While my husband and I were in the car one day, we began listening to “Tomorrow” by Silverchair. As the song began with the words “It’s 12 o’clock and it’s a wonderful day,” I simultaneously heard my husband singing “You swear the cat got into the duffle bag.” I looked at him with amazement and asked him if he had really just sung about a cat and a duffle bag. An argument followed, and we played the line back repeatedly trying to prove our points before we came home and looked it up, discovering that I was right.
We’ve all been with that person who is singing obviously incorrect lyrics at the top of their lungs. Fortunately we can now properly shame our friends for their inaccuracies with a quick Google search, unlike our ancestors, who just had to put up with “that guy”. The following are a few song lyrics that have tripped up many music lovers as they belted out their favorite song.
Nickelback – “How You Remind Me”
Now that I’ve picked on my husband, I will admit that I have been mistaken about a particular line in this song since I got the CD.The song actually says, “Cause livin’ with me must have damn near killed you.” I often sang it “Those little women must have damn near killed you.” I guess I thought it was about someone who really hated having to read Little Women. As I searched for the lyrics online recently, I discovered that I wasn’t the only one to hear this line incorrectly.
Alanis Morissette – “You Oughta Know”
“It’s not fair to deny me of the cross I bear that you gave to me.” That would be the correct lyric. It is often misheard as, “It’s not fair to deny me of the cross-eyed bear that you gave to me.”
Bon Jovi – “Bed of Roses”
As I listened to the Hinder cover of this Bon Jovi song one day, my husband was of course mocking it (as he does all things Jovi). He joked about the line “I want to be just as close as the Holy Ghost is,” by claiming it actually said, “I want to be just as close as the Holy Ghostes” (as in more than one ghost). After looking it up, apparently there are those who actually hear it this way.
Creedence Clearwater Revival – “Bad Moon Rising”
This one has been discussed to death, but it’s such a common one it that I can’t leave it out. The line “there’s a bad moon on the rise” is often mistaken for “there’s a bathroom on the right.”
Jimi Hendrix – “Purple Haze”
This is another one that is well-known for being commonly misheard. The line “Excuse me while I kiss the sky” has been repeated by many fans as “Excuse me while I kiss this guy.”
Nirvana – “Lake of Fire”
Another gem from my husband. He talks about friends singing the line “Where do bad folks go when they die?”, as “Where do fat folks go when they die?”
The Eagles – “Hotel California”
I stumbled upon these lyrics, and I was surprised to find that I had been misunderstanding the line “Her mind is Tiffany twisted” all my life. I always assumed it was “Her mind is definitely twisted.” Go figure.
The Beatles – “A Day in the Life”
This is another goof-up of mine. For some reason I thought the line “Now they know how many holes it takes to fill the Albert Hall” said “Now they know how many holes it takes to kill the alcohol.” My way doesn’t make much sense, but I can’t say that I get the meaning of the actual lyrics to that one either.
The Rolling Stones – “Get Off of My Cloud”
As a child (okay, maybe a teenager too), I sang this one as “Hey! You! Get off of my plow!” I don’t really like the idea of Mick Jagger impersonating an angry old farmer. “Cloud” was probably the better choice.
Elton John – “Tiny Dancer”
I love this song, and although I have always heard it correctly I couldn’t resist mentioning Phoebe’s misunderstanding of it on the TV show Friends. She referred to the song as “the one that Elton John wrote for that guy on Who’s The Boss,” and proceeded to sing, “Hold me closer, Tony Danza.”
Whether it’s classic songs from the sixties or the latest pop tune, one thing’s for sure – as long as there are songs, we’ll keep on screwing up the lyrics.
