Misheard Song Lyrics

[paul jh]

I thought it would fun to list some of the song lyrics that we have misheard ... perhaps we've sung them for years and then discovered later that they were completely wrong! And for me, I will probably continue to sing the misheard lyric!

I'll start with our favourite singer Matt Monro. In From Russia With Love, I thought he was singing "But oh, you won't hurt me so" instead of the actual lyric "But oh, you haunted me so". I just cannot hear the word "haunted".

[I only realised this when the Wet Wet Wet lead singer sang the song on Friday Night Is Music Night a few weeks ago.]

[mariana44]

The trouble with Misheard lyrics, is that you do not always realise that they are misheard , sometimes until many years later.

Paul already knows about this one, but I do not think anyone else does.

With the song "Golden Brown", I only just realised a few weeks ago, while I was watching the "Guess the Lyrics" show,that I had the lyrics wrong for a very long time.

I always thought it was

Golden brown
texture like sun

Lays me down
with my machine gun.

when it should have been

Golden brown
texture like sun

Lays me down
with my mind she runs

I always thought the lyrics were strange, but It did not cross my mind that they were completely wrong

[operathephantom]

One of mine is 'Could It Be Magic' -famous in recent years by Take That, but I mean the Donna Summer version.

I always thought it was 'Hearts a beating,' whereas it is 'Oh Sweet Peter.'

Seb

[Marian]

I have three, not exactly mine, but ones I've heard people mention over the years.

Abba's "Dancing Queen"... "When I phoned you last night from Tesco,"..
(not quite sure of the correct word instead of Tesco's)

"Forever in Blue Jeans" ... "The Reverend blue jeans" I think this came from Terry Wogan.

"Lucille" Kenny Rogers... "You picked a fine time to leave me loose wheel" instead of Lucille...could be another from Terry.

Marian

[ROBERT M.]

I think the missing Abba word is "Glasgow"

[Marian]

Thanks Robert.
Could have been Tesco's in Glasgow!
Marian

[paul jh]

I believe the ABBA song was Super Trouper, not Dancing Queen.

Here's another one I just learned about when I saw the sheet music for Riders On The Storm by The Doors. (Is this the first time The Doors have been discussed in the forum?)

I must have thought Riders On The Storm was about something in the Bible, because I misheard

Into this house we're born
Into this world we're thrown

as

In Judas' house we're born
In Judas' world we're thrown

[mariana44]

This is one that always made me laugh--and I still have to smile whenever I think of it.

Many years ago, George asked me if I liked that new song that he had heard on the radio called "Little Red eye"---I had to confess that it did not ring a bell, and asked him to sing it---

When he got to "OOh Ooh Little red eye"

I realised that he was thinking of "OOh Ooh--The Isrealites" {the song by Desmond Dekker}.

Needless to say, we always referred to the song afterwards as "Little Red Eye"!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Marian]

Of course you are correct about the Abba song Paul. Just testing!!!
Marian

[Angela51]

Over the years, I have probably misheard some song lyrics, unfortunately with my hearing problem, but always enjoyed the music, especially from our Matt. It was one of the very first things that attracted me in the first place, I could enjoy Matt's music, his diction was clearer to me than most other singers.



Angela

[mariana44]

Listening to the radio this morning--I justv realised that I had misheard "Don't stop me now" [Queen}

I thought the words were--

That's why they call me Mister Barron Knight

but I now think it is

That's why they call me Mister Fahrenheit

Just for Paul's benefit, there was a group called "The Barron Knights".

[Terence Lee]

If We Only Have Love from the musical “Jaques Brel is Alive and Well & Living in Paris” is the song I have trouble with.

The lyrics should be :
If we only have love
To embrace without fears
We will kiss with our eyes
We will sleep without tears

But for many years, I was singing "to embrace without tears".

In the final verse, the lyrics should be :
If we only have love
We will never bow down
We’ll be tall as the pines
Neither heroes nor clowns
If we only have love
To be shared by all men
And we’ll drink from the Grail
To be born once again

Naturally I could not make out the words "heroes nor clowns" or "drink from the Grail". So I sang rubbish here

[john]

I always used to mishear a couple of words from The Carnival Is Over.
When Judith Durham sings "NOW THE HARBOUR LIGHT IS CALLING" I thought she was saying "NOW THE HALF OF LIFE IS CALLING" and I could never understand what it really meant.

[Terence Lee]

The Ballad Of The Sad Young Men

This is yet another song where I misheard the lyrics.

Sing a song of sad young men, glasses full of rye
(I sang rhyme)

All the sad young men, sitting in the bars
Knowing neon nights, and missing all the stars
(I can't remember what I sang here but definitely not these lyrics)

[Marian]

I remember Peter used to sing "Hang on to your mistletoe" for one line of "Both sides Now" but I'm not sure what the correct line is.
Marian