# Organ Surprise or Another Misheard Lyrics Thread! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 6, 2002, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/organ-surprise-or-another-misheard-lyrics-thread/140929 "2002-12-06T15:25:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Gazelle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Gazelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gazelle)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2002, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/organ-surprise-or-another-misheard-lyrics-thread/140929/1 "2002-12-06T15:25:30Z")
Listening to the classic rock station this morning and Joe Walsh’s “Life’s Been Good” is playing. It reminded me that, as a child, I thought the words were: “I have a mansion, _Organ Surprise_…” I thought it was the name of his mansion. You know, like Tara in Gone with the Wind. It’s really “forget the price.” Any other funny misheard lyrics? ---
**Author:** ![Politzania](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3ab097/32.png) [@Politzania](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Politzania)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2002, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/organ-surprise-or-another-misheard-lyrics-thread/140929/2 "2002-12-06T15:46:35Z")
In Van Halen’s “Running with the Devil” - I never could figure out what “no love euchareal” was – something to do with the Eucharist? Oh - it’s really “no love you’d call real” with really odd phrasing. My mother-in-law’s good for this too… she wanted to know what the “Do the Calculator” song was about (“Dude Looks Like a Lady” Aerosmith) ---
**Author:** ![Inky\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7feea3/32.png) [@Inky\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inky_1)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2002, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/organ-surprise-or-another-misheard-lyrics-thread/140929/3 "2002-12-06T15:54:49Z")
Oh yeah. I was really prone to mishearing stuff as a kid. There was this unavoidable BeeGee’s song in the 70’s called “How Deep is Your Love”. The lyric was “And she came to me on a summer breeze”. I heard it as “And she came to me, on a _submarine_”. Funny how I didn’t question it. Also, I can’t be the only one who thought the lyric in Blondies “Call Me” was “Cum on me”, right? ---
**Author:** ![Gazelle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Gazelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gazelle)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2002, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/organ-surprise-or-another-misheard-lyrics-thread/140929/4 "2002-12-06T16:23:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Politzania \* > \*\*My mother-in-law’s good for this too… she wanted to know what the “Do the Calculator” song was about (“Dude Looks Like a Lady” Aerosmith) \*\* _Do do do doooo the calculaaaaator!_ I love it! I have a co-worker who thought “Too Legit” by M.C. Hammer was “Do the Jerk,” partially because she and her family had recently visited a museum exhibit of the history of dance. She and her brother loved The Jerk; when she heard the Hammer song, she thought the craze was sweeping the nation. _Do the jerk, do the, do the jerk._ ---
**Author:** ![minlokwat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minlokwat/32/2844_2.png) [@minlokwat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minlokwat)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2002, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/organ-surprise-or-another-misheard-lyrics-thread/140929/5 "2002-12-06T16:32:08Z")
My sister thought that the line from Harry Chapin’s **Cat’s in the Cradle** was: “What I’d really like, Dad is the Florida car keys” as opposed to, “What I’d really like Dad is to borrow the car keys.” When she told me, I had to ask her, “What the hell is a Florida car?” She had no answer. ---
**Author:** ![Soul\_Brother\_Number\_Two](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/soul_brother_number_two/32/3515_2.png) [@Soul\_Brother\_Number\_Two](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soul_Brother_Number_Two)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2002, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/organ-surprise-or-another-misheard-lyrics-thread/140929/6 "2002-12-06T18:04:11Z")
I have tons of mondegreens. I’m still figuring out Stones lyrics after 30 years. My personal fave comes from Diana Ross’s ‘Love Hangover.’ “I gotta Swedish handover I don’t wanna get over…” Took me years to figure it out. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Wrong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@Mr.Wrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Wrong)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2002, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/organ-surprise-or-another-misheard-lyrics-thread/140929/7 "2002-12-06T18:10:00Z")
I still can’t hear BTO’s “Takin’ care of business” without singing “Bakin’ carrot biscuits” Every Day! Also, I still don’t know what Elton meant by “She got Electric Boobs” ---
**Author:** ![silverfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e480ec/32.png) [@silverfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silverfish)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2002, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/organ-surprise-or-another-misheard-lyrics-thread/140929/8 "2002-12-06T18:15:36Z")
I used to thing that in ‘twist and shout’, shake it up baby was, shakin a baby. ---
**Author:** ![Siemsi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b19c9b/32.png) [@Siemsi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siemsi)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2002, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/organ-surprise-or-another-misheard-lyrics-thread/140929/9 "2002-12-06T18:45:22Z")
My mom thought Billy Squire’s “In the Dark” was “Shaharazad”. I still giggle from that. My mom does, too. (Gosh this ages me). ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2002, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/organ-surprise-or-another-misheard-lyrics-thread/140929/10 "2002-12-06T19:55:47Z")
I love mondegreens, they always make me smile. I don’t recall having too many, but from my early youth: _When I needed sunshine, I got rain_ (the Monkees) became _When I needed sunshine on my brain._ Why I would need sunshine on my brain, I never could figure out. A friend of mine thought that Huey Lewis’ _I want a new drug_ was _I want a new truck_ ---
**Author:** ![unclviny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e274bd/32.png) [@unclviny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/unclviny)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2002, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/organ-surprise-or-another-misheard-lyrics-thread/140929/11 "2002-12-06T19:56:27Z")
“in the jungle, the mighty jungle the lion sleeps tonight” “i’ll ream your ass” “i’ll ream your ass” “i’ll ream your ass” “i’ll ream your ass” ---
**Author:** ![okielady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/fbc32d/32.png) [@okielady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/okielady)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2002, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/organ-surprise-or-another-misheard-lyrics-thread/140929/12 "2002-12-06T23:43:07Z")
This is one I just heard today, so it’s fresh in my mind. “Cows are stalking islands in the sun” Which is actually “Clouds are stalking islands in the sun” from Baby I Love Your Way by Peter Frampton. I like my version better. ---
**Author:** ![moonchilde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3e96dc/32.png) [@moonchilde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moonchilde)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2002, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/organ-surprise-or-another-misheard-lyrics-thread/140929/13 "2002-12-07T00:46:04Z")
a nice site for those of us who mumble thru “whiter shade of pale” (and you know who you are 🙂 [http://www.johnshepler.com/articles/lyrics.html](http://www.johnshepler.com/articles/lyrics.html) ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2002, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/organ-surprise-or-another-misheard-lyrics-thread/140929/14 "2002-12-07T00:53:14Z")
I had a friend in high school who thought that the Buzzcocks’ “Autonomy” went like this: I, I want you On top of me instead of: I, I want true Autonomy ---
**Author:** ![panamajack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/47e85d/32.png) [@panamajack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panamajack)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2002, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/organ-surprise-or-another-misheard-lyrics-thread/140929/15 "2002-12-07T01:05:59Z")
The cow-island thing made me remember one of my own – I always heard “Islands in the stream, that is what we are” as “Modern Industry, that is what we are” I didn’t find out until I asked someone, “Why’d they make ‘Ghetto Superstar’ out of a commercial?” ---
**Author:** ![pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2002, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/organ-surprise-or-another-misheard-lyrics-thread/140929/16 "2002-12-07T01:13:00Z")
when I first heard “Paperback Writer” on an AM radio in the 60s, I thought the lyrics were car directions: I heard the title as “Take the next right turn.” ---
**Author:** ![jimmmy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/73ab20/32.png) [@jimmmy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jimmmy)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2002, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/organ-surprise-or-another-misheard-lyrics-thread/140929/17 "2002-12-07T01:25:32Z")
The first time I heard Eminem: Misheard Lyrics: Hello, My name is, my name is…Lynn Cheney\* Correct Lyrics: Hello My name is, my name is…Slim Shady to save face I will say it only took 1 listen to catch this. \*\* I found it ironic that he got into with Lynn Cheney & even mentions her on the second album.\* Took a while to catch this from the same Misheard Lyrics: Well since age twelve, I’ve felt like I’m someone else Correct Lyrics: Well since the age of twelve, I’ve felt like I’m someone’s elf ---
**Author:** ![IGJoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/igjoe/32/5420_2.png) [@IGJoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IGJoe)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2002, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/organ-surprise-or-another-misheard-lyrics-thread/140929/18 "2002-12-07T01:30:38Z")
U2’s _Electrical Storm_ is getting a lot of airplay in my area right now. Every time I hear the lyrics “Electrical Storm”, I hear “Electric Toaster”. Even though I _know_ the right lyrics, I still hear it wrong. On a slightly different track, my mom used to sing “Mares eat oats, And does eat oats, And little lambs eat ivy!” to me when I was very young. It took me TWENTY TWO years to figure out that they were actual words, and not “Marsie-dotes and dosie-dotes and little lamsie-divey!” Hey, I never claimed to be gifted! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Minor\_Irritant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@Minor\_Irritant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Minor_Irritant)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2002, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/organ-surprise-or-another-misheard-lyrics-thread/140929/19 "2002-12-07T02:34:06Z")
I was sure that the chorus to Rush’s “Subdivisions” went like this: _Subdivisions In the basement bars, **In the battle cars** _ Turns out it’s “in the backs of cars”. The suburbs of Toronto are somewhat less interesting that I had suspected, apparently… ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2002, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/organ-surprise-or-another-misheard-lyrics-thread/140929/20 "2002-12-07T02:40:37Z")
Olivia Newton-John’s “Have You Never Been Mellow”: The line: “Kick your shoes off, close your eyes.” filtered through my adolescent brain became: “K-kiss you some, close your eyes.” I was in my early teens when ONJ hit it big and every guy my age had the hots for her. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/organ-surprise-or-another-misheard-lyrics-thread/140929.md?page=2)