Elton John/YouTube
52 Hilarious Misunderstood Lyrics Everyone Gets Wrong
There’s nothing worse than belting out the words to your favorite songs and then discovering you’ve been getting them wrong. Misunderstood lyrics are a common issue amateur shower and car singers encounter on a daily basis. It’s even more embarrassing when you are singing the lyrics to a song in public and then realize you’ve been getting them wrong.
Also known as mondegreens (defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary as “a word or phrase that results from a mishearing, especially of something recited or sung”), misheard song lyrics are more common than you think, as it’s very easy for the human brain to mistake words and phrases.
For example, one of the most common mistakes revolves around Starship’s hit “We Built This City.” For some reason, people hear “We built this city on sausage rolls” when the actual words are “We built this city on rock and roll.” Another good one is Elton John’s 1971 classic “Tiny Dancer.” People often confuse the chorus, “Hold me closer, tiny dancer,” with “Hold me closer, Tony Danza.”
So why do we misunderstand lyrics? Well, according to science, it has to do with the way we interpret music. If we can’t quite grasp what the lyrics being sung are, our brain goes with what it thinks it hears, often offering up confusing and non-sensical suggestions, such as the examples above. Getting lyrics wrong can be embarrassing, but it also makes for some hilarious substitutions that can make the song much funnier than it’s meant to be.
To show you just how weird and wonderful misunderstood lyrics can be, we have gone down the music rabbit hole and found some of the most hilarious misunderstood lyrics for you to enjoy below.
52 Hilarious Misunderstood Lyrics Everyone Gets Wrong
TLC/YouTube
1. Elton John – “Tiny Dancer”
Misheard lyric: “Hold me closer, Tony Danza.”
Actual lyric: “Hold me closer, tiny dancer.”
2. Elvis Presley – “Suspicious Minds”
Misheard lyric: “We’re calling a trout.”
Actual lyric: “We’re caught in a trap.”
3. Dire Straits – “Money for Nothing”
Misheard lyric: “Money for nothin’ and chips for free.”
Actual lyric: “Money for nothin’ and your chicks for free.”
4. AC/DC – “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap”
Misheard lyric: “Dirty deeds, and the thunder jeep.”
Actual lyric: “Dirty deeds, and they’re done dirt cheap.”
5. Bon Jovi – “Living On a Prayer”
Misheard lyric: “It doesn’t matter if we’re naked or not.”
Actual lyric: “It doesn’t matter if we make it or not.”
6. Uncle Cracker – “Drift Away”
Misheard lyric: “Give me the Beach Boys and free my soul.”
Actual lyric: “Give me the beat, boys, and free my soul.”
7. Chic – “Le Freak”
Misheard lyric: “Aww freak out! Le freak, c’est sheep.”
Actual lyric: “Aww freak out! Le freak, c’est Chic.”
8. TLC – “Waterfalls”
Misheard lyric: “Don’t go chasing waterfalls.”
Actual lyric: “Don’t go, Jason waterfalls.”
9. The Police – “So Lonely”
Misheard lyric: “Sue Lawley.”
Actual lyric: “So lonely.”
10. Jimi Hendrix – “Purple Haze”
Misheard lyric: “‘Scuse me while I kiss this guy.”
Actual lyric: “‘Scuse me while I kiss the sky.”
11. Paul Young – “Every Time You Go Away”
Misheard lyric: “Every time you go away, you take a piece of meat with you.”
Actual lyric: “Every time you go away take a piece of me with you.”
12. Rita Ora – “Hot Right Now”
Misheard lyric: “I know you’re only it ‘cos it’s half price now.”
Actual lyric: “I know you’re only in it ‘cos it’s hot right now.”
13. NSYNC – “It’s Gonna Be Me”
Misheard lyric: “It’s gonna be May.”
Actual lyric: “It’s gonna be me.”
14. Journey – “Open Arms”
Misheard lyric: “So here I am with broken arms.”
Actual lyric: “So here I am with open arms.”
15. Taylor Swift – “Blank Space”
Misheard lyric: “All the lonely Starbucks lovers.”
Actual lyric: “Got a long list of ex-lovers.”
16. Starship – “We Built This City”
Misheard lyric: “We built this city on sausage rolls.”
Actual lyric: “We built this city on rock and roll.”
17. ABBA – “Dancing Queen”
Misheard lyric: “See that girl, watch her scream, kicking the dancing queen.”
Actual lyric: “See that girl, watch that scene, digging the dancing queen.”
18. The Rolling Stones – “Beasts of Burden”
Misheard lyric: “I’ll never leave your pizza burning.”
Actual lyric: “I’ll never be your beast of burden.”
19. Queen – “Bohemian Rhapsody”
Misheard lyric: “Saving his life from this warm sausage tea.”
Actual lyric: “Spare him his life from this monstrosity.”
20. Creedence Clearwater Revival – “Bad Moon Rising”
Misheard lyric: “There is a bathroom on the right.”
Actual lyric: “There is a bad moon on the rise.”
21. Michael Jackson – “Man in the Mirror”
Misheard lyric: “And no Mrs. could have been any clever.”
Actual lyric: “And no message could be clearer.”
22. Nirvana – “Smells Like Teen Spirit”
Misheard lyric: “Here we are now, in containers.”
Actual lyric: “Here we are now, entertain us.”
23. Adele – “Chasing Pavements”
Misheard lyric: “Or should I just keep chasing penguins.”
Actual lyric: “Or should I just keep chasing pavements.”
24. Eurythmics – “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)”
Misheard lyric: “Sweet dreams are made of these.”
Actual lyric: “Sweet dreams are made of this.”
25. Eagles – “Hotel California”
Misheard lyric: “On a dark desert highway, cool whip in my hair.”
Actual lyric: “On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair.”
26. Duran Duran – “Rio”
Misheard lyric: “Like a birthday or a preview.”
Actual lyric: “Like a birthday or a pretty view.”
27. Johnny Nash – “I Can See Clearly Now”
Misheard lyric: “I can see clearly now, Lorraine is gone.”
Actual lyric: “I can see clearly now, the rain is gone.”
28. ABBA – “Take a Chance on Me”
Misheard lyric: “If you change your mind, Jackie Chan, I’m the first in line, Jackie Chan.”
Actual lyric: “If you change your mind, take a chance, I’m the first in line, take a chance.”
29. Queen – “We Will Rock You”
Misheard lyric: “Kicking your cat all over the place.”
Actual lyric: “Kicking your can all over the place.”
30. Jay-Z feat. Alicia Keys – “Empire State of Mind”
Misheard lyric: “In New York, concrete jungle, wet dream, tomato…”
Actual lyric: “In New York, concrete jungle where dreams are made, oh…”
31. The Beatles – “I Want To Hold Your Hand”
Misheard lyric: “I get high.”
Actual lyric: “I can’t hide.”
32. Madonna – “Papa Don’t Preach”
Misheard lyric: “Poppadom peach.”
Actual lyric: “Papa don’t preach.”
33. The Monkees – “I’m a Believer”
Misheard lyric: “Then I saw her face, now I’m gonna leave her.”
Actual lyric: “Then I saw her face, now I’m a believer.”
34. Kelly Clarkson – “Since U Been Gone”
Misheard lyric: “Since you bit gum, I can eat meat for the first time.”
Actual lyric: “Since you been gone, I can breathe for the first time.”
35. Electric Light Orchestra – “Don’t Bring Me Down”
Misheard lyric: “Don’t bring me down, goose.”
Actual lyric: “Don’t bring me down, Bruce.”
36. Rihanna feat. Calvin Harris – “We Found Love”
Misheard lyric: “We found love in a soapless place.”
Actual lyric: “We found love in a hopeless place.”
37. The Beatles – “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds”
Misheard lyric: “Blue seal in the sky with diamonds.”
Actual lyric: “Lucy in the sky with diamonds.”
38. The Clash – “Rock the Casbah”
Misheard lyric: “Lock the taskbar, lock the taskbar.”
Actual lyric: “Rockin’ the Casbah, rock the Casbah.”
39. The Eagles – “Desperado”
Misheard lyric: “You’ve been outright offensive for so long now.”
Actual lyric: “You’ve been out ridin’ fences for so long now.”
40. Kings of Leon – “Sex on Fire”
Misheard lyric: “Ohh, dyslexics on fire.”
Actual lyric: “Ohh, this sex is on fire.”
41. Africa – “Toto”
Misheard lyric: “I miss the rains down in Africa.”
Actual lyric: “I bless the rains down in Africa.”
42. R.E.M. – “Losing My Religion”
Misheard lyric: “Let’s pee in the corner, let’s pee in the spotlight.”
Actual lyric: “That’s me in the corner, that’s me in the spotlight.”
43. Sir Mix-A-Lot – “Baby Got Back”
Misheard lyric: “I like big butts and a can of limes.”
Actual lyric: “I like big butts and I can not lie.”
44. Bob Dylan – “Blowin’ In The Wind”
Misheard lyric: “The ants are my friends.”
Actual lyric: “The answer, my friend.”
45. Metallica – “Enter Sandman”
Misheard lyric: “Eggs and light, end all nights.”
Actual lyric: “Exit light, enter night.”
46. Billy Joel – “Piano Man”
Misheard lyric: “And he’s sittin’ with Davy. Who’s stealin’ the gravy. And probably red beef on rice.”
Actual lyric: “And he’s talkin’ with Davy. Who’s still in the Navy. And probably will be for life.”
47. Eiffel 65 – “Blue”
Misheard lyric: “I’m blue, if I was green I would die.”
Actual lyric: “I’m blue, da be dee da ba di.”
48. Bee Gees – “More Than a Woman”
Misheard lyric: “Bald-headed woman… bald-headed woman to me.”
Actual lyric: “More than a woman… more than a woman to me.”
49. John Legend – “All of Me”
Misheard lyric: “My head’s underwater, but I’m breathing fire.”
Actual lyric: “My head’s underwater, but I’m breathing fine.”
50. Madonna – “Like a Virgin”
Misheard lyric: “Like a virgin, touched for the very first time.”
Actual lyric: “Like a virgin, touched for the very 31st time.”
51. Hot Chocolate – “You Sexy Thing”
Misheard lyric: “I remove umbilicus.”
Actual lyric: “I believe in miracles.”
52. Pink Floyd – “Another Brick in the Wall”
Misheard lyric: “No docks or chasms in the classroom.”
Actual lyric: “No dark sarcasm in the classroom.”
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