This is a sort of odd concept to explain, so bear with me here:
Songs have their “actual” lyrics, as sung by the artist, but it’s not uncommon for people to come up with “alternative” lyrics that can end up being just as well known.
For example, many in Australia will be familiar with the humorous alternative chorus to the AC/DC classic, It’s a Long Way To The Top… the actual lyrics (for the Classic Rock impaired) are “It’s a long way to the top, if you want to rock & roll”. It is, of course, far more fun to replace this with “It’s a long way to the shop, if you want a sausage roll.”
Similarly, AC/DCs hit Dirty Deeds (“Dirty Deeds, and they’re done dirt cheap”) can be replaced with “Dirty Deeds, and they’re done with sheep” (especially if there are New Zealanders present ), whilst “Weird Al” Yankvoic has a lot to answer for as a result of recording Another One Rides The Bus (taking the piss out of Another One Bites The Dust by Queen)
So, what I’m looking for here are other songs that have well-known “alternative” lyrics to the ones the artist usually sings… Anyone got any favourites they’d like to share?
Just to head this off at the pass, I presume you’re not after mondegreens (where people mishear the lyrics), you’re after instances where someone has knowingly swapped the lyrics for something else…
The original lyrics of the song In-a-gadda-da-vida were supposedly “in the garden of eden” but were so slurred and incomprehensible that the song was even titled in-a-gadda-da-vida.
), whilst “Weird Al” Yankvoic has a lot to answer for as a result of recording Another One Rides The Bus (taking the piss out of Another One Bites The Dust by Queen)