How about some misheard lyrics?

Bauhaus - She's In Parties

"Special effects by a lunatic Hendrix"

 

Parody performances of it done as "Bomb Iran" go all the way back to 1980. You might think it said that because you heard one of those versions - they're still being done today!

 

A couple of good ones that I mentioned in previous misheard lyrics threads:

From "A Criminal Mind" by Gowan (you know, the guy singing for Styx these days):

Actual lyric: "These prison walls surround me, and I'm numb to pain."
What I heard: "These prison walls surround me, and I love to paint."

What I heard is so much more encouraging than the real lyrics, showing that Larry found something positive to do while holed up in the joint waiting for Styx to make an offer.

From "Fly By Night" by Rush:

Actual lyric: "My ship isn't coming and I just can't pretend."
What I heard: "The chickens are coming and I just can't pretend."

They mean about the same thing idiomatically - ie, "my ship isn't coming in" vs. "the chickens are coming home to roost" - but I like my version better because hey, it's Geddy Lee singing about chickens!

 

The first times I heard this as a kid on a typical '70s AM radio, I thought she was singing something like "Bees, bees, bad bad bees..."

 

The Eagles "Lyin' Eyes"..........


"has a thin disguise"


For years, I would sing:


"has offended skies"


Doink.

 

My friends made viscious fun of me for this one Love Rollercoaster (mid 70s single)-I thought they were singing Howard Cosell...

Don't have to go through 7 back pages to see if anyone else thought that...

 

I still hear "Driver's Seat", as pri-va-cy

Maybe I should ask the audio hardware guys what upgrades I need to hear it correctly?

Oh and during periods of unemployment benefits... Thin Lizzy: "Whisky on the giro"

 

"Rock Me Amadeus" Chorus

I heard: "Abba-girls Abba-girls, Abba-girls, Abba-girls Abba-girls, Abba-girls, Ohohoh Abba-girls...."

 

Doesn't appear that anyone has mentioned a couple of my favourites yet...

"Hold me closer, Tony Danza" - Tiny Dancer

"Slow, walking Walter - the fire engine guy" - Smoke on the Water

 

From "Delta 88" by X:

Actual lyric: "Delta 88, Delta 88 nightmare"
What I heard: "Just a gay, just a gay nightmare"

Make your own joke here, kids!

 

Johnny Rivers' 1966 hit, "Secret Asian Man".

 

I was raised in a Scottish family that was heavily Catholic and had just only started to allow Protestants in the family without their having to worry about being car bombed if they vocally supported Rangers over Celtic. Anyways, my grandfather made sure I received extra-double Sunday school each week where I learned the phrase "Kyrie eleison" and its meaning. I always thought it was so funny to hear the different interpretations of Mr. Mister's "Kyrie". There's a really funny movie called "The Way Way Back" where this one woman is singing "Kyree a laser" with her husband making pretty good fun of her.

Also, John Cougar's "Hand to Hold On To" has the lyric
"Say I'm alone and I'm wild and I will not be tamed
Talk like a jerk or an educated brain"
and no one got that right by just listening to the song

 

Beatles - I'll Follow The Sun
One day you'll look to see I've gone.

I thought it was - One day you'll look to see a gun.

 

Mrs DC was into Adam Ant when she was younger (I personally never had any use for him at all) and had one of the cd's in the car. I thought he was singing "prince chow mein" when it's really "prince charming" of course - would be a good one for the Weird Al treatment maybe.

 

I knew it didn't make any sense, but I really thought

Macy Gray's, I Try went "Though I try to hide it it's clear I wear goggles when you are not here"

When it is actually "Though I try to hide it it's clear My world crumbles when you are not near"

 

Steve Miller's version of Big Jet Airliner.

When I was kid, it sounded to me a bit like Big ole Jed left a light on.

 

Leonard Cohen: Bird On The Wire

Real: Like a bird on the wire, like a drunk in a midnight choir
My Version: Like a bird on the wire, like a drunken midnight choir.

I always imagined it as a bunch of drunken people at a bars last call...

 

Until about a year ago, I thought that WAS the lyric!

 

Here's a really silly one:

When I was a kid, I thought the lyrics to What a Wonderful World, instead of "Dark sacred night", were "Dogs say goodnight".

Dogs speaking seemed very wonderful indeed to my 6 year old self.

 

"Big chicken seems like a dream to me now"

 

This one drives me mad. Not a misheard lyric, but something else.

I'm fan of early John Foxx, and consider Metamatic as one of the truly great synth pop albums. There is a track called Underpass, which was also a single.

Anyway, whenever I play this track within hearing distance of my wife, she ruins the experience by singing: "Underpants!" for the chorus.

I hate it when she does it. Which is probably why she thinks it's so funny.

 

We are the Sultans of sway.

That as a kid - pretty close sway swing ?

 

"A Mondo Warrior"

Spoiler

RUSH - Tom Sawyer

 

Sonny, you had a lotta wax in your ears. LOL.

 

Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting:

Don't give us none of your aggravation
We've had it with your Death Star plans