Heh, just recently I was listening to “Gettin’ Jiggy wit it” on the radio and there’s a line where he says (I’m pretty sure) “Used to play ball with Shaq and 'em” but it sounds all the world like "Used to play ball with Shatner! Too much time on the SDMB, no doubt.
I can top all of yas though. I was at the neighborhood bar and flipping through the jukebox and I asked the bartender “Who sings that song about stone fences people play all the time?” She had no idea what I was talking about and almost died laughing when I sang for her “Oh, I got nothin’ 'gainst stone fences…” (Friends in Low Places by Garth Brooks)
The problem with stuff like this is that I never can remember all of my good ones at once. Here are a few more:
Well, we’ve heard three versions of “Big Ol’ Jet Airliner”, so let me add a fourth. For a long time, I thought it was “There go Jed and Lionel, don’t carry me too far away…” I also thought that the Lynyrd Skynyrd song “Three Steps” went: “Oh won’t you give me free sex, give me free sex, mister…” Needless to say, I was very confused. However, my sister could be even worse. One day, we were talking about The Doors, and the song “Break On Through” came up. My sister sang the first verse, or what she thought was the first verse: “Ya know the day destroys the night, ninety times a day…” I, for my part, collapsed into hysterics.
If I remember any more, it will probably be long after this thread is buried, so I’m not going to worry about it anymore.
An infinite number of rednecks in an infinite number of pickup trucks shooting an infinite number of shotguns at an infinite number of road signs will eventually produce all the world’s great works of literature in Braille.
Well, kepi was wrong, but I think the Ladies make some errors themselves in that song. I have the CD, and the lyrics printed in the liner notes are most DEFINITELY not what actually gets sung. (Well, just for a verse or so.) There’s a little bit that degenerates into complete nonsense, with a few words intelligble here and there. I can’t understand what they’re singing about, but it’s not Luke Skywalker, which is what the lyrics say. Which they probably did on purpose. “Hey, let’s sing some complete nonsense and then print completely random lyrics! No one will have the slightest clue what we’re actually saying!”
I’m usually pretty good at deciphering lyrics, but the Hollies’ Long Cool Woman, had me beaten. I always heard them singing “Just rotten luck I was a fat mess. 'Cause that long cool woman had it all.”
The all-time most misheard song ever is ELO’s “Evil Woman”. Everyone hears it as “medieval woman”. In fact it was at a site listed above I found out that is not the offical lyric. It is just “evil woman”. The chorus pitch shifts just right to sound consistent.
Metallica is pretty good and incomprehensible. What’s the one about Molly’s chamber, and shooting his dad? Whiskey in the jarro?
“I put a rained on the hood of a jarro,
Ough ow, dairy-o
There’s whiskey in the jarro.”
I have a lot of trouble listening to rock music and picking out the lyrics. It seems to me most songs are mixed where the music drowns out the words. Like Garbage. I like the sound, and was trying to get the lyrics. Some were slurred and garbled. I got the CD for x-mas, and thought I’d now be able to sing along, but NOOOO, they don’t bother to print the lyrics - just an short line or two from each song. Thanks. Still have no clue what some of those lines are. Okay, I think I can figure out “Queer”.
One of my favorites… listen to Living Colour’s “Cult of Personality”. At the end he goes into a series of nine or so “I’m the cult of…” Next time you hear the song, sing on the first four or so
“I’m your tow truck,” then that’s all you’ll hear when he says it. Really. It’s amazing, and funny as hell.
Bob Dylan is legendary. I once heard him perform for an awards show (MTV Music Awards?). He was indecypherable.
“Ha nuh nuh veel,
Ha nuh nuh veel,
To me aw yaw oh,
Wi’ no nirecsha ohh.
Li ah omple unown.
Li ah ollah sone.”
Or something like that. Hysterical.
Bruce Springstein does a good impression. What, he’s not trying to do an impression?
From Pearl Jam’s “Jeremy”
“He knashed his teeth and bit the recess lady’s breast.” Is that supposed to be wrist?
I always heard “breast”. And I always wondered how the poor Recess Lady felt about that. That’s just gotta hurt. And what, exactly, was the Recess Lady doing with this obviously disturbed child that would allow him to place his teeth on her busom? I dare say that was the last time she attempted to soothe an upset student with a hug…
I’m a huge REM fan and I have hardly ever understood their lyrics, and when I do hear it I think Nah, he’s not saying that.
RE: Bob Dylan, the song he did on the awards show was " Masters of War", I didn’t pick it up from the lyrics (which were indecipherable), the melody (wich was made up on the spot, but the rhythm. He also did it at about 3 times its normal speed, with a long guitar solo which was basically one note repeated ad nausem. Veery bizarre It was done as a big f you to the awards show, which gave him a piddling lifetime achievement award. A month later I heard him on another award show and he sang perfectly (well for Bob anyhow)
If you can’t figure out the Stones lyrics, they usually don’t make much sense when you read them on paper. I find it somewhat puzzling why I like the stones even though I don’t think much of the lyrics. I guess it’s how you say it, not what you say.
Oh, the garbled lyrics–there’s lots, but I lost interest in most. Heard the usual examples too many times.
There was a song a good while back, I have no idea who sang it, but I think it was called, "Don’t You Want Me Baby?? If not, that was one of the lyrics. I heard a friend of mine singing it, and he was singing, “Don’t Chew On Me Baby”
It was hilarious at the time, and still brings a smile to me when I think of it.
“Denial ain’t just a river in Egypt” Stuart Smalley
Thank you MoosieGirl, it’s a pleasure to be here among such seemingly fine folks. I hope to enjoy a long and harmonious relationship with everyone here !!
Quick note about “What’s the Frequency, Kenneth?”, there’s a point near the end of the song where MS sings “Don’t fuck with me.”, but you have to listen really carefully for it. He sings it right after singing the titular line: “What’s the frequency, Kenneth? Don’t fuck with me, ahh, ahh.”