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What’s your favourite mondegreen?

(210 Posts)
Blossoming Tue 18-May-21 17:21:54

A mondegreen is a misheard lyric or phrase that seems to make sense but has a completely different meaning to the actual words used. It comes from a mishearing of a poem that read ‘They have slain the Earl of Moray and Lady Mondegreen. Except it really read ‘They have slain the Earl of Murray and laid him on the green’.

My own favourite, courtesy of a little niece, is that well known song by John Travolta and Olivia Newton John, from Grease, “You’re the Wizard of Oz, ooh ooh ooh”.

Maggiemaybe Tue 18-May-21 20:22:40

Ronnie Molar, Ronnie Molar, my cup's full of Ronnie Molar, when I was 4 or 5. Ronnie was my little pal. My cup really should have been running over.

Ro60 Tue 18-May-21 20:30:37

The Spinners Ghetto Child - As a angsty teenager I always thought I could relate to as I happily sang along -
"life ain't so easy when you're against the tide"

Only in the last few years have I discovered it's:
Life and so easy when you're a Ghetto Child. ?

welbeck Tue 18-May-21 20:39:37

here are some more

www.youtube.com/watch?v=7my5baoCVv8

welbeck Tue 18-May-21 20:40:37

we three kings of orrey and tar.

i assumed they were names of far-off places.

welbeck Tue 18-May-21 20:44:44

my darling late partner used to sing as an english child in a remote welsh hillside chapel, in the 1940s ::

do you know cynthia blackshirt...

well he didn;t, so thought no more about it.
until years later in london decided to go to the church at the end of the road, where for the first time he had an actual hymn book, and hearing a familiar tune, was surprised to read:
do no sinful action, ...

Maggiemaybe Tue 18-May-21 20:46:30

The Stranglers. Golden brown, texture like sun, lays me down with my mancheros.

I never really questioned what those mancheros were. His South American posse? A bag of tasty snacks? I only found out fairly recently that it's "with my mind she runs".

welbeck Tue 18-May-21 20:50:36

there is a pop song, rather mournful sounding, from the ?60s,

ooh ee my hearts delight,
lost in the wind where momas don't count.

i know those can't be the real words, but no idea what the real words are, or even the name of the song. i could hum it but that's no good here. don;t suppose anyone can help ?

welbeck Tue 18-May-21 20:53:56

fiorentina51

My favourite is...
"Ooh, ohhh, me ears are alight."

what is the next line ???

Grannybags Tue 18-May-21 20:57:46

You don't have to say you love me just because of ham - Dusty Springfield

grandmajet Tue 18-May-21 20:58:40

I always wondered, as a child, who Round John Virgin was.

Blossoming Tue 18-May-21 21:01:47

welbeck

fiorentina51

My favourite is...
"Ooh, ohhh, me ears are alight."

what is the next line ???

Get up in the morning, slaving for bread, sir
So that every mouth can be fed
Ooh, ohh, me ears are alight ?

Desmond Dekker and the Aces

Grandma70s Tue 18-May-21 21:02:19

“Pity mice in Plicity” . Wherever Plicity is, it’s obviously not a good place for mice.

(One of the lines in ‘Gentle Jesus meek and mild’ is “Pity my simplicity”.)

Shinamae Tue 18-May-21 21:03:37

Blossoming

welbeck

fiorentina51

My favourite is...
"Ooh, ohhh, me ears are alight."

what is the next line ???

Get up in the morning, slaving for bread, sir
So that every mouth can be fed
Ooh, ohh, me ears are alight ?

Desmond Dekker and the Aces

The Israelites

Grannybags Tue 18-May-21 21:03:44

Every time you go away you take a piece of meat with you - by Paul Young I think

Callistemon Tue 18-May-21 21:03:48

The song used as the introduction for Anne with an E by The Tragically Hip hmm:

"Illusions of Santé"
And
"You are an Egocentric"

Actually
"With illusions of Someday"
And
"You are Ahead by a Century"

Maggiemaybe Tue 18-May-21 21:06:39

welbeck

there is a pop song, rather mournful sounding, from the ?60s,

ooh ee my hearts delight,
lost in the wind where momas don't count.

i know those can't be the real words, but no idea what the real words are, or even the name of the song. i could hum it but that's no good here. don;t suppose anyone can help ?

Could that be The Israelites as well, welbeck? Those words would fit in well with me ears are alight......

NotTooOld Tue 18-May-21 21:40:02

Ooh, ooh, me ears are alight.......

can't stop laughing!

Ro60 Tue 18-May-21 21:48:58

Googling Mondegreen just discovered another of my misconceptions:

Manfred Mann
"Blinded By the Light
Revved up like a drive
Another runner in the night" - as you all know.

My version: Not even the example given: -

Wrapped up like Medusa
And a roller in the night.

DM was right - She always complained you couldn't hear the words in modern music.

Hellogirl1 Tue 18-May-21 21:48:58

When I was a telephone operator, we used to sometimes answer with, instead of "number please", "rubber knees", said very quickly, nobody noticed.

Ro60 Tue 18-May-21 21:50:41

Pred. Text got me again.
"Revved up like a deuce"

mrswoo Tue 18-May-21 21:59:46

Is this the real life
Or is this just Battersea. (Queen)

Incidentally, I always thought the words to Israelites were:

Wake up in the morning
Starving for breakfast.

I’ve learnt something new today!

absent Tue 18-May-21 22:06:53

I thought K D Lang was singing about constant gravy.

Blossoming Tue 18-May-21 22:09:20

Adam Ant - Prince Charming. I could have sworn he sang ‘A bit peculiar, nothing to be scared of’. It was, of course, ‘Ridicule is nothing to be scared of’. blush

Hellogirl1 Tue 18-May-21 22:09:58

It was a long time before I saw the words of a certain Don Williams song written down. Until then I thought he was singing "Living on toast and time", and wondered why, then found it was "Living on Tulsa time"!

Kim19 Tue 18-May-21 22:24:59

For many years I happily sang what I thought was a fun nonsense song :- Mairsie dotes and dozey dotes and little amsey tivey. A kiddle etivie too, wouldn't you?

Actual words:- Mares eat oats and does eat oats and little lambs eat ivy. A kid'll eat Ivy too. Wouldn't you.

I will never understand why my family never put me right on this. I was a reasonably articulate child......?? I was an adult when discovered this quite by chance. Blimey!