# Favorite misheard song lyrics

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-misheard-song-lyrics/682066>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [February 24, 2014, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-misheard-song-lyrics/682066 "2014-02-24T03:58:11Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 20\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![TheChileanBlob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thechileanblob/32/435_2.png) [@TheChileanBlob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheChileanBlob)\
**Post date:** [February 26, 2014, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-misheard-song-lyrics/682066/41 "2014-02-26T18:31:32Z")

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I just remembered this: a few years ago there was a song called “The Diary of Jane,” but the way the guy sings (whiny) it sounds like “The Diarrhea Gang.”

“Ready, Salmonella? Listeria? Campylobacter? By our powers combined, we are…The Diarrhea Gang!”

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**Author:** ![Bozuit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/edb3f5/32.png) [@Bozuit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bozuit)\
**Post date:** [February 26, 2014, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-misheard-song-lyrics/682066/42 "2014-02-26T18:46:32Z")

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> [@swampspruce](#):
>
> Erm, Isn’t that “Hey! Teacher! Leave them kids alone!”?  
> I always thought that sugar bear line from EJ was kind of strange…

That’s the point. He heard it as “Caesar” and was so sure about it (despite the obvious contextual clues) that he ridiculed another for thinking it was “Teacher”.

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**Author:** ![sco3tt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@sco3tt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sco3tt)\
**Post date:** [February 26, 2014, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-misheard-song-lyrics/682066/43 "2014-02-26T19:47:50Z")

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Paul Young: “Every time you go away/You [take a piece of meat](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfk6sCzRTbM#t=63) with you”

It made sense at the time, given that he had done a song called “[Toast](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJmKStqugMc)” earlier. I just assumed he was obsessed with food lyrics a la Weird Al.

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**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\
**Post date:** [February 26, 2014, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-misheard-song-lyrics/682066/44 "2014-02-26T22:20:49Z")

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> [@ThisUsernameIsForbidden](#):
>
> Yeah, I still think the first one is right. What is it supposed to be?

A lot of people hear it as “I’m not talkin’ bout the linen”. Geena Davis and Samuel L. Jackson even argue about it in **The Long Kiss Goodnight**.

Oh, and from the same song: “The wind is blowing the stars around” vs. “The wind is blowing, the stars are out”.

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**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\
**Post date:** [February 27, 2014, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-misheard-song-lyrics/682066/45 "2014-02-27T19:42:47Z")

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Whenever I hear “Life is a Highway”, my brain twists it to:

Your Hershey highway,  
I want to ride it all night long.

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**Author:** ![ThisUsernameIsForbidden](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b4bc9f/32.png) [@ThisUsernameIsForbidden](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThisUsernameIsForbidden)\
**Post date:** [February 27, 2014, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-misheard-song-lyrics/682066/46 "2014-02-27T19:58:34Z")

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That’s pretty awful.

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**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\
**Post date:** [February 27, 2014, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-misheard-song-lyrics/682066/47 "2014-02-27T19:58:54Z")

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**Arthur Shappey** of MJN Air

_“Get dressed you merry gentlemen…”_

(A traditional Christmas Carol)

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**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\
**Post date:** [February 27, 2014, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-misheard-song-lyrics/682066/48 "2014-02-27T20:19:45Z")

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The granddaddy of all misheard lyrics is of course “there’s a bathroom on the right” from Creedence’s “Bad Moon Rising.” I’m amazed we’ve gotten this far into the thread without its being mentioned.

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**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\
**Post date:** [February 27, 2014, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-misheard-song-lyrics/682066/49 "2014-02-27T20:21:34Z")

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From “Groovin’” by the Rascals:

“Life would be ecstasy, you and me and Leslie!”

Who the hell is Leslie, and why does he/she belong in the mix? Is it the girl’s kid?

(It’s you and me endlessly, btw :smack: )

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**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\
**Post date:** [February 27, 2014, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-misheard-song-lyrics/682066/50 "2014-02-27T20:40:50Z")

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I’m usually really good at determining the real lyrics to songs, but one that caught me for years was Rush’s _Limelight_.

Living in the fish islands  
Caught in the camera eye  
I have no heart to lie  
It’s _Living in a fish eye lens_.

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**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\
**Post date:** [February 27, 2014, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-misheard-song-lyrics/682066/51 "2014-02-27T21:02:44Z")

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> [@Leaffan](#):
>
> I’m usually really good at determining the real lyrics to songs, but one that caught me for years was Rush’s _Limelight_.
> 
> Living in the fish islands  
> Caught in the camera eye  
> I have no heart to lie  
> It’s _Living in a fish eye lens_.

You know how you thought something was what it was since forever and you never really thought twice about it? It’s was only within the past year that I realized “Living in a fish island” might not be what they were saying.

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**Author:** ![Zeke\_N.Destroi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/4af34b/32.png) [@Zeke\_N.Destroi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeke_N.Destroi)\
**Post date:** [February 27, 2014, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-misheard-song-lyrics/682066/52 "2014-02-27T22:49:09Z")

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> [@ThisUsernameIsForbidden](#):
>
> 13 months of maybe? What does that even mean?

Really? Some thoughts:

- For just over a year I wondered if she was cheating on me, it was _13 months of maybe_

- I chased this girl for like a year and got nothing but _13 months of maybe_

Not really a hard lyric to interpret. Yes I know it isn’t the correct lyric - just sayin’.

I was about 16 when I figured out that Louis Armstrong was singing, “The bright blessed / The dark sacred night.” Until then, even knowing it had to be wrong, I couldn’t help but hear, “The bright blessed day / The dogs say ‘Goodnight’.”

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**Author:** ![Uther\_Penguin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Uther\_Penguin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uther_Penguin)\
**Post date:** [February 28, 2014, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-misheard-song-lyrics/682066/53 "2014-02-28T17:23:32Z")

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“All I ever wanted, all I ever needed is here, in my arse.”

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**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\
**Post date:** [February 28, 2014, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-misheard-song-lyrics/682066/54 "2014-02-28T19:37:13Z")

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> [@Uther\_Penguin](#):
>
> “All I ever wanted, all I ever needed is here, in my arse.”

😛

“Open up to me, I could do your girlfriends”

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**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\
**Post date:** [February 28, 2014, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-misheard-song-lyrics/682066/55 "2014-02-28T20:31:54Z")

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> [@chappachula](#):
>
> A dozen posts, and nobody has yet mentioned the grandaddy of all misheard lyrics sites:  
> [www.kissthisguy.com](http://www.kissthisguy.com)
> 
> The site name is based on Jimi Hendrix: " 'scuse me, while I kiss the sky".( Get it? Huh? Well,did you?)

Nobody mentioned it because nobody in the history of the world ever actually misheard the song that way. 😛

For years I thought that David Bowie had the best metaphor in rock when he sang:

Ashes to ashes  
Fuck to fuck it

What a disappointment to find out it was really:

Ashes to ashes  
Funk to funky

Dylan had a great line in “Jokerman” when I thought it was:

Resting in the fields, far from the turbulent space  
Half asleep near the stars with a small dark look on your face

But no, it’s the more mundane:

Resting in the fields, far from the turbulent space  
Half asleep near the stars with a small dog licking your face

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\
**Post date:** [February 28, 2014, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-misheard-song-lyrics/682066/56 "2014-02-28T22:28:42Z")

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[QUOTE=Exapno Mapcase;17150901But no, it’s the more mundane:

Resting in the fields, far from the turbulent space  
Half asleep near the stars with a small dog licking your face[/QUOTE]

I couldn’t believe “Hunting the horny back toad” was really the correct line in Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.

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**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\
**Post date:** [March 1, 2014, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-misheard-song-lyrics/682066/57 "2014-03-01T00:44:35Z")

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The last line of Boston’s “More Than A Feeling” is “I see Mary Ann walk away.” For many years, I thought it was “to sever me off from the world”.

R.E.M.'s “What’s The Frequency, Kenneth” has the line “You wear a shirt of violent green”. Again for many years, I thought it was “You want to shudder violently”.

One of the best-known examples of this is the Raspberries’ “Go All The Way”. The song is NOT called “Don’t Go Away”. 😛

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**Author:** ![Accidental\_Martyr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ce7236/32.png) [@Accidental\_Martyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Accidental_Martyr)\
**Post date:** [March 1, 2014, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-misheard-song-lyrics/682066/58 "2014-03-01T01:48:22Z")

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I submit this conversation between me and my cousin in 1979 when we were 11 years old. (OK, the dialogue may not be 100% correct but the story is.)  
Cousin: Have you heard that song “Vie Sarona”?  
Me: What? You mean, “My Sharona”?  
Cousin: No, it’s “Vie Sarona.”  
Me: What are you talking about? That doesn’t even make sense. The guy is  
singing about his girlfriend. Her name’s Sharona. “My Sharona.”  
Cousin: No it isn’t. It’s “Vie Sarona.”  
Me: WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?! THAT DOESN’T MAKE SENSE!  
Cousin: It’s “Vie Sarona.”

* * *

My cousin wasn’t the smartest kid in town. 😉

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Pine\_Fresh\_Scent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/43a26b/32.png) [@Pine\_Fresh\_Scent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pine_Fresh_Scent)\
**Post date:** [March 1, 2014, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-misheard-song-lyrics/682066/59 "2014-03-01T21:05:26Z")

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[“Set the dog on fire.”](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Ml2kBTrStM&feature=player_detailpage#t=65)

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**Author:** ![DuckOnWheels](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6de8d8/32.png) [@DuckOnWheels](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DuckOnWheels)\
**Post date:** [March 10, 2014, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-misheard-song-lyrics/682066/60 "2014-03-10T01:39:15Z")

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Eddie Money: ‘I think I’m in love / and I can’t get it up’ (the things love’ll do to a guy sometimes!)

It actually is ‘And I can’t get enough’

Then there’s one I was SURE could not be the actual lyric but WAS:  
The Cars: ‘It’s an ORANGY sky / always with some other guy’ (Is “orangy” a word?)

In that same song, I thought ‘It’s just a broken lullaby" was, well, an EFFIN’ lullaby.

Singers shouldn’t mutter.

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