Mondegreens

Quite often times, we mishear what others say or song lyrics. This is called “Mondegreens”, which refers to misheard/ misinterpreted song lyrics. Mondegreens originated from the American writer Sylvia Wright. According to Wright, her mother used to read aloud to her from Thomas Percy's reliques of ancient English poetry. One of her favorite poem “The Bonny Earl of Murray” read by her mother sounded as follows:

(source:  https://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/mondegreen.html)



Ye Highlands and ye Lowlands,

Oh, where hae ye been?

They hae slain the Earl Amurray,

And Lady Mondegreen.



But the actual words of the ballad are as follows:



Ye Highlands and ye Lowlands,

Oh where have you been?

They have slain the Earl o' Moray

And laid him on the green.

(Picture source:  https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Mondegreen)

Being a creative writer, Sylvia Wright coined a term for that form of error: Mondegreen. She says these misheard lyrics are better than their actual/ original words. Let’s find some more examples of mondegreens.

   1.   “Would you like a super salad?”  (actual words: soup or salad)

   2.   “Scuse me while I kiss this guy.” (actual words: “The correct lyric from Jimi Hendrix's Purple Haze is 'scuse me while I kiss the sky'.)

   3.   “All my luggage, I will send to you. (actual words: “All my loving, I will send to you” sung by Beatle)

   4.   “Come shave my heart.” (actual words: “Unchain my heart” sung by Ray Charles)

   5.   “Don't you know you've got two chocolate monkeys?” (actual words: “Don’t you know you’ve got to shock the monkeys?” sung by Peter Gabriel) 

   6.   “Her heavy head turned to ice cream, being the one.” (actual words: “turned with eyes that dreamed of being the one” in Billie Jean sung by Michael Jackson)

   7.   “Hope the city voted for you.” (actual words: “Hopelessly devoted to you” from the movie Grease Sound Track sung by Olivia Newton John)

   8.   “I want a new truck.” (actual words: “I want a new drug.” sung by

Huey Lewis & the News)

   9.   “It's like I told you, only the lonely get laid.” (actual words: “It’s like I told you, only the lonely can play.” sung by The Motels.) 

   

  10.   “Jose, can you see?” (actual words: “O, say can you see?” from  The Star Spangled Banner) 

  

  

  11.   “You and me and Leslie: (actual words: “You and me endlessly” from the song “Groovin” sung by The Young Rascals) 

  

  12.   “You've got mud on your face, front disc brakes”  (actual words: “You’ve got mud on your face, big disgrace” from the song “We Will Rock You” sung by Queen)