Lyrics you misunderstood as a kid

Heh, I used to think that line was "I'm not talkin' 'bout the linen..."

Edit: and I wasn't the only one! Just noticed the post above mine.

 

I assume that's "10th Avenue Freeze Out", right?

I used to think "from the coast line to the city" was "from the clothes line to the city"...

 

That masculine boy song by Herman's Hermits.

 

Steve Miller Band - Jet Airliner

Instead of "big ol jet airliner......"

I thought it was:

"pink hotel and a light on...."

Yup, was singing along with the song about pink hotels for the longest time until I read the lyrics.

 

"Wake Up Little Susie" - The Everly Brothers

Actual lyrics:
"We fell asleep, our goose is cooked, our reputation is shot"

But I thought it sounded like:
"We fell asleep, our goose is cooked, I reckon we could be shot"

 

I know this is from almost a year ago (I wasn't yet a member here though...) But that's something that travelled, as they mentioned it on local radio here a few months ago and I'd never even heard the song before. It got stuck in my head! The dj was going on and on about it- it was quite surreal. Maybe it's been passed from person to person for all this time?

I thought I was going mad...

 

I will apologize in advance for any offense here, but the question was asked. I have misunderstood a few lyrics in my day, but none to the extent of 'Smoke on the Water' (Deep Purple). Ever since it hit the airwaves and even listening to it on a decent system, and even KNOWING the title of the song... and this is bizarre, but I STILL hear them sing "SLOW CUMMIN' VIR-GIN, a fire in the sky". EVERY. TIME.

Can anyone else hear this? Why can't they just sing that normally? It really does NOT sound like 'smoke on the water' exactly, does it? Always bothered me and I figured that they just barely got away with singing those lyrics somehow. Sorry to have had to report this. Carry on.

 

My earliest misunderstanding that I can recall (there have been many....) was "Penny Lane" when they sing "and Penny Lane is in my ...". I had a crush on a girl named Elaine and thought (however coincidentally) they were singing "... and then Elaine is in my ears and in my heart." Being about 7 and unaware of The Beatles and the actual song title/lyrics, it's exactly what I wanted to hear at the time, and thought how great I could apply this song to my situation

 

I suppose many here have seen this well known internet site for misheard lyrics, but for those that haven't: http://www.kissthisguy.com/.

 

I had a friend for years who (especially when in schooldays) used to make up lines to songs that weren't there- and listening to Queen's Greatest Hits today brought this flooding back to me... he'd invariably change something completely innocent to something a little more 'rude.' For example (and this song in particular, jogged my memory this afternoon)

'Somebody To Love' by Queen contains the line....

"I work hard every day of my life, I work till I ache my bones"

but HIS reading of it goes

"I work hard every day of my life, I work till I ache my BALLS"



The problem being, that he'd try his BEST to convince everyone that his version of the lyrics were correct!

And you'd end up believing him (ANYTHING for an easy life, eh..? )

 

A-ha's "The Sun Always Shines On TV"...when I was 8 years old and didn't understand more than a few words of English, I took it very literally...so I thought they sang about how annoying it is when you get sunlight directly on the TV screen reflecting back and making it hard to see.

 

I remember a kid in a department store singing -I'm not Joe Pepitone- Instead of- I'm not your stepping stone- Joe played for the N.Y. Yankees around that time...

 

This reminds me of yet another one. When I first read the title of Bob Marley's "No Woman No Cry" I thought it was one of those "love stinks" songs about how having a woman makes you cry.

 

Don't feel bad, I parsed it that way for decades.

 

"Go, greased lightning, you're wholesome to the get-down child"

 

Jingle Bells:

"Oh what joy it is to ride
In a one horse soap and sleigh"

 

Your version just might work, especially with her dad...yikes.

 

Catherine Wheel's "I Want To Touch You", which I misheard as "I want a tissue".

 

I'd much rather be Reverend Blue Jeans (by Neil Diamond)

 

You weren't the only one: Samuel Jackson and Geena Davis in "The Long Kiss Good Night"

 

"And a pardon to the man who showed his ass reports to space" - CTTE

Didn't have the lyrics available at the time. Was an 80's Atlantic with the standard white paper.

 

A few from early '75:
"My Eyes Adored You"-Frankie Valli: I ALMOST heard "you couldn't see how I adored you" as "you couldn't see Hawaii adored you", but I REALLY misunderstood the line in the first verse about "over the bridge in Bona"-something" bay", by Frankie's native New Jersey, and REALLY thought that this was about a nice Hawaiian girl and that it took place in Honolulu!

"Killer Queen"-Queen: A number of misunderstandings there. "She keeps a moment in Shondell" actually "She keeps a "something" and Chantel" in a pretty cabinet.. then "Well dressed stinettiketts"(LOL whatever that means)-was actually "Well versed in etiquette", and many others!

And I agree with that poster on the FIRST page about Clapton's "Lay Down Sally" as "Way Down South", unless I already mentioned that one,

 

I heard that too. Cruel to take someone's sugar substitute.

 

Obscure, but apparently Klaatu's "Dr. Marvello" was misunderstood by some....

REAL: "I may know a special man, whose love machine turns can't to can"
NOT REAL: "I may know a special man, who love machine turns c*** to come"

I even recall an interviewer asking them how they got away with such a thing! XD

 

When I was about 5 or 6 I used to love love love Springsteen's "Born in the USA", although at the time I was convinced he was saying "Dog in the USA". So that's how I knew the song until I was probably 9 or 10.

"Doooooog in the USA, I'm a Doooog in the USA, yeaaah!"