Any post that cites Weird Al is automatically launched into the upper status of all time great posts. Well, done.
My favorite misheard lyric is from "Forgiveness" by Soulside. In the chorus, I swear the lyrics are "Imitation... natural food stores!" . While I'm sure those aren't he real words, it's what I choose to believe as the singer Bobby Sullivan went on to work very closely with a large organic foods co-op and not someplace like Whole Foods. It just fits.
I think I was thinking of a restaurant, Food for Thought, that was or is next to the Black Cat? I grew up in Baltimore so I used to go to shows in DC a lot in the late 90s
When my daughter was 4 (she's 14 now), she got into an argument with me over Mumford and Sons' I Will Wait...she insisted over and over that it was "I will mate, I will mate for you," and after going round and round with her about it, I finally just said, "I'm going to tell you about this when you're a teenager, and you'll understand why I'm laughing." I did, and she did. It's super easy to mishear lyrics as a kid.
Haha, just the other day I realized that the line in David Bowie’s “Moonage Daydream” was actually “squawking like a pink monkey bird “ and not “smoke another pink monkey bird” and I gotta say I’m kinda sad I’ll never get to smoke one of those now
Here's mine, Andrew: Picture it...Houston 1966; I was 11, and already an ardent Beatles lover. I was being driven somewhere by Mom, and "Paperback Writer" comes on the radio. What I heard (and to my childlike mind) was "Paperback Rider," and pictured in my head, some kid flying (magic carpet-like) on a paperback book!
I knew what paperbacks were because Mom was reading romantic mystery novels, and I had, by this time, gotten several MAD Magazine and Peanuts collections in paperback. But, for some reason, my mind didn't automatically go to the fact that they might actually be singing about the people who actually write those books!
The story of how Mondegreens came about reminds me of the good Rev. Wm. Spooner, who unwittingly (my favorite way of inventing, by the way) whelped the malaprop, spoonerisms, after saying such things from the pulpit like, "The Lord is a shoving leopard." BTW, a piece about spoonerisms would be welcome, at least in this corner! Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got a new paperback I'd like to mount! "Awaaaaaaaaaaay!"
On the spoonerism train (still).....late '80s, I'm a pro youth minister sitting with a gaggle of my high school youthers in our L.A.-area church one Sunday near Christmas.
I taught them about spoonerisms, and when it came time for us to sing "Away in a Manger," I happened to notice that one line, when spoonerized, perfectly wrapped up the Virgin Birth with secular Christmas, and brought the two together: "The little Lord Jesus, a heap on the sleigh."
I think those kids are still laughing! And, of course, stifled laughter in church is the worst....not only for those around us, but in the trying desperately to stop!
Ha! I sometimes will screw something up and then kind of keep the joke going for a while, screw it up again a few times on purpose, then... BAM! all of a sudden, it's not a joke any more, and I can't stop saying the silly thing. It becomes the way I describe it.
In other words: I know this feeling a little too well!
This brings back a painful childhood memory of having to convince my friends in Ukraine that the lyrics to "All That She Wants" by Ace Of Base did indeed say "All that she wants."
They were all sure that they song went "Oh mush you boss" (whatever the hell that means) and no amount of argumentation changed their minds. Guess that's what I get for learning English early.
Ha! Some insecure Deejay who probably knew very, very little outside of song titles dropped an ego-bomb on 12 year old Deborah! Hey Mister Deejay: with great power comes great responsibility.
I had never misheard that clash song before. Now there's no going back. You... you monster.
My work here is done.
Oh we have a whole category for English lyrics that we native Spanish speakers misheard as saying something funny in Spanish!
Hotel California, "then she lit up the candle" sounds like "un chinito pecando" (a little Chinese commiting a sin)
U2, "to drive the past down [into the light]" sounds a lot like "te traigo pasta" (I bring you toothpaste)
And man, there are dozens, these are the ones that I could remember right away.
I love it. Feel free to share more if they pop up later in the day (or on the off chance that you hear one "in the wild"!).
Any post that cites Weird Al is automatically launched into the upper status of all time great posts. Well, done.
My favorite misheard lyric is from "Forgiveness" by Soulside. In the chorus, I swear the lyrics are "Imitation... natural food stores!" . While I'm sure those aren't he real words, it's what I choose to believe as the singer Bobby Sullivan went on to work very closely with a large organic foods co-op and not someplace like Whole Foods. It just fits.
https://youtu.be/MjK5_5xTOi0?si=0_rE5g1Wj_eNDDWg
And didn’t they used to play at that natural food store in DC that was right next to the Black Cat? I can’t remember the name...
Yes! Organic Market?
I think I was thinking of a restaurant, Food for Thought, that was or is next to the Black Cat? I grew up in Baltimore so I used to go to shows in DC a lot in the late 90s
I grew up in SC, but moved to Richmond 30 years ago... so kinda same boat!
When my daughter was 4 (she's 14 now), she got into an argument with me over Mumford and Sons' I Will Wait...she insisted over and over that it was "I will mate, I will mate for you," and after going round and round with her about it, I finally just said, "I'm going to tell you about this when you're a teenager, and you'll understand why I'm laughing." I did, and she did. It's super easy to mishear lyrics as a kid.
Also, Weird Al is the best.
I love this story, and I love Weird Al!
Haha, just the other day I realized that the line in David Bowie’s “Moonage Daydream” was actually “squawking like a pink monkey bird “ and not “smoke another pink monkey bird” and I gotta say I’m kinda sad I’ll never get to smoke one of those now
Oh no. NO, no no. This has to be wrong.
I mean, I’m still up for smoking one as long as no actual pink monkey birds are harmed in the process 😂
The real question is: would you smoke ANOTHER pink monkey bird?
Here's mine, Andrew: Picture it...Houston 1966; I was 11, and already an ardent Beatles lover. I was being driven somewhere by Mom, and "Paperback Writer" comes on the radio. What I heard (and to my childlike mind) was "Paperback Rider," and pictured in my head, some kid flying (magic carpet-like) on a paperback book!
I knew what paperbacks were because Mom was reading romantic mystery novels, and I had, by this time, gotten several MAD Magazine and Peanuts collections in paperback. But, for some reason, my mind didn't automatically go to the fact that they might actually be singing about the people who actually write those books!
The story of how Mondegreens came about reminds me of the good Rev. Wm. Spooner, who unwittingly (my favorite way of inventing, by the way) whelped the malaprop, spoonerisms, after saying such things from the pulpit like, "The Lord is a shoving leopard." BTW, a piece about spoonerisms would be welcome, at least in this corner! Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got a new paperback I'd like to mount! "Awaaaaaaaaaaay!"
That's an excellent story-nugget, Brad! And, Paperback Rider vs Ghost Rider could be a really cool Marvel comics mashup one day.
I hear you on the spoonerisms! I agree, could be really fun to write about. I touched on accidental invention (also my fave!) a while back here: https://goatfury.substack.com/p/i-love-it-when-a-plan-doesnt-come
I think I could do a similar bit about how those old sayings came to be.
On the spoonerism train (still).....late '80s, I'm a pro youth minister sitting with a gaggle of my high school youthers in our L.A.-area church one Sunday near Christmas.
I taught them about spoonerisms, and when it came time for us to sing "Away in a Manger," I happened to notice that one line, when spoonerized, perfectly wrapped up the Virgin Birth with secular Christmas, and brought the two together: "The little Lord Jesus, a heap on the sleigh."
I think those kids are still laughing! And, of course, stifled laughter in church is the worst....not only for those around us, but in the trying desperately to stop!
Ha! I sometimes will screw something up and then kind of keep the joke going for a while, screw it up again a few times on purpose, then... BAM! all of a sudden, it's not a joke any more, and I can't stop saying the silly thing. It becomes the way I describe it.
In other words: I know this feeling a little too well!
Oh I, I just died in your arms tonight
It must have been something you ate
Ha! Never heard that one, but it's really direct. I like that.
This brings back a painful childhood memory of having to convince my friends in Ukraine that the lyrics to "All That She Wants" by Ace Of Base did indeed say "All that she wants."
They were all sure that they song went "Oh mush you boss" (whatever the hell that means) and no amount of argumentation changed their minds. Guess that's what I get for learning English early.
Bosses around the world breathed a sigh of relief when they realized the Ukranian persecution was coming to an end.
No bosses were mushed in Ukraine ever since.
That's not entirely true. I heard Zelensky had a mushing scandal early in his bossdom.
The original mush-bosser.
Ha! Some insecure Deejay who probably knew very, very little outside of song titles dropped an ego-bomb on 12 year old Deborah! Hey Mister Deejay: with great power comes great responsibility.