I
suspect that n80's post was said tongue-in-cheek, as the non-lyrics he
quoted could indeed be how the real lyrics are heard when the songs are
listened to in a casual manner. A couple of additional examples in a similar
vein:
"Oh A Tree In Motion" -- Johnny Tillotson "I'm Your P---- (um, Venus), I'm Your Fire" -- Shocking Blue
@almarg I do not believe it was tongue in cheek. I always heard it as kiss the sky, but I had an excellent phono front end, and system, as I indicated. And not to mention, I, too, was kissing the sky back then. I know about the mondegreen theory. Enjoy ! MrD.
I pushed my soul in a deep dark hole and then I followed it in I watched myself crawling out as I was a-crawling in I got up so tight I couldn't unwind I saw so much I broke my mind I just dropped in to see what condition my condition was in
mrdecibel, it was completely tongue-in-cheek. I always heard it as "kiss the sky" but when someone told me they heard it as "kiss this guy" I noticed that they are very very close. Although I was never a sky kisser....I don't think gin counts...once you hear "kiss this guy" it kind of sticks.
My wife ruined Jack Daniels for me when she pointed out that it has a distinct smell of banana. I'd never noticed it before but now I can't get past it. To get her back I now only drink Blanton's. ;-)
Likewise with Bad Moon Rising. Fogerty is obviously saying "There's a bad moon on the rise" but some radio DJ heard it differently and I always thought that was funny.
@n80, I do see your post as tongue in cheek now. My apologies...….having the best stereo between myself and all of my buddies at the time, I needed to decipher the proper wording of songs ( as well as your 2nd example ). I need to loosen up a bit. Enjoy ! MrD.
n80, I just tried Blanton's for the first time several months ago...that's good stuff! I haven't liked Jack for a long time, too harsh, but I really like Jim Beam Black Label too. Al, I heard the "kiss this guy" thing years ago, and always took it as a joke, I never thought anyone actually took it to be the real lyric. I never heard that version of the Shocking Blue lyric...that's funny. Here's one for you. A DJ in Philly in the late 80's was playing the Police song "Wrapped Around Your Finger", and he said it sounded like Sting was saying "I'll eat rats around your finger", and I swear, if you listen to it on a low resolution system, or ideally, on the radio, it really sounds like that's what he's saying. geoffkait, It's actually not bad. You should try it.
Another line from a song I needed to decipher for everyone at the time ( the only line in the song ) : One of These Days from P.F. Meddle. No one could believe Nick Mason was saying " I'm going to cut you into little pieces ". Enjoy ! MrD.
roberjerman, That's a great Airplane song, but the words actually go: Lather was 30 years old today, they took away all of his toys. His mother sent newspaper clippings to him about his old friends who'd stopped being boys.
More completely, "laid him on the green" was misheard as "Lady Mondegreen." As described in the article I linked to in my previous post:
In November, 1954, Sylvia Wright, an American writer, published a piece in Harper's where
she admitted to a gross childhood mishearing. When she was young, her
mother would read to her from the “Reliques of Ancient English Poetry,” a
1765 book of popular poems and ballads. Her favorite verse began with
the lines, “Ye Highlands and ye Lowlands / Oh, where hae ye been? / They
hae slain the Earl Amurray, / And Lady Mondegreen.” Except they hadn’t.
They left the poor Earl and “laid him on the green.” He was, alas, all
by himself.
@roxy54: Thank you for the correction! Crown Of Creation remains a long-time favorite! Bought my first copy back in the late Sixties! That one's long-gone but I have a new pristine re-issue (that sounds fine!).
Oops, reading back a few pages I saw that tostadosunidos had already quoted the Dylan line I did above, for which I had shortly thereafter complimented him. The old gray matter ain’t what it useta be.
I posted before a single line or two of lyrics previously, but realized that does not encapsulate the real meaning and nuances of the sung poetry, so I will add a few more lines to give context.
Dylan, Tempest, 2012 original material, song #3, "Narrow Way"
"I've got a heavy stacked woman, with a smile on her face And she has crowned, my soul with grace
I'm still hurting from an arrow, that pierced my chest I'm gonna have to take my head, and bury it between your breasts
Some shorties but goodies from John Hiatt’s big bag of similies;
“ ...we rolled that Camaro like a cowboy cigarette...” “...river winding like an old man’s fiddle...” ”...she was smiling like the last survivor in a lifeboat...”
Does your chewing gum lose its flavor On the bedpost overnight? If your mother says don't chew it, Do you swallow it in spite? Can you catch it on your tonsils, Can you heave it left & right? Does your chewing gum lose its flavor On the bedpost overnight?
@slaw LZ III is probably my favorite album by them and that track especially...second only to Tangerine. Lyrics-wise though, somebody got to 'splain That's the Way to me. Guess the same could be said about Tangerine.
The album isn't all that consistent but ranks up there for me on the strength of several standout tracks including That's the Way, Tangerine, Gallows Pole and Since I've Been Loving You.
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