# Your favorite mondegreens **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 7, 2005, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-mondegreens/302862 "2005-05-07T21:07:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2005, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-mondegreens/302862/101 "2005-05-10T17:30:48Z")
Elton John’s _Funeral For A Friend_. When I was young I thought ‘Love lies bleeding in my hands’ was ‘Love **that feeling** in my hands’. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2005, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-mondegreens/302862/102 "2005-05-10T17:34:16Z")
> [@Khadaji](#): > > And I heard “one horse soapin’ sleigh.” I pictured a sleigh pulled by a horse with all kinds of soap foam and bubbles coming out. Yup. Same here. My funniest mondegreen is from childhood: Correct: “Precious and few are the moments we two can share.” What I heard: “Precious and few are the moments we toucans share.” From American Pie: Correct: “I was a lonely teenage broncin’ buck, with a pink carnation and a pickup truck” What I heard: “I was a lonely teenage rock and bucked with a big tarnation and a pickup truck” Reverse mondegreen: Every Elton John song has at least one line that I can’t understand. I was flabbergasted to learn, then, that what I assumed was a mishearing of the lyrics in “Someone Saved My Life Tonight,” “sugar bear” was actually what he said. I was so certain I was wrong because, well, it’s dumb. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2005, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-mondegreens/302862/103 "2005-05-10T17:37:13Z")
> [@Johnny L.A.](#): > > Elton John’s _Funeral For A Friend_. > > When I was young I thought ‘Love lies bleeding in my hands’ was ‘Love **that feeling** in my hands’. Nitpick: _Love Lies Bleeding_ is a different song than _Funeral for a Friend_. Yes, they appear as a medley at the beginning of the “Good-bye Yellow Brick Road” album, but it’s still two songs. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2005, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-mondegreens/302862/104 "2005-05-10T17:43:35Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Nitpick: Nevertheless. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Klytus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Klytus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Klytus)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2005, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-mondegreens/302862/105 "2005-05-10T17:54:33Z")
> [@Peter Morris](#): > > Erm, yes, Lola _is_ a transvestite. But I always assumed the singer is gay, and knew all along. Remember that he naver kissed a _woman_ before, and he always wanted to be that way. Given that he always calls Lola “she” indicates to me he didn’t know until the end. Still, this just goes to show there are plenty of reasons things in the song things can be misunderheard. ---
**Author:** ![YWalker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/6f9a4e/32.png) [@YWalker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YWalker)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2005, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-mondegreens/302862/106 "2005-05-10T18:11:31Z")
> [@Khadaji](#): > > And I heard “one horse soapin’ sleigh.” I pictured a sleigh pulled by a horse with all kinds of soap foam and bubbles coming out. For me, it was a “one horse slopin’ sleigh.” I mean, c’mon. A sleigh is a sled, and they’re meant to do down slopes, right? This one was especially designed for it. ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2005, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-mondegreens/302862/107 "2005-05-10T18:23:58Z")
> [@LifeOnWry](#): > > I’m convinced that John Fogerty has an accent that is regional only to wherever he happens to be standing. Yeah, many people (including yours truly) are flabbergasted when they learn CCR came up out of Southern California. The funny thing is that Fogerty’s speaking voice is perfectly normal, he just sings really weird. > [@](#): > > Sweet Hitchhiker You mean “Sweet Jascha Heifetz”? Actually, I always knew the real words to this and “Hold me close now, Tony Danza,” I just find it funnier to sing along with the changed words. **Klytus** , maybe you’re hearing both a live and a studio version of Lola. I’ve got albums with both and the lyrics are slightly different. (The change from “Coca Cola” to “cherry cola” cost me a turn in a game of Trivial Pursuit!) –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2005, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-mondegreens/302862/108 "2005-05-10T19:04:21Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally Posted by **hillbilly queen** _ > My sister thought Elton John was saying, > > “Rocket man, burning all the trees off of the lawn.” > > Instead of, > > "Rocket man burning out his fuse up here alone " > [@](#): > > _Originally Posted by **BMax** _ > I still hear that line as Burnin’ up the streets of everyone No, no, it’s “burnin’ up the _fuel_ of everyone.” Those rockets are real gas-guzzlers. And I can’t believe that I’ve been listening to that song for 30 years and didn’t know the correct lyrics until today. ---
**Author:** ![LifeOnWry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/96bed5/32.png) [@LifeOnWry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LifeOnWry)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2005, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-mondegreens/302862/109 "2005-05-10T19:11:49Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > OK, I’m still unconvinced by this one – > Creedence Clearwater Revival’s **Out My Backdoor** > For years I thought the line was > > “…Let’s take a ride > On the Glide-Wheel Spoon.” > What the hell is a Glide-Wheel Spoon? Is it like the Tilt-a Whirl? > > Years later I heard it as : > > "…Let’s take a ride > > on the Glide. > > We’ll Spoon" > _That_ makes sense – you are your girl are sitting on the front-porch Glide (kinda like a swing) and you’re “spooning”. > > **Pepper Mill** independently heard the same thing. > > I mentioned this on the SDMB, and people tell me that it’s really: > > "Let’s take a ride > > on the Magic Spoon" > > apparently referring to cocaine use. > I note that all the lyric sites on the internet give this interpretation, with _zero_ hits for “…glide. We’ll spoon.” > But I _swear_ that every time I listen to it, it doesn’t sound at all like “magic spoon”. Heck, that doesn’t even _scan_ properly. > I want to see some sheet music on this. I suspect everyone on the Internet of copying from each other, with the first guy gettin’ it wrong. See now, I always thought it was “won’t you take a ride on the flying spoon? Doo doo doo…” Hmm… at least one [site](http://www.lyricsfreak.com/c/creedence-clearwater-revival/34312.html) backs me up on this one. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2005, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-mondegreens/302862/110 "2005-05-10T19:59:13Z")
> [@](#): > > See now, I always thought it was “won’t you take a ride on the flying spoon? Doo doo doo…” > > Hmm… at least one site backs me up on this one. You’re right – I misquoted. All the lyrics sites have “flying spoon”. It _still_ doesn’t sound like “Flying Spoon” to Pepper or to me. ---
**Author:** ![MisterThyristor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecccb3/32.png) [@MisterThyristor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MisterThyristor)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2005, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-mondegreens/302862/111 "2005-05-10T20:42:02Z")
> [@Klytus](#): > > Given that he always calls Lola “she” indicates to me he didn’t know until the end. Still, this just goes to show there are plenty of reasons things in the song things can be misunderheard. I think it’s meant to be open so that you’re unsure, even at the end. When I first heard it, I also thought that the lines at the end settled it: “… but I know who I am and I’m glad I’m a man and so is Lola.” Until someone pointed out to me that it could also mean that Lola’s glad he’s a man. I think it’s meant to be unclear. ---
**Author:** ![Feydeau](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/df788c/32.png) [@Feydeau](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Feydeau)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2005, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-mondegreens/302862/112 "2005-05-10T21:00:24Z")
I never looked up the lyric to EJ’s _Bennie and the Jets_ until today. Imagine my surprise. I thought it was: \* Hey, Q! Kill the rainy weather\* When in fact it was: _Hey kids, shake it loose together._ And the biggest topic of conversation on the playground that summer was: _She’s got electric boobs Her Ma has, too You know I read it in a magazine!_ Correct: _She’s got electric boots A mohair suit You know I read it in a magazine!_ Another Elton John. Rocket Man: And I think it’s gonna be a long long time Till Judgetown brings me 'round again to thine I thought he was just being particularly poetic. ---
**Author:** ![tim314](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim314/32/3468_2.png) [@tim314](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tim314)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2005, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-mondegreens/302862/113 "2005-05-10T21:43:07Z")
I have a friend who once thought that the 12th letter of the alphabet was ellaminno. ---
**Author:** ![AwSnappity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a3d4f5/32.png) [@AwSnappity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AwSnappity)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2005, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-mondegreens/302862/114 "2005-05-11T01:34:48Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > My favorite was my daughter’s mondegreen of a Cher song that she thought was titled “Gypsy Transit Thieves,” who evidently got on subways without paying the fare. I had a run-in with some Gypsy transit thieves on the metro in Paris a few years ago–they tried to steal my mom’s wallet! True story. Mine: The Gentrys - _Keep on Dancing_ They sing, “I keep on dancing”; I heard, “Key-bop dancing” I was very small at the time, and “key-bop” became my standard phrase to sing whenever I felt like dancing. The Smashing Pumpkins - _Bullet with Butterfly Wings_ They sing, “like old Job”; I hear, “Michael Joe” The Bee-Gees - _More Than a Woman_ My dad hears, “bald-headed woman” My favorite intentional mondegreen: Donna Summer - _Hot Stuff_ Jon Stewart joked that he used to think she was singing, “I’m looking for some matzoh, baby, this evening” ---
**Author:** ![Marlitharn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/779978/32.png) [@Marlitharn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marlitharn)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2005, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-mondegreens/302862/115 "2005-05-11T01:35:27Z")
I always heard a certain marching song as “…the _capons_ go rolling along.” I asked my husband the military nut about this one day, because I was curious as to why someone would write a song about chickens rolling down the road - was this an activity the infantry pursued to pass the time between engagements? - and he looked at me all flabbergasted and said, “_Caissons_, my love. The _caissons_ go rolling along!” It’s funnier my way. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2005, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-mondegreens/302862/116 "2005-05-11T11:55:53Z")
Huey Lewis and the News, If This Is It Sung: You’ve been thinkin’ and I’ve been drinkin’ We both know that it’s just not right Now you’re pretendin’ that it’s not endin’ You’d say anything to avoid a fight Heard: You’d say anything _to a butterfly_. ---
**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:** [May 11, 2005, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-mondegreens/302862/117 "2005-05-11T12:00:38Z")
The Beach Boys, “Barbara Ann”: “I went to a dance, Looking for romance, Saw Barbara Ann So I thought I’d take a chance…” Heard: “I went to a dance, Looking for a man, Saw Barbara Ann So I thought I’d take a chance…” ---
**Author:** ![HazelNutCoffee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ac91a4/32.png) [@HazelNutCoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HazelNutCoffee)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2005, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-mondegreens/302862/118 "2005-05-11T12:49:16Z")
There’s a song I hear a lot at clubs, and for the longest time I thought the lyrics were: “Everybody in the club get tits” I was wondering about it out loud one night: “What do they mean by “get tits”? Are they only talking to the guys? Are they assuming everybody is a guy? But then there would be no tits to get. Are they assuming girls like tits too? Does this hold a double meaning for guys and girls respectively?” My friend gave me an odd look. “They’re saying, ‘Everybody in the club get tipsy.’” I STILL say it sounds like tits. ---
**Author:** ![Corner\_Case](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/corner_case/32/234_2.png) [@Corner\_Case](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Corner_Case)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2005, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-mondegreens/302862/119 "2005-05-11T14:06:44Z")
I’m in the “kissed by a rose on the grave” camp, too. I also looked up the rest of the lyrics and had a few other things wrong. At least according to [reallyrics.com](http://reallyrics.com), and I’m dubious about their lyrics. It says “My eyes becomes large / And the light that you shine can’t be seen.” Now this is even more confusing than I [thought](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=295360) since I thought it was “can”. Now her light _can’t_ be seen even though your pupils are dilated? Must be pretty dim - _at least one of us_. I’m just going to have to hear it my way unless someone can make sense of it for me. I made a typo once saving the lyrics to a Cyndi Lauper song and wrote “Monet Changes Everything” and thought - hey, that’s a neat idea too. I always have difficulty hearing bits and pieces of lots of songs, and I usually don’t sweat it. But in the song _I’d Really Love To See You Tonight_ I heard “I’m not talking 'bout the linen” and thought that the line was just a bad euphemism until one day I just listened correctly and heard “I’m not talking 'bout moving in.” My wife said that she always thought this other song was some Star Wars reference since the line was clearly “Carry a laser through the darkness of the night.” Sounded good to me, though I just hummed /keer-e-elase-un/ and left it at that. I figured a flashlight would be more illuminating than a coherent beam of light, so it must be something else. Then I found the article [Kyrie Eleison](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mkyrie.html). My favorite, and this always cracks me up, is combination of lyrics in this [article](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a5_001.html) that gives “On a dark dessert highway, Cool Whip in my hair. Wurn Snell of Colitas … rising up through the air.” ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2005, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-mondegreens/302862/120 "2005-05-11T14:38:17Z")
> [@Corner Case](#): > > I always have difficulty hearing bits and pieces of lots of songs, and I usually don’t sweat it. But in the song _I’d Really Love To See You Tonight_ I heard “I’m not talking 'bout the linen” and thought that the line was just a bad euphemism until one day I just listened correctly and heard “I’m not talking 'bout moving in.” Try as I might, I always heard “moo venom” and came up with the image of a poisonous cow. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-mondegreens/302862.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-mondegreens/302862.md?page=7)