It's hard to find nice things on a four-sided cow. (a mis-heard lyrics thread)

[Bertha Venation]

Last edited Mon Mar 25, 2013, 11:38 AM - Edit history (1)

Post your favorite "mondegreens" -- mis-heard lyrics.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mondegreen

~snip~

American writer Sylvia Wright coined the term in her essay 'The Death of Lady Mondegreen' . . .

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

Ye Highlands and ye Lowlands,
Oh, where hae ye been?
They hae slain the Earl O' Moray,
And Lady Mondegreen.

The actual fourth line is "And laid him on the green". Wright explained the need for a new term:

The point about what I shall hereafter call mondegreens, since no one else has thought up a word for them, is that they are better than the original.

~snip~

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. I have never heard of a mondegreen, my dear Bertha!

What is it?

And hey, Good Morning!

[Bertha Venation]

2. Another: "there's a bathroom on the right" -- that's from Bad Moon Rising

The actualy lyric is "there's a bad moon on the rise."

It's mis-heard lyrics.

"four-sided cow" is from Johnny Rivers. "Girl, it's hard to find nice things on the poor side of town."

!!

[CaliforniaPeggy]

3. Very cool! Thanks for continuing my education!

I've heard about mis-heard lyrics, but have never heard them called that!

!!

[pinboy3niner]

4. And Fogerty picked it up and began singing 'bathroom on the right' at his concerts

I've heard him use the line a bunch of times.

[Demoiselle]

5. I'm so old I remember reading the essay when it first appeared.

In Harpers, I think. My parents subscribed to Harpers, the Atlantic, and the Saturday Review. But not the New Yorker. Go figure.

[pink-o]

6. Love Mondegreens!

We had a columnist in the Chronicle who hipped me to them in the 80s. One of the most famous is Hendrix in Purple Haze "Scuze me while I kiss this guy". Should be the sky of course!