What is the word for when you mistake a song lyric for something else?

Answer 1

A mondegreen is the term applied to misunderstood song lyrics. Some examples of my own mondegreens are:

• I used to think in the song by Elton John, where he sang "Lay me down on sheets of linen" that he was saying "Lay me down and shoot some lemons".
• In the song by Al Green, where he sang, "You make me feel so brand new", I thought he was saying "You make me feel sober and new".
• In the song by Frankie Valley, where he sang "My eyes adored you", I thought he was saying "My eyes of Georgia".
• In the song where he sang, "I can see clearly now, the rain is gone, I can see all obstacles in my way......", I thought he was saying, "I can see all popsicles in my way....."
• In the 1950's song by Dale and Grace, where they sang, "I'm leaving it all up to you, you decide what you're gonna do", I thought they were saying "I'm leaving it all up to you, Jimmy said, 'what you gonna do?'
• The first time I heard the song "You Picked a Fine Time to Leave Me, Lucille" by Kenny Rogers, I thought instead of him singing "with four hungry children and a crop in the fields", that he was saying "with four hundred children..." I remember thinking with four hundred children I would have been gone long before that many kids!
• In the song "What a Wonderful World it Would Be", where he sings "Don't know much about the french I took", I thought he was saying "Don't know much about the french house cook". I never could figure out what a french house cook had to do with school or love.

The word comes from the misheard lyrics of

• "Oh, they have slain the Earl of Moray and laid him on the green" as
• "Oh, they have slain the Earl of Moray and Lady Mondegreen"

REPLY:

Yup. John Cougar Mellenkamp once said in an interview that many of his own lyrics have come from mishearing the lyrics of other songs. When he realizes that what he is singing isn't the lyrics to that song he often goes..."Far out man, I'm keeping that then."

I also used to think it was "My eyes of Georgia."

Van Morrison's And it Stoned Me I thought this lyric was:

Get myself from this mountain dream

Turns out its actually:

"Get it myself from the mountain stream."

My brother used to always sing this lyric in Pink Floyd's Another Brick in the Wall:

"We don't need no education, we don't need no fart control."

But my mother never bought the whole mondegreen phenomenon. However, even my mom thought that Manfred Mans Earth Band was singing this lyric in Blinded by the Light:

"Blinded by the light, shot out like a douche in the middle of the night."

No one in our family knew what the heck that meant and my mother certainly did not approve.

I used to think Jimmy Hendrix's song Purple Haze went like this:

"Purple haze all in my brain, lately things just don't seem the same. Acting funny but I don't know why, 'scuse me while I kiss this guy."

Just kidding...I never thought that but Frank Zappa covered it that way.

I used to sing Sweet Jane by the Velvet Underground like this:

"Standing there on a corner, suitcase in my hand. Jack is mmhmhmhm and Jane just does her best."

I had no idea what Jack was actually doing until I finally read the lyrics one day...

"Jack is in his corset and Jane is in her vest"

I don't sing that song anymore. I used to think The Rolling Stones were singing this in You Can't Always Get What You Want:

"I knew she was gonna meet her connection and her meet was fighting mad."

Turns out what Mick is singing is:

"I knew she would meet her connection and her feet was footloose man."

I used to think that Bruce Springsteen sang this in Hungry Heart:

"Like a river that is overflown, I took a wrong turn mbmbmmmbm going "

It was my mother who pointed out that what he was singing was:

"Like a river that don't know where its flowing, I took a wrong turn and I just kept going". As she said, because it rhymes that way. This was ironic I thought since my mother didn't like the Boss. You know why, I already told you that story.

Not only do I misunderstand lyrics sometimes I miss the message entirely. I really like David Bowie's song Rebel, Rebel and somehow thought this was like a cool glam version of James Dean or something. Then one day I am listening to the song and suddenly I realize he is singing about a transvestite! I was so embarrassed!

Credence Clearwater Revival's song "There's a Bad Moon on the Rise" is ofter misheard as "There's a Bathroom on the Right." Especially if you're out at a bar and have had several beers.

The song Louie, Louie by the Kingsmen is so totally unintelligible except for the title words, that the rumor was that it was filled with all the words you were not allowed to say on the air or in front of your parents.

At the end of the Beatles' "Strawberry Fields Forever", John says "cranberry sauce" in a very long drawn out way. It sounds like John says "I buried Paul." touching off a frenzy of rumors that Paul McCartney was dead. Practically every Beatles song including the cover art on the "Abbey Road" album) was combed through for other clues to the secret death of Paul McCartney.

I have a friend who still swears blind that Robert Plant sings 'There's a wino down the road' instead of 'As we wind on down the road' in Led Zeppelin's Stairway to Heaven.

Being as I have spent many years stuck behind record/cd decks in clubs and pubs there is a vey long list I could enter here, but the three that has stuck in my mind most are being asked for 'You 're in Miami now' to Status Quo' You're in the army now'

The Get stuffed song for Billy Ocean's 'The Tough get going', and 'License To Kilt' to Gladys Knight's 'License to Kill'. only trouble now is, I swear blind she is singing that.

.

A friend of mine and I, who grew up in two different states, both grew up honestly believing the song "Delta Dawn" said "Elton John, what's that flower you have on?" We knew who Elton John was, but we had no idea what a "Delta Dawn" was! We cracked up when we talked on the phone as adults and found out we had BOTH sung the "Elton John" version of the song.

Elton John's "Tiny Dancer" I always hear "hold me closer Tony Danza".

"At the end of the Beatles' "Strawberry Fields Forever", John says "cranberry sauce" in a very long drawn out way. It sounds like John says "I buried Paul." touching off a frenzy of rumors that Paul McCartney was dead. Practically every Beatles song including the cover art on the "Abbey Road" album) was combed through for other clues to the secret death of Paul McCartney." I remember this one, actually still have the newspaper clipping announcing Paul's death, LOL, these others are ones I am also guilty of:

The song Louie, Louie by the Kingsmen is so totally unintelligible except for the title words, that the rumor was that it was filled with all the words you were not allowed to say on the air or in front of your parents.

"Blinded by the light, shot out like a douche in the middle of the night."

By The Boss and Jimmy Hendrix's song Purple Haze: "Purple haze all in my brain, lately things just don't seem the same. Acting funny but I don't know why, 'scuse me while I kiss this guy."

For the longest time, Bonnie Tyler's song 'Total Eclipse of the Heart' had my sister and I wondering just what a 'Polygag' was... Since poor Bonnie was '...living in a polygag and giving off sparks.' instead of 'Living in a powder keg and giving off sparks.'

When my son was little he sang all the time: "Got my momma sella on you! Got my momma sella on you." for "Got my mind set on you."

I still don't understand what sounds like "keerie-ee-ay lays on down the road that you must travel. keerie-ee-ay lays unto the darkness of the night...." What the heck are they saying??

Answer: The words are "Kyrie Eleison" and it is a prayer used in Eastern Orthodox/Roman Catholic churches, it's a transliteration of the Greek words for "Lord, have mercy." The part that you thought says "lays on down the road that I must travel" actually says "Kyrie Eleison down the road that I must travel."

For more examples, see related link below, which even has some of the same ones many of us have listed.

Answer 2

a blooper, confusion, a misapplication, or a misinterpretation, depending on context Others available but would need more info. on circumstances.