# YOUR misheard lyrics **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [August 6, 2015, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-misheard-lyrics/727166 "2015-08-06T16:34:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 12
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2015, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-misheard-lyrics/727166/221 "2015-12-17T16:48:28Z")
Mine: Boston’s “Peace of Mind,” actual lyrics: I understand about indecision But I don’t care if I get behind ## What I heard: I don’t care about the FBI Someone else’s: Duran Duran’s “Girls on film,” actual lyrics: Girls on film, Two minutes later Mis-heard: Too many Taylors ---
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2015, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-misheard-lyrics/727166/222 "2015-12-17T21:00:34Z")
Recently I heard “Tear You Apart” by She Wants Revenge on the radio for the first time in forever. So yesterday I watched the YouTube video and something didn’t sound quite right. So I Googled the lyrics. Turns out when they sing Soft breath, beating heart I was always hearing it as Soft breasts, beating heart ---
**Author:** ![melondeca](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5a626/32.png) [@melondeca](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/melondeca)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2015, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-misheard-lyrics/727166/223 "2015-12-17T22:28:50Z")
Drops of Jupiter by Train Lyric: And heaven is overrated Heard: Van Halen is overrated I still think mine is better. ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2015, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-misheard-lyrics/727166/224 "2015-12-18T00:58:04Z")
> [@psychobunny](#): > > For the holiday season, I always heard: > > _Later on, we’ll perspire > As we dream by the fire_ +1 Gloria in eggshells this dayo. True story. ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2015, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-misheard-lyrics/727166/225 "2015-12-18T01:07:23Z")
Real lyrics: “Sundown, you better beware” What I heard: “San Bernardi-i-i-no” ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2015, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-misheard-lyrics/727166/226 "2015-12-19T02:04:30Z")
> [@psychobunny](#): > > For the holiday season, I always heard: > > _Later on, we’ll perspire > As we dream by the fire_ I actually sing this as “Later on, we’ll perspire / As we sit in the fire.” ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2015, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-misheard-lyrics/727166/227 "2015-12-19T17:28:39Z")
Guess Who’s American Woman: I thought it was “colored lights can hit the skies.” Nope. “Colored lights can hypnotize.” ---
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2015, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-misheard-lyrics/727166/228 "2015-12-31T23:23:41Z")
Rita Coolidge - “We’re All Alone” What I heard Close the window Come alive Last year or so I decided to look up the lyrics, turns out it’s Close the window Calm the light I’ve never heard that phrase before (but I know what it means now) so I’m guessing that’s why my brain changed it into something I’d understand. ---
**Author:** ![Bites\_When\_Provoked](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bites_when_provoked/32/18073_2.png) [@Bites\_When\_Provoked](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bites_When_Provoked)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2016, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-misheard-lyrics/727166/229 "2016-01-01T05:42:22Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Me too. And in the same song: > > Lyric: I’m not talking about movin’ in > Misheard: I’m not talkin’ 'bout Meridian. I know the correct lyrics now, but I still hear it as “not talkin’ bout The Living”… which gave it a weird zombie-vibe. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![GreenElf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@GreenElf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenElf)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2016, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-misheard-lyrics/727166/230 "2016-01-20T02:09:09Z")
Flashdance (What a Feeling) misheard: “Take your pants off, and make it happen” lyric: > [@](#): > > Take your passion > And make it happen > Pictures come alive > You can dance right through your life ---
**Author:** ![psychobunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/54ee81/32.png) [@psychobunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychobunny)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2016, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-misheard-lyrics/727166/231 "2016-01-20T02:41:29Z")
> [@](#): > > Rita Coolidge - “We’re All Alone” > > What I heard > > Close the window > Come alive That’s NOT the lyric?! > [@](#): > > Lyric: I’m not talking about movin’ in I heard: I’m not talkin’ about the limit ---
**Author:** ![botsgotme](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@botsgotme](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/botsgotme)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2016, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-misheard-lyrics/727166/232 "2016-01-20T21:48:46Z")
Coola nd The Gang’s “too Hot”:\what they sang: “It’s too hot, too hot, gotta run for shelter, gotta run for shade” -What I heard: "it’s two o’…gotta run the bunker, gotta mess we made"clock, two o’;clock ---
**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:** [March 31, 2016, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-misheard-lyrics/727166/233 "2016-03-31T16:50:12Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > These aren’t really misheard lyrics, but _misunderstood_ lyrics. In elementary school we had singing for 15 - 30 minutes. Those songs still pop into my head from time to time. I don’t know what this first one is, but it seems it was sung around Christmas so I think it’s a song about Jesus. > > _His eyes were black > As black as a jet_ > > Growing up near NAS Miramar, I could tell you jets were definitely _not_ black! They were light grey on top and white on the bottom with barred roundels on the sides and wings, and cool artwork on the tails. I had no idea, nor was it ever explained, that ‘jet’ in this context meant a certain kind of rock, which is black. > > This is from Stephen Foster’s _Some Folks_: > > _Some folks long to die, > But that’s not me nor you._ > > How did _he_ know how long _I_ have before I die? I was rather offended. I wanted it to be a _very_ long time before I died! ‘Long’, meaning ‘desire’ was well out of general use before I got to elementary school. I thought of another _misunderstood_ lyric. _Oh, the man who has plenty of good peanuts But giveth his neighbour none He won’t get any of my peanuts When his peanuts are gone_ As a child I took it as meaning that the greedy man was too proud to ask for any of my peanuts, not that I would punitively withhold peanuts from him. ---
**Author:** ![OffByOne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/45deac/32.png) [@OffByOne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OffByOne)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2016, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-misheard-lyrics/727166/234 "2016-04-01T15:24:27Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > _ **Do, a deer** _ from \*The Sound of Music > \* > Lyric: “Tea, a drink with jam and bread” > Heard: “Team a drink with Jan and Fred” Yeah. I was a kid when everyone on every variety show sang this song. I thought it was Janet Blair. ---
**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:** [August 25, 2016, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-misheard-lyrics/727166/235 "2016-08-25T17:54:35Z")
A couple more: **_Reach Out_ by The Sweet** Lyric: Just look over your shoulder! Misheard: Tecalote show! (I lived near Tecalote Canyon when I was a child.) **_Whip It_ by Devo** Lyric: Try to detect it Misheard: Tattoo detective In reality, I may only be wishing I’d misheard it that way. Too long ago to remember. ---
**Author:** ![Jet\_Jaguar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jet_jaguar/32/3562_2.png) [@Jet\_Jaguar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jet_Jaguar)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2016, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-misheard-lyrics/727166/236 "2016-08-25T18:38:57Z")
When I was a kid, I thought the Peter Gabriel song “Shock the Monkey” was about a monkey named Jacques. ---
**Author:** ![Whiskey\_Dickens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/9fc348/32.png) [@Whiskey\_Dickens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whiskey_Dickens)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2016, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-misheard-lyrics/727166/237 "2016-08-25T18:46:55Z")
Amanda Marshall’s “Birmingham.” I thought for sure that the chorus was “Shining Like an Allegheny Moon.” Have a camping trip planned to Allegheny state park in a bit, I thought I’d be cute and put it into a road trip play list. I was completely baffled when I couldn’t find the song by searching for those lyrics. Widening my search terms showed me that the lyrics are “_Alabama_ moon.” 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2016, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-misheard-lyrics/727166/238 "2016-08-26T07:06:40Z")
Looking at a Youtube comment I may not have been the only one, but in The Yardbirds “You’re a Better Man than I” instead of the correct lyrics: Mister You’re a Better Man than I For a long time I heard it as Misty You’re a Better Man than I ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2016, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-misheard-lyrics/727166/239 "2016-08-26T14:36:37Z")
> [@vivalostwages](#): > > Duran Duran’s “Girls on film,” actual lyrics: > Girls on film, Two minutes later > > Mis-heard: Too many Taylors There are a lot of really good one’s here but this in particular has me giggling, seeing as when this song was recorded 3 out of 5 members of the band had the surname Taylor. [QUOTE=Greenelf] Flashdance (What a Feeling) misheard: “Take your pants off, and make it happen” lyric: [/QUOTE] Hilarious and much better than the real lyrics. From _Love the One You’re With_: Actual: There’s a rose in the fisted glove . . . Misheard: There’s a road in the distance, love . . . ---
**Author:** ![Jennshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Jennshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennshark)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2016, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-misheard-lyrics/727166/240 "2016-08-26T17:54:48Z")
As heard and sung a zillion times: You picked a fine time to leave me Lucille, with **four hundred** children and a crop in the field . . . Correct: With **four hungry children** and a crop in the field . . . [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-misheard-lyrics/727166.md?page=11) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-misheard-lyrics/727166.md?page=13)