# Michael Jackson - What's the Secret Word?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-jackson-whats-the-secret-word/122766>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [August 7, 2002, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-jackson-whats-the-secret-word/122766 "2002-08-07T13:21:38Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![SavageNarce](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@SavageNarce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SavageNarce)\
**Post date:** [August 7, 2002, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-jackson-whats-the-secret-word/122766/1 "2002-08-07T13:21:38Z")

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On several songs recorded by Michael Jackson (Bad, Man in the Mirror), I have heard (or think I have heard) a word like “shamore” or something to that effect thrown in as an interjection. It does not seem to appear in any of the lyric compilations I have (so far) found on the Internet. Is this a secret message to the Planet of the Jacksons, or what?

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**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\
**Post date:** [August 7, 2002, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-jackson-whats-the-secret-word/122766/2 "2002-08-07T13:37:39Z")

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_Your butt is wide, well mine is too.  
Just watch your mouth, or I’ll sit on you.  
The word is out, better treat me right,  
Cause I’m the king of cellulite.  
Ham on ham on ham on whole wheat, all right_

[😉](http://www.yankovic.org/WeirdAl/e_Even_Worse/fat.txt)

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**Author:** ![SavageNarce](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@SavageNarce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SavageNarce)\
**Post date:** [August 8, 2002, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-jackson-whats-the-secret-word/122766/3 "2002-08-08T13:09:07Z")

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Thank you, KneadToKnow - or was that Wierd Al? 🙂

In those lyrics, the secret word would obviously be “s’more” - but what’s in the originals? 😕

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**Author:** ![peasea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bc79bd/32.png) [@peasea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peasea)\
**Post date:** [August 8, 2002, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-jackson-whats-the-secret-word/122766/4 "2002-08-08T13:32:17Z")

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I [Googled](http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=%22michael+jackson%22+bad+lyrics) for “‘michael jackson’ bad lyrics”, and every site I looked at had it as “come on”. Unfortunately, lyric sites tend to use one another as references, so if one has the wrong lyrics, it’s not uncommon for a hundred of 'em to have the same wrong lyrics. That being said, I suppose it’s possible Michael actually wrote it as “come on”, but seriously stylized it in the recording(s). I guess that’s his idea of being Bad.

> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by SavageNarce \*  
> \*\*In those lyrics, the secret word would obviously be “s’more” - but what’s in the originals? 😕 \*\*

You might be whooshing me here, **Savage** , but the secret word in Weird Al’s lyrics would be “ham on”.

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**Author:** ![peasea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bc79bd/32.png) [@peasea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peasea)\
**Post date:** [August 8, 2002, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-jackson-whats-the-secret-word/122766/5 "2002-08-08T13:50:12Z")

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Heh. I looked for “Man in the Mirror” lyrics, and all but one listed the lyrics in question as “come on” as well. The [other site](http://www.lyricsstyle.com/m/michaeljackson/maninthemirror.html)? “Sure mon”. Um…right. Sure, mon. Yeah, it does sound closer than “come on”, but I don’t know. You make the call.