Your favorite mondegreens?

Cloud · 12-13-2007, 06:52 PM

"Olive the Other Reindeer?" "Scuse me, while I kiss this guy?"

While (ahem!) researching the lyrics to Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, I found out that those misheard lyrics and similar auditory misconceptions are called "mondegreens." According to the Word (aka Wikipedia),

Quote:

The American writer Sylvia Wright coined it in an essay "The Death of Lady Mondegreen", which was published in Harper's Magazine in November 1954.[1] She wrote:

When I was a child, my mother used to read aloud to me from Percy's Reliques. One of my favorite poems began, as I remember:

Ye Highlands and ye Lowlands,
Oh, where hae ye been?
They hae slain the Earl Amurray, [sic]
And Lady Mondegreen.

The actual fourth line is "And laid him on the green", . . . other examples of what she says, "I shall hereafter call mondegreens," such as:

Surely/Shirley, Good Mrs. Murphy shall follow me all the days of my life ("Surely goodness and mercy…" from Psalm 23)

The wild, strange battle cry "Haffely, Gaffely, Gaffely, Gonward." ("Half a league, half a league,/ Half a league onward," from "The Charge of the Light Brigade")

well, at least I got a new word out of it!

Clodfobble · 12-13-2007, 07:15 PM

Well, it's not a song lyric, but I'm a fan of "piggyback ride."

It actually used to be "pick-a-back ride," believe it or not. Scout's honor.

Cloud · 12-13-2007, 07:20 PM

yeah, but I think that is more of an example of language drift. Words get condensed and the sounds elided over time with use.

I think a mondegreen is more of a lyric, song title, or line of poetry misheard or misunderstood.

Pie · 12-13-2007, 07:34 PM

"Revved up like a douche, another runner in the night"

jinx · 12-13-2007, 07:57 PM

make me fries

Sundae · 12-14-2007, 06:02 PM

There used to be a column in the Saturday Independent dedicated to misheard lyrics, I loved it.

One of my faves was a song out at the time of reading that had the line, "Angels, angels, kick-ass angels" which the contributor was castigated by his daughter for singing as, "Angels, angels, Kit-Kat angels."

wolf · 12-14-2007, 08:51 PM

There's a bathroom on the right.

wolf · 12-14-2007, 08:53 PM

Deja view

Cloud · 12-15-2007, 08:49 AM

This thread is actually inspired by word, "mondegreen" which I thought was cool. Less about song lyrics.

Urbane Guerrilla · 12-24-2007, 01:58 AM

In the same vein but literarily, Patrick O'Brian's hero Captain Jack Aubrey is once or twice in the book series said to scour the Royal Navy's Navy List for mention of the Admiral Crichton he was sure had to be in there somewhere. He knew he'd heard of the guy.

A Page of Aubreyisms -- scroll down to The Fortune of War, about a fifth of the way.

12-13-2007, 07:20 PM	#3
Cloud ... Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 8,360	yeah, but I think that is more of an example of language drift. Words get condensed and the sounds elided over time with use. I think a mondegreen is more of a lyric, song title, or line of poetry misheard or misunderstood. __________________ "Guard your honor. Let your reputation fall where it will. And outlive the bastards!"

12-13-2007, 07:34 PM	#4
Pie Gone and done Join Date: Sep 2001 Posts: 4,808	"Revved up like a douche, another runner in the night" __________________ per·son \ˈpər-sən\ (noun) - an ephemeral collection of small, irrational decisions The fun thing about evolution (and science in general) is that it happens whether you believe in it or not.

12-13-2007, 07:57 PM	#5
jinx Come on, cat. Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: general vicinity of Philadelphia area Posts: 7,013	make me fries __________________ Crying won't help you, praying won't do you no good.

12-14-2007, 06:02 PM	#6
Sundae polaroid of perfection Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: West Yorkshire Posts: 24,185	There used to be a column in the Saturday Independent dedicated to misheard lyrics, I loved it. One of my faves was a song out at the time of reading that had the line, "Angels, angels, kick-ass angels" which the contributor was castigated by his daughter for singing as, "Angels, angels, Kit-Kat angels." __________________ Life's hard you know, so strike a pose on a Cadillac

12-14-2007, 08:51 PM	#7
wolf lobber of scimitars Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Phila Burbs Posts: 20,774	There's a bathroom on the right. __________________ wolf eht htiw og "Conspiracies are the norm, not the exception." --G. Edward Griffin The Creature from Jekyll Island High Priestess of the Church of the Whale Penis

12-13-2007, 07:15 PM	#2
Clodfobble UNDER CONDITIONAL MITIGATION Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 20,012	Well, it's not a song lyric, but I'm a fan of "piggyback ride." It actually used to be "pick-a-back ride," believe it or not. Scout's honor.

12-14-2007, 08:53 PM	#8
wolf lobber of scimitars Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Phila Burbs Posts: 20,774	Deja view __________________ wolf eht htiw og "Conspiracies are the norm, not the exception." --G. Edward Griffin The Creature from Jekyll Island High Priestess of the Church of the Whale Penis

12-15-2007, 08:49 AM	#9
Cloud ... Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 8,360	This thread is actually inspired by word, "mondegreen" which I thought was cool. Less about song lyrics. __________________ "Guard your honor. Let your reputation fall where it will. And outlive the bastards!"

12-24-2007, 01:58 AM	#10
Urbane Guerrilla Person who doesn't update the user title Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Southern California Posts: 6,674	In the same vein but literarily, Patrick O'Brian's hero Captain Jack Aubrey is once or twice in the book series said to scour the Royal Navy's Navy List for mention of the Admiral Crichton he was sure had to be in there somewhere. He knew he'd heard of the guy. A Page of Aubreyisms -- scroll down to The Fortune of War, about a fifth of the way. __________________ Wanna stop school shootings? End Gun-Free Zones, of course. Last edited by Urbane Guerrilla; 12-24-2007 at 02:23 AM.

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