# Christmas Mondegreens

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-mondegreens/429607>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [December 11, 2007, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-mondegreens/429607 "2007-12-11T14:00:05Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\
**Post date:** [December 12, 2007, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-mondegreens/429607/21 "2007-12-12T14:42:51Z")

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Not a mondegreen but… From the lines:

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.

I thought it was an invitation for promiscuity.

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**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\
**Post date:** [December 13, 2007, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-mondegreens/429607/22 "2007-12-13T13:17:31Z")

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[QUOTE=Khadaji]  
Not a mondegreen but… From the lines:

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.

I thought it was an invitation for promiscuity.  
[/QUOTE]

I always thought it was “and pretend that he is parse and brown.”

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**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\
**Post date:** [December 13, 2007, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-mondegreens/429607/23 "2007-12-13T15:52:33Z")

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When I was in 3rd or 4th grade, my class was caused to sing a version of Como’s [C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S](http://www.lyricsplanet.com/index.php3?style=lyrics&id=54460). As a Jewish kid, most of the words meant nothing to me, and since we were taught it orally, with no reference to written lyrics, I wasn’t helped any. For years I thought the line “R’s for our Redeemer” was “R’s for R. E. Deemer,” which made much more sense than “R” standing for “Our.” (It didn’t help the song any that this is the only line where the acronym is interrupted by an extra word.)

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**Author:** ![WF\_Tomba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d9b06d/32.png) [@WF\_Tomba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WF_Tomba)\
**Post date:** [December 16, 2007, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-mondegreens/429607/24 "2007-12-16T01:03:01Z")

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It’s not a mondegreen unless someone really thought they heard the lyrics that way. When I first heard “Silver Bells”, I thought it began like this:

_City cyborgs, busy cyborgs, dressed in holiday style . . ._

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**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\
**Post date:** [December 16, 2007, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-mondegreens/429607/25 "2007-12-16T16:33:03Z")

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[From Snopes](http://www.snopes.com/holidays/christmas/humor/mondegreens.asp). They’ve got a few more.

Good King Wences’ car backed out  
On the feet of heathens  
When the snow lay round about,  
Deep and crisp and even.

Brightly shone the moon that night  
Though the frost was cruel,  
When a poor man came in sight  
Gath’ring wine and gruel.

Good king wants his applesauce  
At the feast this evening  
When the snow lay round about,  
Deep and crisp and even.

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**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\
**Post date:** [December 16, 2007, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-mondegreens/429607/26 "2007-12-16T16:41:35Z")

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And imagine that! Another yutz who didn’t read the OP! :smack: :smack: :smack:

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