# Songs with ill-fitting lyrics **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 20, 2012, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-ill-fitting-lyrics/641579 "2012-11-20T03:28:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![midnight-dreary](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@midnight-dreary](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/midnight-dreary)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2012, 8:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-ill-fitting-lyrics/641579/21 "2012-11-22T08:08:15Z")
For contradictory music/lyrics, you can’t go past ‘Pumped Up Kicks’ by Foster The People. Very happy, upbeat song, used in a lot of commercials but when you listen to the lyrics… ‘All the other kids with the pumped up kicks You’d better run, better run, outrun my gun All the other kids with the pumped up kicks You’d better run, better run, faster than my bullet’ ---
**Author:** ![Rollo\_Tomasi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/58956e/32.png) [@Rollo\_Tomasi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rollo_Tomasi)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2012, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-ill-fitting-lyrics/641579/22 "2012-11-22T15:22:43Z")
The biggest music/lyrics mismatch to me will always be “Excitable Boy” by Warren Zevon, a bouncy little number in which a young man rapes and murders his prom date, later digging up her grave and building a cage with her bones. ---
**Author:** ![Accidental\_Martyr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ce7236/32.png) [@Accidental\_Martyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Accidental_Martyr)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2012, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-ill-fitting-lyrics/641579/23 "2012-11-22T15:44:51Z")
> [@Rollo\_Tomasi](#): > > The biggest music/lyrics mismatch to me will always be “Excitable Boy” by Warren Zevon, a bouncy little number in which a young man rapes and murders his prom date, later digging up her grave and building a cage with her bones. Very true. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Ashley\_Pomeroy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c68b51/32.png) [@Ashley\_Pomeroy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashley_Pomeroy)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2012, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-ill-fitting-lyrics/641579/24 "2012-11-22T21:45:38Z")
“Here in my car, I feel safest of all, I can lock all my doors, it’s the _onlywaytolive_ in cars.” ---
**Author:** ![Nunzio\_Tavulari](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Nunzio\_Tavulari](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nunzio_Tavulari)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2012, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-ill-fitting-lyrics/641579/25 "2012-11-22T21:51:13Z")
> [@Rollo\_Tomasi](#): > > The biggest music/lyrics mismatch to me will always be “Excitable Boy” by Warren Zevon, a bouncy little number in which a young man rapes and murders his prom date, later digging up her grave and building a cage with her bones. You say that as if there were something wrong with it. ---
**Author:** ![Accidental\_Martyr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ce7236/32.png) [@Accidental\_Martyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Accidental_Martyr)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2012, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-ill-fitting-lyrics/641579/26 "2012-11-22T22:31:28Z")
> [@Nunzio\_Tavulari](#): > > You say that as if there were something wrong with it. He’s just an excitable boy. ---
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2012, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-ill-fitting-lyrics/641579/27 "2012-11-22T23:07:06Z")
For the sort of mismatch the OP describes, it’s probably hard to beat Falkenbach–there are too many examples to bother with listing. I give him a pass 'cause he’s Icelandic and English is presumably not his first language. For the other type, Bad Religion’s [Better Off Dead](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYcRczFrl1s) comes to mind. The [cover](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X67oth-tD2U) by Anathema matches lyric to melody much better. ---
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2012, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-ill-fitting-lyrics/641579/28 "2012-11-23T21:41:10Z")
> [@Ponch8](#): > > The standard bearer for this category has to be Toto’s “Africa,” with the line “…sure as Kilimanjaro rises like Olympus above the Serrrr-engeti.” They crammed about five syllables too many in there. You sure that’s “Olympus”? Heard that song yesterday, and I’m sure there’s an “r” sound in the spot in question. I tend to hear “an empress” or “a lepress” (yes, I’m aware the latter is a bit nonsensical 🙂 ) where you’re saying “Olympus”. ---
**Author:** ![Mixolydian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/da6949/32.png) [@Mixolydian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mixolydian)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2013, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-ill-fitting-lyrics/641579/29 "2013-01-27T19:37:08Z")
“The New York Times affect on man” ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2013, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-ill-fitting-lyrics/641579/30 "2013-01-27T19:53:55Z")
> [@Seanette](#): > > You sure that’s “Olympus”? Heard that song yesterday, and I’m sure there’s an “r” sound in the spot in question. I tend to hear “an empress” or “a lepress” (yes, I’m aware the latter is a bit nonsensical 🙂 ) where you’re saying “Olympus”. I also once thought it was lepress, but then I was taught otherwise. ---
**Author:** ![Bakhesh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3da27b/32.png) [@Bakhesh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bakhesh)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2013, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-ill-fitting-lyrics/641579/31 "2013-01-27T19:57:56Z")
For me, REM jumped the shark when they stopped caring how well their lyrics fitted. “What’s the frequency, Kenneth?” sounds crammed in 5 beats, and “Call me when you try to wake her up.” just sounds like a mess in 6 ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2013, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-ill-fitting-lyrics/641579/32 "2013-01-27T22:27:23Z")
> [@Rollo\_Tomasi](#): > > I love **1776** the musical, but I always thought it was funny how instead of “independence,” they almost always said “independencey” when singing. Is there a historical basis for that? In the show, the pronunciation is sometimes used for rhyming purposes, while other times it seems like they’re doing it because they need the extra syllable to fill out the line. > > [Example (from the movie, but it’s the same song and singer), first appearance at about 1:25.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKEE0ol9tpo) As I recall, that was the term they used in the spoken dialog as well. I suspect it was the term actually used. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2013, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-ill-fitting-lyrics/641579/33 "2013-01-27T22:59:10Z")
Ozzy gives us, “_And they don’t even know even what they’re talkin’ about_”, which is actually not too bad considering the brain damage he must suffer. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2013, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-ill-fitting-lyrics/641579/34 "2013-01-27T23:47:26Z")
> [@Seanette](#): > > You sure that’s “Olympus”? Heard that song yesterday, and I’m sure there’s an “r” sound in the spot in question. I tend to hear “an empress” or “a lepress” (yes, I’m aware the latter is a bit nonsensical 🙂 ) where you’re saying “Olympus”. I have no idea what the definitive lyrics are but I also originally heard “lepress” and then settled on “empress”. Olympus makes no sense in my mind because it’s already a real geographic location. It’d be like describing the Mojave desert as “stretching on like the Sahara”. Even if Olympus is the correct word, I shall continue to sing it my way since I obviously know better than Toto. ---
**Author:** ![WotNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e19b73/32.png) [@WotNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WotNot)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2013, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-ill-fitting-lyrics/641579/35 "2013-01-28T00:07:57Z")
In classical times, the Greeks had nine Muses – goddesses of literature, science and the arts: Euterpe, the Muse of song; Calliope, the Muse of epic poetry; Melpomene, the Muse of tragedy; and so on. It seems there was also a little-regarded tenth member of that group: Elemenope, the Muse of tortured prosody. Never very popular, these days she is only remembered because of her appearance in the “Alphabet Song”. ---
**Author:** ![arjee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/2bfe46/32.png) [@arjee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/arjee)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2013, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-ill-fitting-lyrics/641579/36 "2013-01-28T02:24:24Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > I have no idea what the definitive lyrics are but I also originally heard “lepress” and then settled on “empress”. > > Olympus makes no sense in my mind because it’s already a real geographic location. It’d be like describing the Mojave desert as “stretching on like the Sahara”. Even if Olympus is the correct word, I shall continue to sing it my way since I obviously know better than Toto. I always hear, “Rises like Mount Ev’rest…” ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2013, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-ill-fitting-lyrics/641579/37 "2013-01-28T03:46:47Z")
> [@Bakhesh](#): > > For me, REM jumped the shark when they stopped caring how well their lyrics fitted. > > “What’s the frequency, Kenneth?” sounds crammed in 5 beats, and “Call me when you try to wake her up.” just sounds like a mess in 6 I thought it was “Don’t even try to wake her up”, which at least is one fewer syllable. ---
**Author:** ![Mixolydian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/da6949/32.png) [@Mixolydian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mixolydian)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2013, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-ill-fitting-lyrics/641579/38 "2013-01-28T04:30:48Z")
> [@Mixolydian](#): > > “The New York Times affect on man” I just googled it…makes more sense put together with the preceding line “We can try to understand The New York Times _effect_ on man” :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Accidental\_Martyr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ce7236/32.png) [@Accidental\_Martyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Accidental_Martyr)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2013, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-ill-fitting-lyrics/641579/39 "2013-01-28T05:04:16Z")
> [@gigi](#): > > I thought it was “Don’t even try to wake her up”, which at least is one fewer syllable. Most sources say “Call me when you try to wake her up”, but I’ve never thought it was an ill-fitting lyric. ---
**Author:** ![GreenElf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@GreenElf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenElf)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2013, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-ill-fitting-lyrics/641579/40 "2013-01-28T05:53:43Z")
Bob Dylan’s songs usually have some syllabic leeway although I wouldn’t characterize them as ill-fitting. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-ill-fitting-lyrics/641579.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-ill-fitting-lyrics/641579.md?page=3)