought they said.

In "Africa" instead of there's nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do, I heard, there's nothing that a hundred men on board could ever do.

In "Another Brick in the Wall Part II" instead of All in all you're just another brick in the wall, I heard, all in all you're just a mother breakin' the law.

[roadman]

On Saturday I was on my way back from the grocery store when "Drift Away" came on the radio. The first few times I heard that song way back when, I thought it sounded like "Give me the Beach Boys and free my soul ...."

I used to think the same thing when I heard that song as a kid.

[texaskdog]

On Saturday I was on my way back from the grocery store when "Drift Away" came on the radio. The first few times I heard that song way back when, I thought it sounded like "Give me the Beach Boys and free my soul ...."

I used to think the same thing when I heard that song as a kid.

Makes that terrible song better

[texaskdog]

Neither of these make any sense but when I was a kid it's what I thought they said.

In "Africa" instead of there's nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do, I heard, there's nothing that a hundred men on board could ever do.

Africa is a terrible one.  I test the brains down in Africa.

[1995hoo]

Neither of these make any sense but when I was a kid it's what I thought they said.

In "Africa" instead of there's nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do, I heard, there's nothing that a hundred men on board could ever do.

Africa is a terrible one.  I test the brains down in Africa.

I know a guy whose daughter thought it was "I left my brains down in Africa."