Photo: Flickr user carolyn.will
It’s happened to us all. We’re cruising in the car with our best bud, belting out the lyrics to a song, when all of a sudden, our pal bursts into firecrackers of laughter. “What’s so funny?” you ask. “Those aren’t the lyrics!” your friend sputters. Oops. Well, you’re not alone. Want to know what other lyrics people have hilariously misunderstood?
10. “I’m a creep, I’m a widow.” Real lyrics: “I’m a creep, I’m a weirdo.” From Radiohead’s “Creep.”
9. “You made the rice, I made the gravy.” Real lyrics: “You may be right, I may be crazy.” From Billy Joel’s “You May Be Right.”
8. “Possum in a daze.” Real lyrics: “Blossoms in the trees.” Muse’s “Feeling Good.”
7. “You’ve been outright offensive for so long now.” Real lyrics: “You’ve been out riding fences for so long now.” From the Eagles’ “Desperado.”
6. “Red, red wine/Steak, lobster meat.” Real lyrics: “Red, red wine/Stay close to me.” From UB40′s “Red, Red Wine.”
5. “Sunday monkey won’t play piano song.” Real lyrics: “Sont des mots qui vont très bien ensemble.” From The Beatles’ “Michelle.”
4. “Love is a big, fat quivering slug.” Real lyrics: “Love is a big, fat river in flood.” From Sting’s “Love is Stronger than Justice.”
3. “Olives have feelings.” Real lyrics: “Our lips are sealed.” The Go-Go’s “Our Lips are Sealed.”
2. “I’ll never leave your pizza burning.” Real lyrics: “I’ll never be your beast of burden. From the Rolling Stones’ “Beast of Burden.”
1. “There’s a bathroom on the right.” Real lyrics: “There’s a bad moon on the rise.” From Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Bad Moon Rising.”
‘Fess up — which lyrics have you misheard? We know you’ve got some good ones!
4 loves 
Ahh! This is amazing!! So good!
When I was growing up, my dad listened to a lot of Western music, like Roy Rogers. I would have SWORN to you that the song “Here’s Hopin’ ” was called “Ears Open” and that Roy and the gang were telling us that “if you’re trying to outrun that big ol’ setting sun, ears open that you do.” No wonder I never understood Western music.
From my 5 year old daughter:
“Get outta my way or I’m gonna beat you”
Real lyrics: “Can get in the way of what I’m feelin.” From Alicia Key’s “No One.”
For a long, long time I thought the background chorus of “whooooo are you” (from the Who song) was saying “Neeeeew Orleans.” Listen to it again and you’ll see what I mean!
“Hold me closer, Tony Danzaaaa”… I was way off. Tiny Dancer, Tiny Dancer!
Ha! Those are all so funny. I have 2 for ya…
“Of the crossed-eyed bear that you gave to me.” Real lyrics: “Of the cross I bear that you gave to me” Alanis Morissette You Outta Know
“Marcus Swaim” Real lyrics: “walk this way” Aerosmith – it’s kind of an inside thing because it’s my hubby’s name and his sister has claimed those were the lyrics since she was little. But it really does sound like it!!
Don’t forget the classic Jimi Hendrix line: “‘Scuse me while I kiss this guy”! Years ago I rememer seeing a book called that was basically a collection of misheard lyrics. Awesome stuff.
“There’s a bathroom on the right.” OMG thats totally what I thought it was! Hahaha….thanks for clearing that up!
- “Fly away on my cell phone” (fly away on my zephyr– “The Zephyr Song,” Red Hot Chili Peppers)
I only remember part of my other favorite personally misheard lyrics from Jimmy Eat World’s “The Middle”– “elephant, elephant” instead of “everything, everything”.
“Donkey chains, darlin’ donkey chains, thank you for all the joy and pain..” oh – it’s Danke Schoen?! (saw this on a tv show and it made me laugh)
gotta love Wayne Newton
Wow.
This is great!
haha, these are funny, although I can’t say I’ve ever made any of these mistakes.. Beyonce had a song called “Lose my Breath”, and in the chorus she said Can You Keep Up, several times, I always thought she was saying Kenyan People..
The worst of all time is Aerosmith’s line “Dude looks like a lady” that I had assumed for so long was “do it like a lady”
Manfred Mann’s Earth Band – Blinded By the Light.
I always think its: “Revved up like a douche another roller in the night”
When really its: “revved up like a deuce,
another runner in the night”
yea… haha
awesome post!! i’ve heard that “Smells Like Teen Spirit” is one of easiest songs to mishear. A group of stenographers were tested on typing the lyrics, and everyone in the room created a different version of the song…
Someone I know once misheard the REM song Losing My Religion as “Let’s pee in the corner, let’s pee in the spotlight” instead of “That’s me in the corner, that’s me in the spotlight.”
I once got into an argument with my boyfriend over the Pixies song, “Where Is My Mind?” I was totally convinced that Frank Black was singing, “and there’s nothing in it, an Alaska sound,” rather than “and you’ll ask yourself.” I thought “an Alaska sound” was quite a poetic metaphor for an empty brain – I imagined the roar of a rushing wind ravaging desolate glacial landscapes. Then again, I’ve never been to Alaska, which I’m sure is far less like Antarctica than I imagine it to be…
“Making carrot biscuits” – real lyrics “Taking care of business”
i’ve gotta confess, stole this from a (anonymous) friend
Definitely Blinded by the Light!!! I always hear “wrapped up like a douche” instead of “revved up like a deuce” and I know at least 5 other people who thought that too!
Macy Gray’s I Try:
Heard: “I blow bubbles when you are not hear!”
Actual: “My world crumbles when you are not near!”
Rolling Stones – Beast of Burden
Until I was 17 (26 now) I thought it said BIG SUBURBAN…..uggghh. So embarrasing.
Mandy – I also thought Blinding by the Light said, revved up like a douche – but up until about a year ago. took me a little while to catch on to that one : )
Heard: “We be German”
Actual: “We be jammin;”
I only hope Marley can forgive me.
Until recently, I thought Alanis was singing about a “cross-eyed baby that you gave to me” (instead of cross I bear) in You Oughta Know.
for my whole life until like…two years ago i always thought prince’s song “little red corvette” was “baby come back” i personally think my version is much more touching…
haha! I actually thought “our lips are sealed” was “I love Cecile” I was like… who’s Cecile??
In the song ‘ Set fire to the third bar’ by martha wainwright ans snow patrol theres a line that says ‘Of distance dark places’ BUT ive allways heard ‘Ive p***ed in dark places!’ OH DEAR!! listen and im sure yourll see what i mean!
This post is great! I always sang the correct lyrics for “Felling Good”, but I think I like “possum in a daze” better. I’ll start singing that instead.
“Every time you go away, you take a piece of meat with you.” When I was little, I asked my mom what that guy did with all that meat! :)
One day I was talking about Christmas songs with a couple of friends. My friend Trish told me how her sister had always thought the lyrics to “Sleigh Ride” were “Let’s take that ropey forrest” (really, it’s “road before us”). While my other friends laughed, I gave a nervous giggle.
I thought it was “ropey forrest”, too.
Also, I know how to spell Forest!
I used to think that Springsteen’s “Tenth Avenue Freezeout” was actually “Dead devil in the freezer”, which for some reason made complete sense to me.
I too misheard Blinded By the Light. Thought it was “rewed up like a douche.” Glad I’m not the only one.
I always thought in the Gwen Stefani song, they were saying “Sweet as cake, sweet as cake” instead of “Sweet escape sweet escape!”
HA HA! My girlfriend always thought it was, “I don’t need a pink suburban” (beast of burden). I like this take, too.
blinded by the light! wrapped up like a douche…haha I always thought it said that!
10,000 Maniacs version of Peace Train always sounded like “Pee Stain” to me. That and on Blondie’s Heart of Glass the line “If I fear I’m losing you.
It’s just no good, you teasing like you do” always sounded to me like “You’re cheezy like a dildo”
I thought “Love Shack” was “Love Shot” and “You give love a bad name” was “You think love is a battlefield”. until senior year of highschool, when i was belting them out with a bunch of classmates and somebody noticed. i don’t even know how i got the second one.
Once my sister thought that the line “I swear it was in self defense” from I Shot The Sheriff was “I swear that it was salty fresh”
In Chop Suey by system of a down it sounds like ‘Wyd you leave the ketchup on the table?’. I think its really keys upon the table.
My best friend thought that the world follow in the chorus of Paparazzi by Lady Gaga was “fondle”. She didn’t even question it because, well, it was Lady Gaga.
“I’m your biggest fan. I’ll fondle you until you love me…”
Haha.
Rolling Stones- Beast of Burden
What I hear:
“Aw yes he does, I can suck a duck”
What he’s singing:
“All this sickness, I can suck it up”
I have *totally* heard that on Blinded by the Light, *and* I used to think the Who was singing about New Orleans (not “who are you?”), *AND* I’ve heard Macy Gray sing about blowing bubbles when you are not here.
The one nobody’s posted yet that I hear, though, is Natalie Merchant’s song “Thank You,” for which I always hear “I want to… vacuum, vacuum. Vacuum, vacuum…”
And in the song “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” I can swear she sings, instead of “later we’ll have some pumpkin pie,” “later we’ll have some f***in’ pie.” Seriously!
Bruce Springsteen “Blinded by the Light”
What he says:
“Cut loose like a deuce”
What I hear:
“Wrapped up like a douche”
for years my dad thought the chorus in the sly and the family stone song “Family Affair” was “It’s a family of bears” not “It’s a family affair.”
i like my dads version better
For years I thought the chorus of “Apples, Peaches, Pumpkin Pie” by Jay & The Techniques was “I’m gonna eat this pumpkin pie.” But the ultimate is my co-worker, Kelly, who was convinced that in “Benny & The Jets” Elton John was singing, “she’s got electric boobs, her mom does too.”
AFI real lyrics: your sins into me
Lyrics my sister YELLED to the song: YOU’RE SIMPLY TOO LATE
Also: I sang along “Drop it like it’s hot” as “pop it like a tire.”
Def Leppard’s “Love Bites:”
I hear “It’s bringin’ me to my knees” as “It’s bigger than Germany.”
My friend and I always sing the chorus of “Rock Me Amadeus” as “hot potatoes! hot potatoes!” instead of “Amadeus! Amadeus!”
That is so awesome! Earlier today I was listening to “Michelle” by the Beatles and was attempting to sing along. At least now I know which words completely fit the tune!
In Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nervana I heard “Whip your a** out” instead of “With the lights out.” Haha at least I haven’t sung it out loud.
Another problem I had was with California Girls by Katy Perry. If you listen to it in the car with the volume a bit low, you can’t understand anything!
“I wanna be a Menorah King” In reality: I wanna be a minority by Green Day
when i was little i always used to think in david bowe’s suffragette city it went “chocolate cip city!!” lol
I found out about this singer not too long ago too, and I love how they put together their videos for the songs!
“Hold me closer Tony Danza…count the head lice on the highway.” (Elton John’s “Tiny Dancer”)
WOW, really?
well, when I was in JR high, that Blue song was out, and my friends and I had now idea what they were saying, it was a toss up between “i’m in need of a dime” and “i’m in need of a guy” (i thought the later was a riot, still do to this day)
so I was rather diaspointer when i found out the lyrics were really simply daba dee daaba dii
ha…i thought Blue was “I’m blue I believe I can fly…”
I Hope You Dance: “Don’t let some helping heart leave you butter”
real lyrics: “Don’t let some hell-bent heart leave you bitter”
Don’t know how I messed that one up, lol. :)
Oh, and I used to think Colbie Callait’s “Bubbly” used to say “The smell of my toes makes me crinkle my nose” ;)
Manfred Mann’s Earth Band blinded by the light “revved up like a deuce” I hear “wrapped up like a douche”
every time I hear this song that is what I hear
“She’s got a chicken to ride” instead of the beatles originally intended “ticket to Ride”.
also: terrible new song on the radio these days, apparently it says “How could you be so heartless?” but friends and I thought it said “horny” and then “hard-ass” before we looked up the right word!
My friend actually thought ‘Ours lips are sealed’ was ‘Alex the seal.’ I still think that would have made a great song!
Totally thought Alanis was griping about a cross eyed bear in “You Oughta Know” too…
My grandmother heard “I believe I can die” when the song was “I believe I can fly”. I guess that doesn’t count; she did have hearing problems. But I was 13 so I laughed. Bad me.
Beck
Where It’s At
Wrong lyrics:
Sing to the devils in the microphone
Real lyrics:
I got two turn table and a microphone
In high school, my friends thought the song “Independent Ladies” by Destiny’s Child said “Throw your hands at Batman” instead of “Throw your hands up at me.”
“Olives have feelings” XD
haha So one of my dads was instead of
“little deuce coupe” by the beache boys he said “little blue scoop”
and then when i was little instead of “Angel is the centerfold” by j. geils band I used to say “Angle is the the centipold”
so i basically was speaking gibberish hahaha
I still say it now because me and my dad continue to laugh about it
My dad thought the Colbie Callait song “Bubbly” was “mucus my nose the feeling shows” instead of “when you kiss my nose the feeling shows”
haha gross.
“Oh-woah, oh-woah, leave me breakfast!” instead of “Leave me breathless” by the Coors.
I would prefer my guy leaves me breakfast, actually!
Oh my… I love it!!!
to me, bon jovi sang “you give love, a band aid!”
and from earth wind and fire Devotion, “Deliverance from the fruits of evil” to me is “toma tu Sopita”- translated as eat your soup…lmao
haha!
i thought for a long time that in purple haze by jimi hendrix he was saying “excuse me while I kiss this guy.” real lyrics: “excuse me while i kiss the sky.”
For the “blue” song, we would always sing “im blue if i was green i would die.”
And with the song “boys of summer”, my mum always thought the chorus was “after the poison summer is gone” instead of “after the boy of summer is gone”
haha!