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Misunderstood Lyrics.

post #1 of 62
12/27/08 at 7:05pm
Thread Starter 
I spent most of my childhood wondering why Hendrix wanted to "kiss this guy", and why Creedence was singing about "a bathroom on the right".
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post #2 of 62
12/27/08 at 7:16pm
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post #3 of 62
12/27/08 at 7:21pm
Not knowing the title of Steve Miller's "Jet Airliner", as a child I thought he was saying "Peco Jet Have a Light On".
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post #4 of 62
12/27/08 at 7:37pm
The National, "Friend of Mine"

Why did you listen to that man / that man's a maroon
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post #5 of 62
12/27/08 at 7:39pm
Thread Starter 
Devil Went Down to Georgia: "Granny don't no chow no."
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post #6 of 62
12/27/08 at 7:41pm
"Hold me closer, Tony Danza"...
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post #7 of 62
12/27/08 at 7:52pm
Come on! No one actually thought those were the lyrics. He wasn't even relevant when that song was popular (both pre- and post-Almost Famous).
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post #8 of 62
12/27/08 at 8:04pm
Every Fall Out Boy song. Ever.

I honestly think they sing first then make the lyrics with the closest guess.
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post #9 of 62
12/27/08 at 8:39pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Diva View Post
Come on! No one actually thought those were the lyrics. He wasn't even relevant when that song was popular (both pre- and post-Almost Famous).
But it does fall into another category: Things you think you thought of, only to discover a bunch of other people thought of it too; which subsequently makes you realize how unoriginal and not clever you actually are. Classic example, "Something 2: Electric Boogaloo"
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post #10 of 62
12/28/08 at 12:05am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Quarant View Post
"Hold me closer, Tony Danza"...
My friend and I were actually in a funny argument about Tiny Dancer when we were in college. I had said to him casually after the song was on that "Hold me closer tiny dancer" was an odd sounding line. He mocked me for "misunderstanding" the lyric so badly, and insisted the line was actually "Hold me close, I'm tired of dancin' ". After a lot of are you sures on my side, he said very convincingly "Tiny dancer makes NO sense Chris, it's "I'm tired of dancing"." At the time, I had to admit, his version did make a lot more sense. Of course, when I got home, and looked it up to reveal that "Tiny Dancer" was not only the lyric, but the title of the fucking SONG, I let him have it. A lot. I still bring it up, actually, like 13 years after the fact.
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post #11 of 62
12/28/08 at 12:28am
My daughter, as a young one, always misheard Nirvana's "Heart Shaped Box" (The chorus):

"Hey, Wayne!"

My best friend's name is Wayne. We still get a chuckle out of that. She is 18 now.

(I know, a little girl should not listen to Nirvana, but oh well)
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post #12 of 62
12/28/08 at 12:36am
My worst one is from Canadian band Blue Rodeo. They had a decent little song that I would have sworn up and down had the great meta-lyric "It's just that time in the song". Turns out it's "just bad timing that's all". I still like mine way better.
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post #13 of 62
12/28/08 at 12:37am
Thread Starter 
When my daughter was young, 7 or 8, she would sing:

"I love Rock n' roll, do whoppa die, do whoppa baby."
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post #14 of 62
12/28/08 at 12:49am
Quote:
Originally Posted by matalo View Post
My daughter, as a young one, always misheard Nirvana's "Heart Shaped Box" (The chorus):

"Hey, Wayne!"

My best friend's name is Wayne. We still get a chuckle out of that. She is 18 now.

(I know, a little girl should not listen to Nirvana, but oh well)

When I was 14 I thought it was "hey, wait, I'm on the window pane."
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post #15 of 62
12/28/08 at 1:02am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris Miller View Post
Not knowing the title of Steve Miller's "Jet Airliner", as a child I thought he was saying "Peco Jet Have a Light On".
I thought it was "jet have a light on" until reading this post today.
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post #16 of 62
12/28/08 at 12:50pm
There's that one REM song. I'm not sure what it's called, but to this day I'm convinced the chorus goes "Call me char-baker, call me char-bakeeeer...."
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post #17 of 62
12/29/08 at 11:51am
That Joy Division tune "Disorder": "a guy to come and take me by the hand" is really "guide".
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post #18 of 62
12/29/08 at 12:12pm
Not only did i misunderstand lyrics as a kid, but what i thought they were saying weren't even words.

"It's so easy" to me was "It's a Weebie." My sister had to clear that one up for me.

And for "I think I'm turning Japanese" I thought for sure the song was "I think of dirty chopperoos." i don't know what i thought that was supposed to be, but it sounded right.

To this day i don't know what those meant or why i thought they made sense. My sister still gives me a hard time. And rightly so.
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post #19 of 62
12/29/08 at 1:30pm
Because of Running With the Devil, I thought for a long time that David Lee Roth got no love in Korea.
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post #20 of 62
12/29/08 at 1:36pm
The Offspring, "Keep Them Separated".

Some friends and I were playing poker in college and this came on. One of my buddies proceeded to shout out some of the lyrics, and when it got to the "Take 'em out!" part he yelled "Drink your milk!". The weird part is that after we all laughed at him and I listened to the song again, I can totally see how it sounded like that.
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post #21 of 62
12/29/08 at 5:48pm
So the Pixies weren't singing "SHIT! Had to lose ya"?
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post #22 of 62
12/29/08 at 6:13pm
1. Last I checked a friend from college was STILL insisting that Jay-Z says he will "rob ya in Compton and blast you with my yammy."

He's probably the only person I know who is whiter than me.

2. The world would be a better place if whats-his-name from Stone Temple Pilots was singing about "a ham and mustard shake" in Interstate Love Song.
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post #23 of 62
12/29/08 at 6:35pm
You have to be especially white to confuse Jay-Z and early-90s Dr. Dre.
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post #24 of 62
12/29/08 at 6:39pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Schwartz View Post
You have to be especially white to confuse Jay-Z and early-90s Dr. Dre.
Goddammit.
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post #25 of 62
1/3/09 at 7:04pm
My mate Lee & I are driving home from a Faith No More concert in Auckland many years ago, I've got Dream Theater's "A Change Of Seasons" blasting on the stereo (23 minute songs help a 4-hour drive go quicker). Lee has never heard the band before, but has really been getting into the whole song and enjoying it.

Right at the crescendo of the piece, LaBrie cries "he is my only one", there's about 3 seconds of confusion on Lee's face, then he turns to me with a complete WTF?! expression and asks "Hair like Obi-Wan?!".

Damn near wrapped the car around a milk pick-up station.
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post #26 of 62
1/4/09 at 10:45am
Admittedly, every time I'm forced to listen to 'Viva La Vida' by Coldplay, I try not to. But when the choruses refuse to leave me be, it's sounds a lot like Chris Martin sings "I hear terrorism bells... Roman Cavalry Choirs...." It's been intriguing me for some time.
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post #27 of 62
1/4/09 at 10:59am
My username actually comes from a misheard R.E.M. song. In "Talk About The Passion", there's a lyric that goes "Combien Du Temps" which I heard as "Call Me Andrew Tom". Found the right lyrics online afterwards and then the Andrew Tom part just kinda stuck...
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post #28 of 62
1/4/09 at 1:41pm
My honorable mentions:

Song: "La Bamba" (1958) by Ritchie Valens
Original lyrics: "Yo no soy marinero"
Misheard lyrics: "Your my son, Molinaro"

Song: "Blinded By the Light (1976) by Manfred Mann & His Earth Band
Original lyrics: "Cause she was blinded by the light, revved up like a deuche, another runner in the night"
Misheard lyrics: "Cause she was blinded by the light, wrapped up like a douche, another rumor in the night"

Song: "Everytime You Go Away (1985) by Paul Young
Original lyrics: "Everytime you go away, you take a piece of me with you"
Misheard lyrics: "Everytime you go away, you take a piece of meat with you"

Song: "Head to Toe" (1987) by Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam
Original lyrics: "Ooo baby, I think I love you from head to toe"
Misheard lyrics: "Ooo baby, I think I love you from Mexico"
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post #29 of 62
1/4/09 at 7:06pm
"and the last known survivor strokes his bread in the night"
-Eye of the Tiger, Survivor
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post #30 of 62
1/4/09 at 7:53pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by moovyphreak View Post
Song: "Blinded By the Light (1976) by Manfred Mann & His Earth Band
Original lyrics: "Cause she was blinded by the light, revved up like a deuche, another runner in the night"
Misheard lyrics: "Cause she was blinded by the light, wrapped up like a douche, another rumor in the night"
At last! I'd been wondering where the fuck that song came from; it's a regular inside joke whenever it comes on in bars or at pizza parlors (?), never knowing who wrote the douchebag song.
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post #31 of 62
1/4/09 at 8:24pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by dreary louse View Post
At last! I'd been wondering where the fuck that song came from; it's a regular inside joke whenever it comes on in bars or at pizza parlors (?), never knowing who wrote the douchebag song.
Manfred Mann didn't write it, Bruce Springsteen wrote it.
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post #32 of 62
1/4/09 at 8:43pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris Miller View Post
Manfred Mann didn't write it, Bruce Springsteen wrote it.
Yes, he did. But they had a huge hit with it.
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post #33 of 62
1/4/09 at 8:47pm
I'm aware, it's just that this line
Quote:
never knowing who wrote the douchebag song.
made me cringe.
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post #34 of 62
1/4/09 at 9:21pm
U2 - "Electric Ghost Dog" (Electrical Storm)

Dexy's Midnight Runners - "Come on Ali!"
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post #35 of 62
1/4/09 at 9:30pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pvt. Spunkmeyer View Post
When I was 14 I thought it was "hey, wait, I'm on the window pane."
Who the hell could figure out what Kurt was saying....I figured it was "hey, wait, I got a new complaint" but always enjoyed singing it as "hey, hey, I got some new cocaine"; The Hated Critic Jim DeRogatis thought it was a rip on boomers - "Hate Haight, I got a new complaint/forever in debt to your priceless advice"
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post #36 of 62
1/4/09 at 9:32pm
"Yeah sheee don't like it! Rock the cashbox! Rock the cashbox!"

- "Rock the Casbah" by the Clash
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post #37 of 62
1/4/09 at 9:39pm
The mother of all misheard lyrics songs....

"I don't want a whale in box or a bag, yea-ahhhhhhh..."

Enunciation ain't a crime, Eddie.

(Every time I watch that video, I have to make sure I am not drinking anything)
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post #38 of 62
1/4/09 at 10:18pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris Miller View Post
I'm aware, it's just that this line

made me cringe.
Notably, Springsteen doesn't make it sound like "douche." In fact, he sings "cut loose like a Deuce" instead of "revved/wrapped up like a Deuce/douche." Manfred Mann mutilated a few other songs from Springsteen's first album.
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post #39 of 62
1/4/09 at 10:21pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chavez View Post
The mother of all misheard lyrics songs....

"I don't want a whale in box or a bag, yea-ahhhhhhh..."

Enunciation ain't a crime, Eddie.

(Every time I watch that video, I have to make sure I am not drinking anything)
Love that thing. The one-two punch of "potato wave" and "make me fries" suggests all kinds of interesting spud-related subtext in Vedder's lyrics, but best not to think too hard on this.
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post #40 of 62
1/4/09 at 11:08pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by DaveB View Post
Notably, Springsteen doesn't make it sound like "douche." In fact, he sings "cut loose like a Deuce" instead of "revved/wrapped up like a Deuce/douche." Manfred Mann mutilated a few other songs from Springsteen's first album.
He (Springsteen) made a hilarious comment about the Deuce/Douche line on his Storytellers, and then did an awesome version of it.
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post #41 of 62
1/5/09 at 1:14am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chavez View Post
The mother of all misheard lyrics songs....

"I don't want a whale in box or a bag, yea-ahhhhhhh..."

Enunciation ain't a crime, Eddie.

(Every time I watch that video, I have to make sure I am not drinking anything)
Fuckin' hilarious.
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post #42 of 62
1/5/09 at 1:31am
Quote:
Originally Posted by DaveB View Post
Notably, Springsteen doesn't make it sound like "douche." In fact, he sings "cut loose like a Deuce" instead of "revved/wrapped up like a Deuce/douche." Manfred Mann mutilated a few other songs from Springsteen's first album.
I love Blinded By The Light but I've always wondered if it's meant to make sense or if it's just Bruce throwing shit at the lyrical wall and seeing what sticks.
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post #43 of 62
1/5/09 at 1:43am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chavez View Post
Who the hell could figure out what Kurt was saying....I figured it was "hey, wait, I got a new complaint" but always enjoyed singing it as "hey, hey, I got some new cocaine"; The Hated Critic Jim DeRogatis thought it was a rip on boomers - "Hate Haight, I got a new complaint/forever in debt to your priceless advice"
I'm too lazy to dig out my In Utero CD, but I'm about 80% sure Cobain spells it "Hate/Haight" at least once on the lyric sheet, and his contempt for the boomer/Rolling Stone generation was well known.

Quote:
Originally Posted by DaveB View Post
Notably, Springsteen doesn't make it sound like "douche." In fact, he sings "cut loose like a Deuce" instead of "revved/wrapped up like a Deuce/douche." Manfred Mann mutilated a few other songs from Springsteen's first album.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9_3nQFNy-w
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post #44 of 62
1/6/09 at 3:56pm
The Pipettes, "Pull Shapes"

There's a whole floppy forest / just for you and me
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post #45 of 62
1/6/09 at 4:04pm
Def Leppard: 'Love Bites'.

'Loooooooove rice...and beans...bringing me to my knees;
Beans...and rice...it's no surpise;
Love rice...and beans...it's all I need'

I remember hearing this song on the radio before I knew what the title was. For the life of me, I couldn't tell why he was singing about rice and beans.
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post #46 of 62
1/6/09 at 4:20pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ryan S~ View Post
I love Blinded By The Light but I've always wondered if it's meant to make sense or if it's just Bruce throwing shit at the lyrical wall and seeing what sticks.
If I recall correctly, Springsteen dissected the lyrics to it in the Storyteller episode Chris mentioned, and it does make a sort of sense. A lot of those crazy-sounding nicknames actually stand in for people he knew (the "madmen drummers" mentioned in the first line represents "Mad Dog" Lopez, the first E Street Band drummer).

He also admitted to using a rhyming dictionary to compose the song.
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post #47 of 62
1/6/09 at 4:25pm
'Bald Headed Woman' sung to the Bee Gees "More Than A Woman"
'The pizza gonna fall on you' sung to the Hooters "All You Zombies" line "The pieces gonna fall on you"

eta: Wow, there could be a whole thread devoted to the formatting of this post.
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post #48 of 62
1/6/09 at 4:48pm
Song: "Look to the Sky"

Artist: The Foo Fighters

Album: There is Nothing Left to Lose

Actual Lyric: "I'm looking to the sky to save me..."

What I Will Always Hear: "I'm looking for some guy to save me..."
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post #49 of 62
1/6/09 at 4:56pm
I believe the song is actually "Learn to Fly", not to be confused with Pink Floyd's "Learning to Fly" or Tom Petty's "Learning to Fly"
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post #50 of 62
1/6/09 at 5:02pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris Miller View Post
I believe the song is actually "Learn to Fly", not to be confused with Pink Floyd's "Learning to Fly" or Tom Petty's "Learning to Fly"
You are correct and I certainly have no idea what I was thinking. Oops.
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