Mine was close to that:
“Rocketman burning up a piece of Babylon”
From The Clash’s **Rock the Casbah **the second to the last line is "fundamentally he can’t take it " but I hear and have always heard “from the mental retardated”. Yeah, I realize that’s not actually a word, I just thought he was jazzing up “mentally retarded”.
I always heard it as “fundamental retardated,” with pretty much the same explanation in my head.
I’m not talkin’ bout the linen
And I don’t want to change your mind
…
This nagged at me all through my lunch hour, and I finally realized I had misspoken. I have always heard it as “mentally retardated.”
Cyndi Lauper’s Girls Just Want to have Fun:
Real lyrics:
“When the working day is done,
Girls just want to have fun.”
What I thought they were:
“Why in the world can’t they understand?
Girls just want to have fun.”
Actually, I think my interpretation fits the song better. In the verses, she sings about her misunderstanding parents who want her to grow up and “live her life right”, and don’t understand her desire to be a free-spirit.
I remember being confused by Paul Simon singing
*Asking only workman’s wages I came looking for a job
But I get no offers
Just a “come on, son, the war’s on seventh avenue”
*
“You’re always nude, you wear it well…”
I could have sworn those were the lyrics to Just What I Needed by The Cars, but every lyrics site says it’s, “You always knew to wear it well…”
Bullshit, I say.
The two I remember at the moment are also probably the most famous misheard lyrics.
First being “excuse me while I kiss this guy” instead of “excuse me while i kiss the sky”
Second one is “dirty deeds done and the thunder chief” which I “corrected” with “dirty deeds done with sheep.” Turns out the deeds are “done dirt cheap.” I still say “done with sheep” occasionally for the laugh factor.
Oh, also Blinded by the Light had a lyric I had misinterpreted. Thought it was “wrapped up like a douche” turned out it’s “revved up like a deuce.” Go figure…
The Smiths:
I am the sun
And the air
It’s *son *and heir, dummy!
I never listened to the rest of the lyrics for context. I’ll go look them up:
I am the son
And the heir
Of a shyness that is criminally vulgar
I am the son and the heir
Of nothing in particular
What, what, what?
Add that one to my list too.
When I was little I thought St. Mary was really fat. Because of “Round yon virgin.”
And you know what? Turns out there’s no such country as Orientar.
George Harrison singing as a Beatle…here comes the sun and ice head it’s alright
It’s not linen?! I always thought they’d had a fight about who was doing the laundry or the ironing or something.
This one’s my favorite so far. I literally laughed out loud.
I thought the song title was “6050324”, instead of whatever it actually is.
Eye of the Tiger The Tof’s Way:
“Risin’ up, back on the street
Took my dime, took my ten cents”
It always made sense to me, too. I thought he was saying he rose up from being on the street and not just penniless, but having everything taken away from him.
“Car Wash” by Rose Royce begins with
“You might not ever get rich
But let me tell ya it’s better than diggin’ a ditch”
To me, it sounds like
“…but let me tell ya it’s better than bein’ a bitch”
The incorrect version is better.