What is a Mondegreen?

[Ed Vette]

Blinded by the light
Revved up like a deuce
Another runner in the night

A misheard song lyric is called a "mondegreen."
If you've confused "Takin' Care of Business" with "Makin' Carrot Biscuits" or "Bennie and the Jets" with "Betty in a Dress," you've been tricked by a mondegreen. As Merriam-Webster explains, this phenomenon occurs when a word or phrase "results from a mishearing of something said or sung." You can thank American writer Sylvia Wright for the term, which she coined in a 1954 Harper's essay. When Wright was a child, her mother read to her from the book Reliques of Ancient English Poetry. A favorite entry featured the line, "And laid him on the green," which Wright misheard as "And Lady Mondegreen."

A mondegreen occurs when there's a communication hiccup between the syllables you hear and the meaning your brain assigns to them. Mondegreens are especially common when you hear music but cannot see the singer's face, like when listening to the radio. (For example, when you interpret "Our Lips Are Sealed" as "Alex the Seal.") They're also more likely to happen when the singer has an accent. But although mondegreens are perhaps most famously associated with song lyrics, they can also happen when everyday words and phrases are misheard.

Occasionally, a misconstrued phrase is so common that it enters our lexicon. Such was the case with "spitting image," which originated as "spit and image" ("spit" once meant "a perfect likeness"), and "nickname," which began life as "an ekename" ("also-name").
   
(Copied from an email)

[Jolly Blue Giant]

Blinded by the light
Revved up like a deuce
Another runner in the night

A misheard song lyric is called a "mondegreen."
If you've confused "Takin' Care of Business" with "Makin' Carrot Biscuits" or "Bennie and the Jets" with "Betty in a Dress," you've been tricked by a mondegreen. As Merriam-Webster explains, this phenomenon occurs when a word or phrase "results from a mishearing of something said or sung." You can thank American writer Sylvia Wright for the term, which she coined in a 1954 Harper's essay. When Wright was a child, her mother read to her from the book Reliques of Ancient English Poetry. A favorite entry featured the line, "And laid him on the green," which Wright misheard as "And Lady Mondegreen."

A mondegreen occurs when there's a communication hiccup between the syllables you hear and the meaning your brain assigns to them. Mondegreens are especially common when you hear music but cannot see the singer's face, like when listening to the radio. (For example, when you interpret "Our Lips Are Sealed" as "Alex the Seal.") They're also more likely to happen when the singer has an accent. But although mondegreens are perhaps most famously associated with song lyrics, they can also happen when everyday words and phrases are misheard.

Occasionally, a misconstrued phrase is so common that it enters our lexicon. Such was the case with "spitting image," which originated as "spit and image" ("spit" once meant "a perfect likeness"), and "nickname," which began life as "an ekename" ("also-name").
   
(Copied from an email)

Interesting stuff

I know some people think Jimmy Hendrix was gay because they don't hear, "scuse me while I kiss the sky" and think he is saying, "scuse me, while I kiss this guy"...LOL

[T200]

Interesting stuff

I know some people think Jimmy Hendrix was gay because they don't hear, "scuse me while I kiss the sky" and think he is saying, "scuse me, while I kiss this guy"...LOL

Reminds me of the Herb Alpert song, This Guy's In Love With You...

"You see the sky... the sky's in love with you."

[weeze]

and who can forget" there's a bathroom on the right"?
 or the never forgotten band "Stepping Hoof"?

[Bill Brown]

"Lucy in disguise with diamonds" 

Bill

[Jolly Blue Giant]

Blinded by the light
Revved up like a deuce
Another runner in the night

I sang along with that song for more than 40 years singing, "dressed up like douche, you know the rumor in the night"

It was a couple of years ago that I found out it was "revved up", not "dressed up" and "deuce", not "douche", "another", not "you know...", etc. 

[Sem]

I sang along with that song for more than 40 years singing, "dressed up like douche, another rumor in the night"

It was a couple of years ago that I found out it was "revved up", not "dressed up" and "deuce", not "douche", etc. 

Certainly one of the most misquoted songs of all time, at least that I can think of.
I remember as a young teen when I first heard the song Ventura Highway I incorrectly assumed the band America was singing Manchura Highway. Later today I'll be driving down Manchura  Ventura Highway to see my 8 year old granddaughter's basketball game.

[LennG]

"The girl with colitis goes by" (for "the girl with kaleidoscope eyes" in "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds"

[GIANTS1]

for 50 years i thought robin mcnamara was a woman an the song was Lay a little love right on me. then he passed and i realized i had the title an artist wrong. Lay  a little lovin on me.  i also thought it was " judy in the skies" instead of judy in disguise.

[Jolly Blue Giant]

for 50 years i thought robin mcnamara was a woman an the song was Lay a little love right on me. then he passed and i realized i had the title an artist wrong. Lay  a little lovin on me.  i also thought it was " judy in the skies" instead of judy in disguise.

I was sitting on a bar stool at Anthony's in Binghamton one night and this very large guy (pushing 300 lbs by the looks) came in the door and some people started clapping. I had no idea who he was, but obviously others did. My first thought was a famous football player...LOL. When the clapping stopped, he acknowledged the group with a head nod, then broke into a high pitched, "Hey There Lonely Girl" and of course, I immediately knew the song. Then everyone in the whole place clapped (including me). I was shocked because his voice does not match up to his physique nor any possible image I had of who sang that song. It was Eddie Holman

Another singer whose voice belies his stature is Aaron Neville. Looks like a defensive lineman and sings with the sweetest voice 

[Jolly Blue Giant]

Certainly one of the most misquoted songs ["Blinded by the Light"] of all time, at least that I can think of.

No kidding. None of the lyrics make sense in the first place 

A few lines of the song to digest

"Madman drummers bummers
Indians in the summer with a teenage diplomat
In the dumps with the mumps
As the adolescent pumps his way into his hat
With a boulder on my shoulder
Feelin' kinda older
I tripped the merry-go-round
With this very unpleasin'
Sneezin' and wheezin
The calliope crashed to the ground

Some silicone sister with a manager mister told me I got what it takes
She said 'I'll turn you on, son, into something strong, play the song with the funky break'
And go-cart Mozart was checkin' out the weather chart to see if it was safe outside
And little Early-Pearly came by in his curly-wurly and asked me if I needed a ride

Now Scott with a slingshot
Finially found a tender spot
And throws his lover in the sand
And some bloodshot forget-me-not
Said daddy's within earshot
Save the buckshot, turn up the band

She got down, but she never got tired
She's gonna make it through the night"

Anyone want to take a crack at the words meaning? LOL

No wonder it's so misquoted

[Sem]

https://genius.com/Manfred-manns-earth-band-blinded-by-the-light-lyrics

[Jolly Blue Giant]

https://genius.com/Manfred-manns-earth-band-blinded-by-the-light-lyrics

I spent some time in San Diego driving up and down Route 5 (and sometimes Route 1) to LA. That song must have played a dozen times while I was driving along. Started to think it was California's theme song or something. Regardless, I cannot hear the song without thinking back to those days

I wasn't even aware it was sung by Manfred Mann. I thought they were a one-hit wonder with "Quinn the Eskimo"

[LennG]

I have watched All In The Family since it came on and still watch it when I get a chance. I believe it wasn't until year 4 I understood the last line of the theme song, Gee our old LaSalle ran great.

https://www.lyricsondemand.com/tvthemes/allinthefamilylyrics.html

[Ed Vette]

I have watched All In The Family since it came on and still watch it when I get a chance. I believe it wasn't until year 4 I understood the last line of the theme song, Gee our old LaSalle ran great.

https://www.lyricsondemand.com/tvthemes/allinthefamilylyrics.html

Good one.

I pledge allegiance to the flag
Of the United States of America
And to the Republic of Richard Stands...

On the first day of Christmas
My true love gave to me
A Partridge Ginapear Tree