What Are They Singing??

Faithful reader Melissa Dodge suggested a follow-up topic to Monday's blog on great song lyrics--namely, lyrics that you think you understand, but in reality, you have no clue what the artist is singing.

Sometimes, you just get the words wrong.  Martha had a co-worker who thought that Tavares was singing "Bald Headed Woman" when they were actually singing, "More Than a Woman."  This is the same thing as wondering who the fat guy named John is in the Christmas carol "Silent Night."  Only it turns out that it's not "round John Virgin," it's "round yon virgin."

Other times, you get the words wrong until you actually see the performer and can read his or her lips.  This usually occurs 30 years after the song hit #1 and is part of the Time-Life CD infomercial.  Of course, by this time, you have rehearsed the wrong words so many times, that you can't get the correct ones into your head.

Still other times, you hear the sound correctly, but still misunderstand.  For years, I thought that Seals and Croft were singing about the summer breeze "blowing through the jazz man in my mind."  That sort of made sense in that drugged out 70s kind of way.  Only in the last few years have I discovered that the summer breeze was blowing through the "jasmine" in my mind.  I actually like my interpretation better; it's much more mysterious.

What say you, readers?  What lyrics have you perpetually misunderstood?

Comments

[Melissa Dodge]

My sister has always sworn that in Purple Haze Jimi Hendrix is singing "scuse me while I kiss this guy".

One that always brings a chuckle is when a middle school-aged Hannah asked for clarification of that AC/DC hit lyric: "dirty deeds and a dunder jig".

One of those "what did he say" moments is ..."blinded by the light, wrapped up like a dooshen and a runner in the night"

[Jennifer]

Wow, I'm very late with this comment...I lost track of March! Anyway, when I was a kid I thought CCR's "Bad Moon on the Rise," was "There's a bathroom on the right." The song would come on the radio and I'd sing loudly along (at my dad's encouragement) and I thought his laughter was because he was pleased with my singing...haha

[Austin]

Better late than never, Jennifer! You're not the only one who thought that CCR was singing about a bathroom from what I've been told.