New Words Make Dictionary Cut: What Are Your Favorite Misheard Lyrics?
Posted: Monday, July 07, 2008
by Asher Ricard
Merriam-Webster has released its newest Collegiate Dictionary complete with some new words to add to your everyday conversations. The dictionary features around 100 new words and phrases.
Because of current events, "dirty bomb" and "norovirus" have been included in the publication. Poker players everywhere should rejoice because "Texas Hold ‘em" is now listed in the book.
New words such as "infinity pool" were added to keep up with the new technology being created each year. For those who are unaware, an infinity pool is an outdoor pool with an edge designed to make water appear to flow into the horizon.
This brought back memories of singing with my girlfriends in junior high and butchering up several songs. Bon Jovi was very popular during the time and we would sing our little hearts out as junior high girls normally would do at that age. For instance, Bon Jovi's "You Give Love A Bad Name." We would sing, "Shot through the heart and you're too late." It is suppose to go, "Shot to the heart and your to blame."
This practice of using the wrong words has gotten to be a major phenomenon these days. An entire website is devoted to misheard lyrics with a domain name in common with the above most famous misheard lyric: www.kissthisguy.com.
I can't help but laugh. In high school, I think I sang the wrong words to every Pearl Jam song. Eddie Veddar had an amazing voice and a huge fan in me, but yet I always missed the real lyrics. Perhaps my favorite was singing Glorified G. For those who don't know the correct words are "Glorified Version." I do not remember singing that once. It was always "Glorified Virgin" in my song. What does that say about me? Maybe we should start a counseling group in which a psychiatrist can study the underlying meanings behind the misconstrued lyrics.
So what mondegreens do you continually use? What are some that your children have done? Leave them in the comments. We can all use a good laugh!
Then go to the online dictionary and submit them there as well. The Merriam-Webster online dictionary plans to publish their favorites on July 28, submit yours online for consideration by the dictionary at http://www.merriam-webster.com/info/newwords08.htm
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Top-level comments on this article: (3 total)sure miss malapropisms Lead the way and we'll precede great article ;)
Asher, Here are some of mine:
(1) From Billy Joel's "My Life":
Actual lyrics: "Got a call from an old friend. We used to be real close."
What I heard: "Got a call from an old friend weast of the riv boat."
(2) From the Black Crowes' "Too Hard to Handle":
Actual lyrics: "Mamma, I'm sure hard to handle now"
What I heard: "Mamma, I'm sure am da henda now"
(3) From the opening theme to Good Times:
Actual lyrics: "Easy credit ripoffs"
What I heard: "Easy crayda ripoffs"
Actual lyrics: "Hangin' in a chow line"
What I heard: "Hangin' and a jivin'"
(4) From the opening theme to All in the Family:
Actual lyrics: "Gee, our old LaSalle ran great"
What I heard: "Gee, our old LaSow rent rate"
(5) From the opening theme to The Flintstones:
Actual lyrics: "They're the modern stone age family"
What I heard: "They're a modern-storic family"
Actual lyrics: "From the town of Bedrock"
What I heard: "Wilma, down in Bedrock"
(6) From the opening and closing themes to Gilligan's Island respectively:
Actual lyrics: "The ship took ground on the shore of this uncharted desert isle"
What I heard: "The ship sacrowned on the shore of this, a charted desert isle"
Actual lyrics: "No phones, no lights, no motor cars"
What I heard: "No phones, no lights, no motorguard"
(7) From Exile's "Kiss You All Over":
Actual lyrics: "Till the night closes in"
What I heard: "Till the night comes within"
(8) From Jackson Browne's "Lawyers in Love":
Actual lyrics: "As vacation land for lawyers in love"
What I heard: "As vacation land for liars in love"
(9) From Gordon Lightfoot's "Carefree Highway":
Actual lyrics: "Carefree Highway, let me slip away on you"
What I heard: "Every highway lets me slip away on you"
(10) From Paul McCartney's "My Brave Face":
Actual lyrics: "My brave, my brave, my brave face"
What I heard: "My great, my great, my great face"
(11) From America's "Ventura Highway":
Actual lyrics: "Ventura highway in the sunshine"
What I heard: "Venture a highway in the sunshine"
(12) From the Eagles' "The Best of My Love":
Actual lyrics: "Wastin' our time on cheap talk and wine"
What I heard: "Wastin' our time on cheap-talkin' wine"
(13) From Elvis Presley's "Don't be Cruel":
Actual lyrics: "Sittin' home all alone"
What I heard: "Sittin' on morning low"
Actual lyrics: "Don't be cruel to a heart that's true"
What I heard: "Don't be cruel -- true heart that's true"
(14) From Earth Wind and Fire's "Dancing in September":
Actual lyrics: "Aaahh Ba de ya -- Say do you remember"
What I heard: "On and on -- Santa, you remember"
(15) From James Taylor's "Fire and Rain":
Actual lyrics: "I've seen fire and I've seen rain"
What I heard: "Obscene fire and obscene rain"
Interesting article!I love misheard lyrics.... Fall Out Boy seem to be a rich source of "misheard versions", famously "I am an arm stealer, Fiddy you! With weapons in the form of wooorms" (real: "I am an arms dealer, fitting you with weapons in the form of words"), and "I'm a little man, and I'm also evil, also into cats" (real: "I'm a leading man, and the lies I weave are oh-so intricate").I did my first "proper" YouTube misheard lyrics video last week, for the Fall Out Boy track "I Don't Care" (if you want to take a look, just search for "Fall Out Boy misheard lyrics I don't care" on YouTube, my username there is alltruism).
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