Cover songs that have the lyrics wrong

One of the more notorious ones was The Byrds' cover of Dylan's "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere." Roger McGuinn swiched the words "pack" and "pick" in the line "pick up your money, pack up your tent." When Dylan rerecorded the song in 1971, he said "pick up your money, pack up your tent, McGuinn," in response to the mess-up. When McGuinn recorded a new version with the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, he switched his own name out with "Dylan"

 

I Heard it Through the Grapevine:

Marvin Gaye: "People say believe half of what you see, son and none of what you hear."

Creedence: "People say you hear from what you see, son and not from what you hear."

 

The Reverend gets high whilst channeling his inner Otis...

 

I interpreted the OP to mean he was after examples where the lyrics were changed mistakenly, a la Baez.

 

According to Google Lyrics its;

"None were level on the mind; Nobody up at his word"

As much as I love Jimi's version, some of those lines are really open to interpretation as to what exactly he's singing. Case in point, another lyric site claims its

"None will level on the line, Nobody of it is worth."

 

I was always confused by this
Brownsville Station - Sweet Jane

 

And an F to Robbie R, for writing "By May the 10th, Richmond had fell." The actual date was April 3rd, 1865.

 

Shawn Colvin changing (flubbing) the line in Talking Head's This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody) from "I feel numb, born with a weak heart" to "I come home, born with a weak heart"

 

I think the actual lyric is "pumped a lot of plain..." As in plain (not high octane) gasoline. Pumping pain doesn't make much sense at all.

 

Mighty Qiunn

Dylan- cut of meat
Manfred Man-cup of meat

 

Carl Perkins - Matchbox:

Well I'm sitting here wondering,
Will a matchbox hold my clothes?
Yeah I'm sitting here wondering,
Will a matchbox hold my clothes?
I ain't got no matches, but I got a long way to go

Well let me be your little dog
Till your big dog comes
Let me be your little dog
Till your big dog comes
When the big dog gets here
Show him what this little puppy done


Beatles - Matchbox:

I said I'm sitting here watching
Matchbox hole in my clothes
I said I'm sitting here wondering
Matchbox hole in my clothes
I ain't got no matches, but I sure got a long way to go

Well, let me be your little dog
Till your big dog comes
Let me be your little dog
Till your big dog comes
And when your big dog gets here
Watch how your puppy dog runs (stereo mix anyhow, difficult to tell what Ringo says on the mono mix)

 

I think changing the lyrics deliberately is OK. Changing the lyrics because you didn't hear them right is lazy.

 

I think the lyric is "'pane," as in propane. But websites are not unanimous.

Ike & Tina Turner really botch the lyric: "Popped a lotta 'tang"! I guess that's more, er, interesting but not what John Fogerty envisioned!

 

Bob Dylan - My Back Pages (verses that The Byrds sang)

Crimson flames tied through my ears, rollin' high and mighty traps
Pounced with fire on flaming roads using ideas as my maps
"We'll meet on edges, soon, " said I, proud 'neath heated brow
Ah, but I was so much older then, I'm younger than that now

Half-wracked prejudice leaped forth, "rip down all hate, " I screamed
Lies that life is black and white spoke from my skull, I dreamed
Romantic facts of musketeers foundationed deep, somehow
Ah, but I was so much older then, I'm younger than that now

In a soldier's stance, I aimed my hand at the mongrel dogs who teach
Fearing not that I'd become my enemy in the instant that I preach
My existence led by confusion boats, mutiny from stern to bow
Ah, but I was so much older then, I'm younger than that now

Yes, my guard stood hard when abstract threats too noble to neglect
Deceived me into thinking I had something to protect
Good and bad, I define these terms quite clear, no doubt, somehow
Ah, but I was so much older then I'm younger than that now


The Byrds - My Back Pages

Crimson flames tied through my ears, throwin' high and mighty traps
Countless fire and flaming road using ideas as my maps
"We'll meet on edges, soon," said I, Proud 'neath heated brow
Ah, but I was so much older then, I'm younger than that now

Half-wracked prejudice leaped forth, "Rip down all hate," I screamed
Lies that life is black and white spoke from my skull, I dreamed
Romantic flanks of musketeers foundation deep, somehow
Ah, but I was so much older then I'm younger than that now

In a soldier's stance, I aimed my hand at the mongrel dogs who teach
Fearing not I'd become my enemy In the instant that I preach
Sisters fled by confusion boats, mutiny from stern to bow
Ah, but I was so much older then, I'm younger than that now

My guard stood hard when abstract threats too noble to neglect
Deceived me into thinking I had something to protect
Good and bad, I define these terms quite clear, no doubt, somehow
Ah, but I was so much older then I'm younger than that now

 

They meant that orange stuff that went to the moon.

Seriously, I think it was "Popped a lotta thangs."

 

Fogerty sang "pumped a lot of 'pane" as in "propane", Ike & Turner sang "pumped a lot of 'tane" as in "octane".

 

On the CCR cover I hear: "People say you hide from what you see, no-no-not from what you hear."

 

Here's a post I put up 3 and a half years ago in a "one and done" thread. Perhaps it can finally get a good resting place in this thread.

Having "grown up" with the Beatles' version of "Searchin'", and only having heard the Coasters' version a handful of times, I have always struggled to understand the lyrics. Finally hearing the Hollies' version this week, where the lyrics are very clear, made me realize that "Searchin'" was another case where the Beatles didn't quite know the words, and made some up to compensate (similar to "Roll Over Beethoven", "Memphis", "Matchbox", etc.)

"Searchin'"really only has two verses. and the Beatles leave out one entirely ("Well now if I have to swim a river, You know I will"). The other verse mentions 6 fictional characters who are detectives, policemen, etc. The Beatles clearly have no idea who some of these people are.

Sherlock Holmes - Surely they are familiar with him, but omit him nonetheless.
Charlie Chan - His name appears in a different spot in the lyrics, but he's properly identified.
Sam Spade - Apparently Paul wasn't a Bogart fan. Paul seems to replace his name with "Simon Says".
Sergeant Friday - Paul gets this one. The original B+W "Dragnet" TV series ran on American TV from '51 to '59. Perhaps it ran on British TV as well?
Boston Blackie - This literary character also appeared in a long series of 1940's "B" movies. Paul replaces him with what sounds like "Adam B." (or perhaps "Adam V.") Not sure if there is any meaning behind this.
Peter Gunn - Points for creativity here! Peter Gunn began appearing on American TV in 1958 (a year AFTER the song was written) and does not appear in the Coasters version. Either Paul added him in, or the Beatles are covering someone who did, post-Coasters.
Bulldog Drummond - A British fictional character, who appeared in novels, films, radio, TV ... but that all clearly eluded Paul. He certainly sounds to be singing nonsense (falsetto nonsense, in fact) in place of a name he clearly doesn't know. Paul sings something like "hard hard drum".

 

Sounds like "Simon Slade" to me.

That's Lennon singing falsetto!

 

Yeah, it could be Simon Slade (whoever THAT is ), especially the second time around.

And yeah, for 35 years (until 10 minutes ago) I thought that was Paul doing the falsetto bit. But, upon further review, it can't be Paul since it has a tiny overlap with Paul coming back in in his normal singing voice. So John it must be, good call!

 

Compare and cringe:

The Who - Behind Blue Eyes

No one knows what it's like
To be the bad man
To be the sad man
Behind blue eyes

No one knows what it's like
To be hated
To be fated
To telling only lies

But my dreams
They aren't as empty
As my conscience seems to be

I have hours, only lonely
My love is vengeance
That's never free

No one knows what it's like
To feel these feelings
Like I do
And I blame you

No one bites back as hard
On their anger
None of my pain and woe
Can show through

But my dreams
They aren't as empty
As my conscience seems to be

I have hours, only lonely
My love is vengeance
That's never free

When my fist clenches, crack it open
Before I use it and lose my cool
When I smile, tell me some bad news
Before I laugh and act like a fool

And if I swallow anything evil
Put your finger down my throat
And if I shiver, please give me a blanket
Keep me warm, let me wear your coat

No one knows what it's like
To be the bad man
To be the sad man
Behind blue eyes

Limp Bizkit - Behind Blue Eyes

[Verse 1]
No one knows what it's like to be the bad man
To be the sad man
Behind blue eyes
And no one knows what it's like to be hated
To be fated to telling only lies

[Chorus]
But my dreams they aren't as empty
As my conscious seems to be
I have hours, only lonely
My love is vengeance
That's never free

[Verse 2]
No one knows what it's like to feel these feelings
Like I do, and I blame you!
No one bites back as hard on their anger
None of my pain and woe can show through

[Chorus]
But my dreams they aren't as empty
As my conscious seems to be
I have hours, only lonely
My love is vengeance
That's never free

[Bridge]
Discover l.I.m.p. say it
Discover l.I.m.p. say it
Discover l.I.m.p. say it
Discover l.I.m.p. say it
Discover

[Verse 3]
No one knows what it's like
To be mistreated, to be defeated
Behind blue eyes
No one know how to say
That they're sorry and don't worry
I'm not telling lies

[Chorus]
But my dreams they aren't as empty
As my conscious seems to be
I have hours, only lonely
My love is vengeance
That's never free

[Outro]
No one knows what it's like to be the bad man
To be the sad man
Behind blue eyes

 

I always thought Elvis sang 'pumped a lot of babes' when I was younger in his live version of the song, naturally I assumed this was some phenomenon I may learn more about when I was much older. Heh, just turned out to be pumping gas. Silly me...

 

That's why I put the question mark after the quotation; it's hard to tell what Jimi is saying. Definitely a case of the Stipes. But whatever he's singing doesn't match Dylan's lyric.

 

Plus, many artists who would not have covered it with the original lyric would cover it with the change.

 

Waiting For The Man

Original lyrics "Up to Lexington/125"
Meaning the corner of Lexington Ave and 125th Street

Slaughter and the Dogs
"Don't you [unintelligible] 105"