What's Your Funniest Misunderstood Song Lyric?

[anotherbob]

another idiot I knew insisted that the Pearl Jam song Jeremy had the lyric Jeremy smoked in class today.

 

[ClinchKnot]

Girl I once knew thought Johnny Rivers was singing about a “Secret Asian Man,” and thought the chorus to Panama by Van Halen was “Burn Em Up!”

 

[ssjones]

I'm not talkin 'bout the linen...

I've listed to that song for decades, and also thought that was the line.
A few months ago, we heard it again (its in frequent rotation on XM "The Bridge" channel). I sang that line and my wife asked "what do you think they said". I repeated and she said it was "I'm not talking about moving in". I still don't hear it.

 

[Fuelman]

“wrapped up like a douche in the middle of the night” the lyrics are actually “Revved up like a Deuce another runner in the night”
Deuce referring to a 1932 Ford.

Also when I hear the knack’s “my Sharona”
I always hear Cheech & Chong’s lyrics “my scrotum” pronounce scarotum

Thank you, thank you, thank you. I thought it was douche also. Finally the answer to my question, after all these years.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Thank you, thank you, thank you. I thought it was douche also. Finally the answer to my question, after all these years.

In one cover, the singer actually says "douche".

 

[anotherbob]

Girl I once knew thought Johnny Rivers was singing about a “Secret Asian Man,” and thought the chorus to Panama by Van Halen was “Burn Em Up!”

reminds me of a few. At one fast food place I worked everyone behind the counter thought one song had the lyrics please go away instead of go all the way.
Once on a folk radio show they played a song called big fat agent man... I thought it was big fat Asian man. And finally I ran into the secret Asian man once. He was Asian and dressed like Elmer Fudd I knew once I saw him he was the secret Asian man.

 

[captainsousie]

A friend of ours had a funny interpretation of a line in Dire Straits, Money For Nothing.
She heard "Get your money for nothing and you checks for free" - lol
Now thats all I can think of when that soneg comes on

Shit. I thought the same thing... until I read your post and looked it up.

Thanks for opening my eyes but it's a little embarrassing.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Shit. I thought the same thing... until I read your post and looked it up.

Thanks for opening my eyes but it's a little embarrassing.

I thought it was... "get your chicks for free".

 

[captainsousie]

I thought it was... "get your chicks for free".

That is correct.

 

[renfield]

and thought the chorus to Panama by Van Halen was “Burn Em Up!”

My roommate thought it was “Animal”.

 

[HawkeyeLinus]

Loved McCartney’s “HiHiHi” first time I heard it in junior high and more so years later when I bought “Wings Over America”. Not all that funny I guess but given my sheltered small town life, it was years before I knew what a “bootleg” was. No trouble figuring out what his “body gun” was, lol. Which reminds me I have a Springsteen bootleg that will have to be ripped from my cold, dead hands.

 

[krizzose]

I know I’ve got a couple for myself, but I can’t think of them right now. However, some friends of mine have provided a couple of classics:

“medieval woman” instead of “evil woman”. [ELO].

Another friend had a misunderstanding instead a straight lyric mistake. He thought the line “that ain’t working” in Dire Straights’ “Money For Nothing” was the character in the song complaining that the way they were moving around the refrigerators and color TVs wasn’t effective.

 

[huntertrw]

Even Steely Dan was not immune. Rikki, don't lose that number...



became Ricky don't do that rumba...

 

[Snook]

One of my favorite songs by the Doobie Brothers is 'Feelin' Down Farther' from their debut album.

Listened to it once with my wife and she ruined it forever by pointing out that the chorus sounds like they're saying:

Peanut butter
Peanut butter - yeah
Peanut butter baby
Peanut butter -yeah

I can't hear anything else, now. But it makes me laugh and I still love the song, so I forgive her!

 

[renfield]

 

[huntertrw]

Whenever I hear Stephen Stills' Southern Cross I hear:
I have been around the world
Lookin' for that one-eyed girl
Who knows love can endure?

The actual lyric is:
I have been around the world
Lookin' for that woman, girl
Who knows love can endure?

 

[AreBee]

I know I’ve got a couple for myself, but I can’t think of them right now. However, some friends of mine have provided a couple of classics:

“medieval woman” instead of “evil woman”. [ELO].

My wife was belting out "She is a woman" one day and I just shook my head. She absolutely tortures song lyrics. My favorite of hers is "Pretty Little Love Song" by Marshall Tucker.

 

[mawnansmiff]

"Jambalaya, Goldfish Pie, File Gumbo" was what I thought for years was the chorus to the famous Hank Williams song.

How cruel I thought Americans were for eating goldfish

Jay.

 

[carp rides again]

Huge fan of singing, I'll Never Leave your Pizza Burnin instead of Beast of Burden

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I swear for years I was hearing racial slurs in the song Highway to Hell by AC DC.

First verse...
Living easy, living free,
She's a n-word on a one way ride...

and second verse...
Hail Satan,
Hey now, Jews,
Playin' in a rockin' band...


I mean it is a Satanic song, so... I just wrote the band off as another demonic metal band. Then of course they came out with Shook Me, which I kind of liked. But, it wasn't till recently I learned that I had Highway to Hell all wrong, even if it still sounds exactly like what he is saying to me. But hell, who can understand those funny speaking Australians anyways.