# Lyrics that almost everyone gets wrong... **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 3, 2009, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lyrics-that-almost-everyone-gets-wrong/488150 "2009-03-03T16:08:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2009, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lyrics-that-almost-everyone-gets-wrong/488150/21 "2009-03-03T22:18:59Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > I always thought the R.E.M. line was “Trying to keep an eye on you.” He does sing that at least once - “trying to keep an eye on you/like a hurt lost and blinded fool.” ---
**Author:** ![Harriet\_the\_Spry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e56c9b/32.png) [@Harriet\_the\_Spry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harriet_the_Spry)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2009, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lyrics-that-almost-everyone-gets-wrong/488150/22 "2009-03-03T22:48:10Z")
OK, I must confess this one. I think this is probably only me, but perhaps others will come out of the woodwork. From Steely Dan, _Hey Nineteen_, a song I’ve known for decades. I just figured this out a couple months ago. What I always thought was “Look where we’ll go, look why we’re runnin’” is actually “The Cuervo Gold, the fine Colombian” I laughed half to death when I realized how far off I was. It’s especially funny because of how he enunciates “the fine Co-lom-bi-an.” My excuse is that I was too young to know what that was about when I first heard the song. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2009, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lyrics-that-almost-everyone-gets-wrong/488150/23 "2009-03-03T22:48:17Z")
“I’m not talking 'bout the linen” and “There’s a warm wind blowing the stars around” seem pretty common. Enunciate, England Dan and John Ford Coley!! ---
**Author:** ![Alan\_Bird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b3f665/32.png) [@Alan\_Bird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alan_Bird)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2009, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lyrics-that-almost-everyone-gets-wrong/488150/24 "2009-03-03T23:29:02Z")
> [@Harriet\_the\_Spry](#): > > OK, I must confess this one. I think this is probably only me, but perhaps others will come out of the woodwork. > > From Steely Dan, _Hey Nineteen_, a song I’ve known for decades. I just figured this out a couple months ago. > > What I always thought was “Look where we’ll go, look why we’re runnin’” is actually “The Cuervo Gold, the fine Colombian” > > I laughed half to death when I realized how far off I was. It’s especially funny because of how he enunciates “the fine Co-lom-bi-an.” I too heard it wrong for years. I got the Cuervo Gold mention but thought the next words were “Fine Coke, rum in” in keeping with the booze theme. Or the coke might have been cocaine. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2009, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lyrics-that-almost-everyone-gets-wrong/488150/25 "2009-03-03T23:32:28Z")
A college friend of mine was most upset by John Cougar Mellencamp’s antireligious attitude in “Ain’t that America”. He thought the line was “He’s got an interstate running through his front yard - \*\*he thinks his God is so great \*\*” vice the correct “He thinks he’s got it so great” ---
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2009, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lyrics-that-almost-everyone-gets-wrong/488150/26 "2009-03-04T02:46:22Z")
> [@Nobody](#): > > I always thought it was “Trying to keep a view” and never knew what the heck he meant by that. > > Are you saying the actual lyrics are O’ Lord? Because I’m pretty sure it’s Hold on. I rest my case… ---
**Author:** ![Baal\_Houtham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baal_houtham/32/13604_2.png) [@Baal\_Houtham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baal_Houtham)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2009, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lyrics-that-almost-everyone-gets-wrong/488150/27 "2009-03-04T04:13:45Z")
Well, this is one that I don’t know if “almost everyone” gets wrong, but in James Taylor’s _Sweet Baby James_ it took me 20 years to learn that the lyric was not… _All the birches seemed dream-like on account of that frosting,_ but was rather… _All the Berkshires seemed dream-like…_ I know a fairly obscure song that almost everyone gets wrong. There’s a “cowboy” song called _Cowpoke_ that’s been covered by several people including Riders In the Sky, Eddy Arnold and Hank Williams Jr. I looked up the lyrics one time and came across about 10 sites that had it transcribed as: I ain’t got a dime in these old worn out jeans So I’ll stop eatin’ steak and go back to beans I’ll pick up a ten spot and press God I know Well I’m ridin’ the broncs in the big rodeo. Finally I found one site that had it correct and it was kind of funny, because it read like this: [I’ll pick up a ten spot in Prescott I know (not press God) From ridin’ the broncs in the big rodeo.](http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/Cowpoke-lyrics-/AD2238C8AEECEC2D48256E700028A41E) Incidentally, Prescott is a city located in between Cheyenne and Douglas (which are mentioned in the song’s first line.) ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2009, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lyrics-that-almost-everyone-gets-wrong/488150/28 "2009-03-04T05:20:46Z")
> [@Harriet\_the\_Spry](#): > > …I laughed half to death when I realized how far off I was. It’s especially funny because of how he enunciates “the fine Co-lom-bi-an.”… For years I thought he was singing “the fine comb run me in” which doesn’t make any freaking sense. Do people really think Alanis Morrissette sings about “the cross-eyed bear that you gave to me” in _You Oughta Know_? I like it so much more than “cross I bear” that I sing along using the wrong lyric. ---
**Author:** ![Darwins\_Finch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darwins_finch/32/20304_2.png) [@Darwins\_Finch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darwins_Finch)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2009, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lyrics-that-almost-everyone-gets-wrong/488150/29 "2009-03-04T05:58:09Z")
If you want to go “really old school”: _On the fourth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me [four calling birds](http://hubpages.com/hub/On_the_Fourth_Day_of_Christmas)…_ ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2009, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lyrics-that-almost-everyone-gets-wrong/488150/30 "2009-03-04T06:56:15Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > Though that is a rather famous mis-heard lyric, I’ve never actually met anyone who thought those were the lyrics to the song. I thought that was the lyric until I was eighteen and I saw it in one of those misheard lyric books that people use as stocking stuffers. I was shocked to realize I’d been hearing it wrong my whole life. (My dad is the world’s biggest Hendrix fan and I was sure that if there was anything I knew by heart, it’d be Purple Haze. Shows what I know.) ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2009, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lyrics-that-almost-everyone-gets-wrong/488150/31 "2009-03-04T07:12:52Z")
> [@Harriet\_the\_Spry](#): > > From Steely Dan, _Hey Nineteen_, a song I’ve known for decades. I just figured this out a couple months ago. > > What I always thought was “Look where we’ll go, look why we’re runnin’” is actually “The Cuervo Gold, the fine Colombian” Hahahaha! That’s an awesome one! I always assumed that “Blinded by the light” simply _couldn’t_ reference a douche, but I never could figure out a phrase that would make sense. It still barely makes sense when I hear the correct lyrics. I KNOW I have some doozies that I misheard, but I can’t think of any right now. I’ll be back, I’m sure… Joe ---
**Author:** ![Junior\_Spaceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Junior\_Spaceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Junior_Spaceman)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2009, 7:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lyrics-that-almost-everyone-gets-wrong/488150/32 "2009-03-04T07:58:08Z")
> [@Krokodil](#): > > “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” The online lyrics sources disagree with each other, and with the sheet music I saw back in the 90s. It’s not “Oh no I know a dirty word,” it’s “And all I know are dirty words.” Forget about online lyrics sites. From the Lithium CD single complete lyrics: “Oh no, I know a dirty word” ---
**Author:** ![GESancMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gesancman/32/2923_2.png) [@GESancMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GESancMan)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2009, 9:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lyrics-that-almost-everyone-gets-wrong/488150/33 "2009-03-04T09:22:46Z")
> [@wheresgeorge04](#): > > I always assumed that “Blinded by the light” simply _couldn’t_ reference a douche, but I never could figure out a phrase that would make sense. It still barely makes sense when I hear the correct lyrics. “Revved up like a deuce” - think Little Deuce Coupe. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2009, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lyrics-that-almost-everyone-gets-wrong/488150/34 "2009-03-04T16:11:43Z")
> [@wheresgeorge04](#): > > I always assumed that “Blinded by the light” simply _couldn’t_ reference a douche, but I never could figure out a phrase that would make sense. It still barely makes sense when I hear the correct lyrics. Springsteen actually pronounces it “deuce”; it’s that Manfred Mann character who mucked it up. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2009, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lyrics-that-almost-everyone-gets-wrong/488150/35 "2009-03-04T17:14:44Z")
> [@GESancMan](#): > > “Revved up like a deuce” - think Little Deuce Coupe. Yeah, I know - still don’t like the lyric… Joe ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2009, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lyrics-that-almost-everyone-gets-wrong/488150/36 "2009-03-04T17:25:25Z")
> [@Harriet\_the\_Spry](#): > > OK, I must confess this one. I think this is probably only me, but perhaps others will come out of the woodwork. > > From Steely Dan, _Hey Nineteen_, a song I’ve known for decades. I just figured this out a couple months ago. > > What I always thought was “Look where we’ll go, look why we’re runnin’” is actually “The Cuervo Gold, the fine Colombian” > > I laughed half to death when I realized how far off I was. It’s especially funny because of how he enunciates “the fine Co-lom-bi-an.” > > My excuse is that I was too young to know what that was about when I first heard the song. I knew at the time that Cuervo was booze but didn’t know it was tequila. So I thought the line was “The Cuervo Gold, the fine cold rum to you.” 😃 And I thought that until the advent of the internet and the lyrics page of Steely Dan’s website. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2009, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lyrics-that-almost-everyone-gets-wrong/488150/37 "2009-03-04T17:45:47Z")
I’ve heard several people misquote “Band on the Run” as “Man on the Run.” ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2009, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lyrics-that-almost-everyone-gets-wrong/488150/38 "2009-03-04T17:49:58Z")
“…and if there’s ever-changing world in which we’re livin’…” -Paul McCartney Most people hear this as “ever-changing world in which we live in.” I’m sure they’re wrong. McCartney’s written some dumb lyrics over the early but nothing with that kind of basic grammar bungling. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2009, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lyrics-that-almost-everyone-gets-wrong/488150/39 "2009-03-04T17:50:43Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > I have personally smelled that song, and found the aroma quite pleasing. > > Responding to the OP, from “Blinded by the Light”, the line is: > > _Blinded by the light, > revved up like a deuce, > another runner in the night_ > > There is no reference to female cleansing products as many sing in bars. That may be the case, but in the Manfred Mann version, the singer (I forget who it is), really does stretch that “deuce” into “douche.” I can’t figure out any accent or stylistic tick that would cause someone to elide “revved up like a deuce another roller in the night” into “revved up like a douche another roller in the night.” It sounds to me like some sort of joke or something, but there’s definitely a “sh” there that doesn’t belong. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2009, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lyrics-that-almost-everyone-gets-wrong/488150/40 "2009-03-04T17:56:38Z")
I think that almost everyone gets Elton John’s “Someone Saved My Life Tonight” wrong. Not that they mishear the stupid (in my opinion) line ’ Someone saved my life tonight **sugarbear** ’ but that it’s so inane that they can’t believe they’re actually hearing it correctly and thus try to figure out what he’s \*really \*saying. Along the same lines, even though it sounds \*exactly \*like Steve Miller says “I speak of the **pompatus** of love” in “The Joker”, my ten year old self knew full well that there is no such word as “pompatus” and therefore enlightened everyone to the “fact” that he was saying “properties”.:smack: [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lyrics-that-almost-everyone-gets-wrong/488150.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lyrics-that-almost-everyone-gets-wrong/488150.md?page=3)