# Holy Mondegreen, Batman or I've been stupid wrong for most of my life. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 2, 2011, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-mondegreen-batman-or-ive-been-stupid-wrong-for-most-of-my-life/601662 "2011-11-02T18:42:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2011, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-mondegreen-batman-or-ive-been-stupid-wrong-for-most-of-my-life/601662/41 "2011-11-05T15:34:35Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > Well, how old are you? If you’re under 30, that’s quite understandable. If you’re a bit older and don’t listen to pop, that’s also understandable. [The Sylvers were pretty popular in the '70s](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sylvers). I believe their biggest hit was [Boogie Fever](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHKCHvpYq_8) last heard in the movie Despicable Me. I’m under 30, but I like older music way more than music from my era, in general. I’ll have to check them out – thanks for the info! ---
**Author:** ![fighting\_ignorant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ac8455/32.png) [@fighting\_ignorant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fighting_ignorant)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2011, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-mondegreen-batman-or-ive-been-stupid-wrong-for-most-of-my-life/601662/42 "2011-11-05T15:41:12Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > **Holy Mondegreen, Batman** > > Speaking of Bruce Wayne, I still hear it as “kiss from a rose on the grave”. Still hear “what” as that? In other words, what is the actual original you are mis-hearing? ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2011, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-mondegreen-batman-or-ive-been-stupid-wrong-for-most-of-my-life/601662/43 "2011-11-05T15:41:40Z")
> [@Odesio](#): > > Speaking of Batman, for the longest time I thought the theme to the Adam West version of the show had a chorus singing “Batman” every once in a while. Nope, those were horns. > [@VinylTurnip](#): > > Wikipedia says this is a [“long held myth.”](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batman_Theme) So does [Snopes](http://www.snopes.com/radiotv/music/batman.asp). ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2011, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-mondegreen-batman-or-ive-been-stupid-wrong-for-most-of-my-life/601662/44 "2011-11-05T15:50:00Z")
> [@fighting\_ignorant](#): > > Still hear “what” as that? In other words, what is the actual original you are mis-hearing? The song by Seal, “Kiss From a Rose.” It actually goes, “I compare you to a kiss from a rose on the grey,” not “grave.” ---
**Author:** ![casdave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2011, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-mondegreen-batman-or-ive-been-stupid-wrong-for-most-of-my-life/601662/45 "2011-11-05T16:20:09Z")
> [@](#): > > Coincidentally, yesterday I learned the correct form of an old lyric I’d always been fuzzy on (but not interested enough to seek out the truth): the chorus of the song “I’d Really Love To See You Tonight” by England Dan & John Ford Coley is apparently this: > > I’m not talking 'bout moving in > And I don’t want to change your life > But there’s a warm wind blowing, the stars are out > And I’d really love to see you tonight. I never understood why he seemed to be singing about Bolivia, here’s how I heard it I’m not talking Bolivia And I don’t want to change your life Never thought to look it up, but until today, that’s what I believed it was. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2011, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-mondegreen-batman-or-ive-been-stupid-wrong-for-most-of-my-life/601662/46 "2011-11-05T16:25:55Z")
_I’m not talkin’ 'bout meridian…_ ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2011, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-mondegreen-batman-or-ive-been-stupid-wrong-for-most-of-my-life/601662/47 "2011-11-05T16:35:26Z")
I also thought that a strong wind was blowing the stars around. A really, really strong wind. ---
**Author:** ![Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Springtime_for_Spacers)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2011, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-mondegreen-batman-or-ive-been-stupid-wrong-for-most-of-my-life/601662/48 "2011-11-05T16:43:18Z")
I’ve heard that Motorhead’s Lemmy spent years singing the _eight_ of spades instead of the ace for his own amusement. ---
**Author:** ![Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/half_man_half_wit/32/21766_2.png) [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Half_Man_Half_Wit)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2011, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-mondegreen-batman-or-ive-been-stupid-wrong-for-most-of-my-life/601662/49 "2011-11-05T17:29:46Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > **Holy Mondegreen, Batman** > > Speaking of Bruce Wayne, I still hear it as “kiss from a rose on the grave”. …well I’ll be damned. ---
**Author:** ![Candyman74](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Candyman74](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Candyman74)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2011, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-mondegreen-batman-or-ive-been-stupid-wrong-for-most-of-my-life/601662/50 "2011-11-05T18:03:40Z")
> [@Odesio](#): > > Speaking of Batman, for the longest time I thought the theme to the Adam West version of the show had a chorus singing “Batman” every once in a while. Nope, those were horns. I’m not sure I understand what you mean but I count eleven repetitions of the word “BATMAN!” in the theme tune: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/oDc-1zfffMw/hqdefault.jpg "Batman") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDc-1zfffMw) ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2011, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-mondegreen-batman-or-ive-been-stupid-wrong-for-most-of-my-life/601662/51 "2011-11-05T18:10:54Z")
> [@Candyman74](#): > > I’m not sure I understand what you mean but I count eleven repetitions of the word “BATMAN!” in the theme tune: > > [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDc-1zfffMw](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDc-1zfffMw) The idea is that isn’t someone _saying_ “Batman” but one or more horns blowing two sharp notes that sound like “Batman.” ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Chicago](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Dr\_Chicago](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Chicago)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2011, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-mondegreen-batman-or-ive-been-stupid-wrong-for-most-of-my-life/601662/52 "2011-11-05T18:13:26Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > **Holy Mondegreen, Batman** > > Speaking of Bruce Wayne, I still hear it as “kiss from a rose on the grave”. What?! I had to look it up. I like grave better. Ok, so metal song: In Flames, Crawl Through Knives. ([http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMUuLuwmmBg](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMUuLuwmmBg)) Correct lyrics: It’s burning It’s for me to decide If flames will reach heaven tonight It’s in my hands Misheard lyrics: It’s burning It’s for me to decide If flames will reach heaven tonight It’s in my ass The other was Highway to Hell, though it’s more something you can’t ‘unhear’. Heard it on Howard Stern, who substitutes a racial slur into “Season ticket on a one-way ride.” Each time I hear the song, now, I actively try to reverse this. No luck, no luck. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2011, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-mondegreen-batman-or-ive-been-stupid-wrong-for-most-of-my-life/601662/53 "2011-11-05T18:17:59Z")
> [@Dr\_Chicago](#): > > The other was Highway to Hell, though it’s more something you can’t ‘unhear’. Heard it on Howard Stern, who substitutes a racial slur into “Season ticket on a one-way ride.” Each time I hear the song, now, I actively try to reverse this. No luck, no luck. Is that like whenever I listen to Twisted Sister’s We’re Not Gonna Take It I hear: We’re white-- yeah! We’re free-- yeah! We’ll fight-- yeah! You’ll see! It doesn’t matter that I know that’s not what it says, that’s how I hear it and sing it. Makes many of my friends mental. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Chicago](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Dr\_Chicago](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Chicago)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2011, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-mondegreen-batman-or-ive-been-stupid-wrong-for-most-of-my-life/601662/54 "2011-11-05T18:27:36Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > Is that like whenever I listen to Twisted Sister’s We’re Not Gonna Take It I hear: > > We’re white-- yeah! > We’re free-- yeah! > We’ll fight-- yeah! > You’ll see! > > It doesn’t matter that I know that’s not what it says, that’s how I hear it and sing it. Makes many of my friends mental. Well NOW it is. ---
**Author:** ![Candyman74](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Candyman74](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Candyman74)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2011, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-mondegreen-batman-or-ive-been-stupid-wrong-for-most-of-my-life/601662/55 "2011-11-05T18:41:23Z")
> [@Bosstone](#): > > The idea is that isn’t someone _saying_ “Batman” but one or more horns blowing two sharp notes that sound like “Batman.” That’s _definitely_ someone saying “BATMAN!” No way is it horns. ---
**Author:** ![Batsinma\_Belfry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea5d25/32.png) [@Batsinma\_Belfry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Batsinma_Belfry)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2011, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-mondegreen-batman-or-ive-been-stupid-wrong-for-most-of-my-life/601662/56 "2011-11-06T00:00:57Z")
> [@Candyman74](#): > > That’s _definitely_ someone saying “BATMAN!” No way is it horns. I had a listen, and some of it sounds like the horns, and some of it sounds like words. And count me as number 5 or whatever, who thought it was “Every highway”. ---
**Author:** ![D.Fenestrator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aca169/32.png) [@D.Fenestrator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D.Fenestrator)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2011, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-mondegreen-batman-or-ive-been-stupid-wrong-for-most-of-my-life/601662/57 "2011-11-06T03:24:07Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > I also thought that a strong wind was blowing the stars around. A really, really strong wind. I heard “warm wind blowing the stars around” too, but I just thought the line was really poetic. The real lyric seems blah to me. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2011, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-mondegreen-batman-or-ive-been-stupid-wrong-for-most-of-my-life/601662/58 "2011-11-06T04:07:21Z")
At the coda of _Scenes From an Italian Restaurant_, I like to imagine that Billy Joel leaves off singing about wine and sings: _A bottle of reds Ooh, a bottle of whites Whatever kind of mood you’re in tonight._ ---
**Author:** ![emcee2k](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7bcc69/32.png) [@emcee2k](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emcee2k)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2011, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-mondegreen-batman-or-ive-been-stupid-wrong-for-most-of-my-life/601662/59 "2011-11-06T05:22:39Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > **Holy Mondegreen, Batman** > > Speaking of Bruce Wayne, I still hear it as “kiss from a rose on the grave”. > [@RTFirefly](#): > > For about thirty years, I thought a line from Dylan’s “Tangled Up In Blue” was: > > _We drove that car as far as we could, > abandoned it out west, > split up on **the docks that** night > both agreeing it was best._ > > Which made perfect sense to me - they drove that car as far west as they could, to the Pacific Ocean. That would be where the road would run out of pavement, after all. So of course they split up _on the docks_ that night, they’re at the freakin’ ocean. > > But when I got around to googling the lyrics, it turned out they split up “on _a dark, sad_ night.” :smack: … This is thread is blowing my mind. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2011, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-mondegreen-batman-or-ive-been-stupid-wrong-for-most-of-my-life/601662/60 "2011-11-06T14:09:23Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > At the coda of _Scenes From an Italian Restaurant_, I like to imagine that Billy Joel leaves off singing about wine and sings: > > _A bottle of reds > Ooh, a bottle of whites > Whatever kind of mood you’re in tonight._ In _People Who Died_, the lyric that goes “26 Reds and a bottle of wine”, I always thought it was “26 Reds and a bottle of white”, because not only would White still be wine and so not change the meaning of the line, but it’s also a color and thus also a play on words vis a vis “Red”. I prefer my lyric. Speaking of which, this isn’t a Mondegreen, but while we’re on the topic of better lyrics that don’t change the meaning of a song but simply add better wordplay, in Paul Simon’s _Late in the Evening_, a lyric goes Stepped outside and smoked myself a J… …[snip]… It was late in the evening, and I blew that room away A much better-known phrase than “blew that room away” is “blew that joint away”. Which is a double meaning and thus a better lyric. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-mondegreen-batman-or-ive-been-stupid-wrong-for-most-of-my-life/601662.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-mondegreen-batman-or-ive-been-stupid-wrong-for-most-of-my-life/601662.md?page=4)