# Songs that are puns (and other wordplay) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 24, 2007, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-are-puns-and-other-wordplay/416748 "2007-08-24T12:38:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![dwc1970](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a183cd/32.png) [@dwc1970](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwc1970)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2007, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-are-puns-and-other-wordplay/416748/21 "2007-08-24T16:34:12Z")
Several of the [Greg Kihn](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greg_Kihn) band’s album titles are puns: Next Of Kihn Rockihnroll Kihntinued Kihnspiracy Kihntagious Citizen Kihn Kihn of Hearts ---
**Author:** ![MadTheSwine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MadTheSwine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MadTheSwine)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2007, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-are-puns-and-other-wordplay/416748/22 "2007-08-24T16:36:25Z")
**Marrillion’s** _Charting the Single_ is full of word play. “Schnapping my fingers on an alcoholiday” and other stuff.It’s pretty neat. [http://www.lyrics007.com/Marillion%20Lyrics/Charting%20The%20Single%20Lyrics.html](http://www.lyrics007.com/Marillion%20Lyrics/Charting%20The%20Single%20Lyrics.html) ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2007, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-are-puns-and-other-wordplay/416748/23 "2007-08-24T17:13:32Z")
[QUOTE=gigi] Country songs (recent ones, anyway) are famous for using an idiom in the title and twisting the meaning. [/QUOTE] Country music does have a lot. Michelle Wright’s “Take It Like A Man” uses the title idiom as both the “be a tough guy” idea, and as a command, telling the guy to “take my heart.” The pun comes when she uses the same idiom for both: _And my poor heart needs somebody who Can take it like a man, steady and strong Not a lot of fuss and carrying on…_ It’s not a pun, but for the wordplay, I’ve got to mention “All My Exes Live In Texas (That’s Why I Hang My Hat in Tennessee)” by George Strait. I just like the way he rhymed “exes” with “Texas.” ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2007, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-are-puns-and-other-wordplay/416748/24 "2007-08-24T17:48:34Z")
Would you count Weird Al’s “Gotta Boogie”? “Gotta boogie on my finger and I can’t get it off!” ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2007, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-are-puns-and-other-wordplay/416748/25 "2007-08-24T18:12:06Z")
[QUOTE=Chez Guevara] Led Zep’s _D’yer Mak’er_. [/QUOTE] Isn’t this just straight English slang? ---
**Author:** ![MrSquishy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9e5f3/32.png) [@MrSquishy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrSquishy)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2007, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-are-puns-and-other-wordplay/416748/26 "2007-08-24T18:23:12Z")
[QUOTE=rackensack] "[The World’s Address](http://www.lyricsdepot.com/they-might-be-giants/the-worlds-address.html) ", by **They Might Be Giants** , which not only has a pun as its title but comments self-referentially on its own paranomasia in the chorus. [/QUOTE] Or how about [I C U](http://theymightbegiants.lyrics.info/icu.html)? ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2007, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-are-puns-and-other-wordplay/416748/27 "2007-08-24T18:32:09Z")
[QUOTE=Telemark] Isn’t this just straight English slang? [/QUOTE] Well, the song title is pronounced “jah-may-kah,” a sound-alike for Jamaica. D’yer Mak’er is a reggae-influenced song. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2007, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-are-puns-and-other-wordplay/416748/28 "2007-08-24T18:32:50Z")
[QUOTE=Telemark] Isn’t this just straight English slang? [/QUOTE] But the song was done in a reggae style, making the title a pun on “Jamaica”. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2007, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-are-puns-and-other-wordplay/416748/29 "2007-08-24T18:33:20Z")
Bra Size 45 By: Ivor Biggun & the D Cups: [Bra Size 45 - Everything2.com](http://everything2.com/?node_id=1043359) a (loose) pun of Stars on 45. ---
**Author:** ![CateAyo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/50afbb/32.png) [@CateAyo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CateAyo)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2007, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-are-puns-and-other-wordplay/416748/30 "2007-08-24T18:36:39Z")
[QUOTE=KneadToKnow] The blues song\* “The Sky Is Crying” actually milks the old Hendrix “kiss this guy” mondegreen (intentionally or not) by repeating the lyric “The sky is crying” throughout, then at the end changing it to “This guy is crying.” \*forgive me if its original form is otherwise, I only actually know it from Stevie Ray. [/QUOTE] “The Sky is Crying” predates “Purple Haze”, having been written in 1959 by Elmore James (arguably, with Levy and Morris, I believe). Forgive the nitpick, but whenever I get a chance to make people aware of James, I take it. CH ---
**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 24, 2007, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-are-puns-and-other-wordplay/416748/31 "2007-08-24T19:02:55Z")
[QUOTE=CateAyo] “The Sky is Crying” predates “Purple Haze”, having been written in 1959 by Elmore James (arguably, with Levy and Morris, I believe). Forgive the nitpick, but whenever I get a chance to make people aware of James, I take it. CH [/QUOTE] Cool. Do you know if that particular line is in the original, or if Stevie Ray added it in his version? ---
**Author:** ![Dogzilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@Dogzilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogzilla)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2007, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-are-puns-and-other-wordplay/416748/32 "2007-08-24T19:20:04Z")
From [Number One Blind](http://www.lyricstime.com/veruca-salt-number-one-blind-lyrics.html) by Veruca Salt, “Levolor, which of us is blind?” Slays me. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2007, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-are-puns-and-other-wordplay/416748/33 "2007-08-24T19:26:52Z")
Rocky Raccoon Rocky is wounded and checks into room, only to find Gideon’s Bible. Gideon left it no doubt to help in Good Rocky’s revival. Disraeli Gears by Cream is a pun on Derailleur Gears. The alternate album name was Elephant’s Gerald. ---
**Author:** ![rackensack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e5b9ba/32.png) [@rackensack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rackensack)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2007, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-are-puns-and-other-wordplay/416748/34 "2007-08-24T20:16:28Z")
[QUOTE=beowulff] Bra Size 45 By: Ivor Biggun & the D Cups: [http://everything2.com/?node\_id=1043359](http://everything2.com/?node_id=1043359) a (loose) pun of Stars on 45. [/QUOTE] Thanks. Had almost reached the point where I could listen to “Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick” without the lyrics for that encroaching. Now it’s back . . . > [@](#): > > had me upside down and inside out > in the back of my Cortina ---
**Author:** ![rackensack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e5b9ba/32.png) [@rackensack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rackensack)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2007, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-are-puns-and-other-wordplay/416748/35 "2007-08-24T20:18:34Z")
[QUOTE=MrSquishy] Or how about [I C U](http://theymightbegiants.lyrics.info/icu.html)? [/QUOTE] Well, if we start listing all the puns in TMBG songs, we’ll be here all year. In the case of “The World’s Address”, the whole song turns around the pun, and it comments on that fact. ---
**Author:** ![lawoot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/35a633/32.png) [@lawoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lawoot)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2007, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-are-puns-and-other-wordplay/416748/36 "2007-08-24T20:20:43Z")
John Prine’s _It’s a Big Old Goofy World_ is basically line after line of cliches: > [@](#): > > I know a fella > He eats like a horse > Knocks his old balls > Round the old golf course > You oughta see his wife > She’s a cute little dish > She smokes like a chimney > And drinks like a fish full lyrics [here](http://www.cowboylyrics.com/lyrics/prine-john/its-a-big-old-goofy-world-10879.html) ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2007, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-are-puns-and-other-wordplay/416748/37 "2007-08-24T20:50:59Z")
Aerosmith has a (new?) song called Devil’s Got a New Disguise, some of the lyrics are: “If you see kay, tell her I love her She did me in but Ill recover” If you don’t get it, say the first 4 words to yourself. Or shout them. I don’t care. > **[Aerosmith - Devil's Got A New Disguise lyrics | LyricsFreak](https://www.lyricsfreak.com/a/aerosmith/devils+got+a+new+disguise_20004483.html)** > > Read or print original Devil's Got A New Disguise lyrics 2023 updated! Sweet Susie Q she was a revel / No angel wings more like the ---
**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:** [August 24, 2007, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-are-puns-and-other-wordplay/416748/38 "2007-08-24T21:53:35Z")
I’d count Benny Bell’s [Shaving Cream](http://www.lyricsdownload.com/bell-benny-shaving-cream-lyrics.html) as wordplay. Basically it’s a switcheroo, where all the lyrics and rhymes suggest the next word will be “shit”, but Bell says “shaving cream” instead. Bell specialized in these kinds of lyrics - he also had a song called “Everybody Wants My Fanny”, about his girlfriend named… you guessed it… Fanny. (A double entendre) ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2007, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-are-puns-and-other-wordplay/416748/39 "2007-08-24T21:56:56Z")
**Squeezebox** by _The Who_ ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2007, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-are-puns-and-other-wordplay/416748/40 "2007-08-24T22:04:42Z")
[QUOTE=Borborygmi] Elvis Costello songs often contain a fair amount of wordplay, which is sometimes cool and sometimes annoying. [/QUOTE] “Call careers information Have you got yourself an occupation” from Oliver’s Army. Nice double meaning there. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-are-puns-and-other-wordplay/416748.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-are-puns-and-other-wordplay/416748.md?page=3)