Mis-heard session tune titles.

Subject: RE: Mis-heard session tune titles.
From: moocowpoo
Date: 01 Oct 04 - 11:26 AM

In Circles in Canberra (It's all circles there,well.. crescents)
'drowsy maggie' is known as 'mousey druggie'...
'Varnish me foreskin' seems to be an international one.

Subject: RE: Mis-heard session tune titles.
From: muppett
Date: 01 Oct 04 - 11:20 AM

Try this web page - www.amiright.com/misheard/index.shtml

Subject: RE: Mis-heard session tune titles.
From: GUEST,The Scone Fairy
Date: 30 Sep 04 - 11:54 AM

I was once asked to play the march "The Bonny Wee Highlanders" - Bonawe Highlanders

Subject: RE: Mis-heard session tune titles.
From: Terry K
Date: 22 Sep 04 - 02:16 AM

Re Fanny Power, the DT ascribes the poem to Yeats but surely it would be a Carolan original?

Apparently Carolan preferred his poems to his music and wrote the words first and added a tune. It would seem unlikely that the Carolan original would be scrapped in favour of a later poem by Yeats.

And I can't find anything to link it to Yeats at all. Anyone know?

cheers, Terry

Subject: RE: Mis-heard session tune titles.
From: Fliss
Date: 21 Sep 04 - 10:12 PM

Cough to tell a hernia - Off to California

Re Fanny Power
This tune is also called Mrs. Trench. Fanny (Frances) Power was an heiress, daughter of David and Elizabeth Power of Coorheen, Loughrea (for whom Carolan wrote Carolan's Concerto or Mrs. Power). In 1732 Fanny married Richard Trench of Gerbally, County Gallway. The tune was probably composed before her wedding because the second verse (the Gaelic lyrics) Carolan expresses hope he will live to dance at her wedding. From the Contemplators website
http://www.contemplator.com/carolan/carolmid.html#poer

Subject: RE: Mis-heard session tune titles.
From: GUEST,Anne Croucher
Date: 21 Sep 04 - 09:39 PM

Although not the title I was told that 'tyumun' was a dialect word for empty.

It was being used in a written song about children working in the pits.

I asked if there were any other songs with the word in and the singer said yes - the one with the chorus 'Jowl Jowl and listen lad and hear the coal face working'So I got out my song book and looked for this word.

Eventually I realised that it was the line 'Whilst the putter shoves t'empty uns', presumably misheard by someone unfamiliar with t'explosive t's

Anne

Subject: RE: Mis-heard session tune titles.
From: Chris Green
Date: 21 Sep 04 - 06:17 PM

I though I'd misheard when an all-girl band announced they were going to play Fanny Power.

Subject: RE: Mis-heard session tune titles.
From: vectis
Date: 21 Sep 04 - 06:11 PM

The 'Blue Eyed Stranger' became The 'Blue Eyed Strangler' locally until one lass misheard it as 'The Blue Hydrangea'. She'll never live it down...

Subject: RE: Mis-heard session tune titles.
From: Dave Hanson
Date: 21 Sep 04 - 05:04 AM

Merrily Kiss the Quaker becomes Merrily Kiss the Waiter.

Vin Garbutt's song ' Valley of Tees ' is known round here as the ' tin of salmon song ' because of the line ' Pink salmon once swam in the clear crystal Tees '

Fanny Power ie. Miss Frances Power.

eric

Subject: RE: Mis-heard session tune titles.
From: GUEST,Gigix
Date: 21 Sep 04 - 04:52 AM

Ages ago we often performed "The frog is all over" before some good guy told us the sad truth.

Subject: RE: Mis-heard session tune titles.
From: Ebbie
Date: 21 Sep 04 - 01:05 AM

"when a Canadian female fiddle playing friend of mine innocently requested the planxty "fanny power" at a session in Edinburgh all the guys gave her a hard time about it as fanny has a rather different meaning in the uk. She never asked for it again. cheers. Petr "

Petr, has the meaning evolved markedly since the 17th century? Or did Turlough O'Carolan have a different name for the tune originally?

Subject: RE: Mis-heard session tune titles.
From: denise:^)
Date: 20 Sep 04 - 11:53 PM

Someone asked the name of the tune we'd just played--she was answered, and sat there with a strange expression on her face. When asked, she said she'd thought it was a familiar tune, but she'd never heard of a tune called, "Grilled Chimp."

The tune was "Bill Chetham."

:^)

Subject: RE: Mis-heard tune titles.
From: GUEST
Date: 20 Sep 04 - 11:25 PM

In 1965 I emigrated to Australia from the UK, I was only 15 and rock-n-roll crazy with a very large collection of 45's. Before leaving London for the airport I heard a song on the radio by the group "Them" I didn't here the DJ's introduction only the recording so I assumed the line containing "…Mr Guys…" was the title. At this point in my life I could remember the words to a song reasonably well. When I arrived at Melbourne, some days later I found the local record shop and asked about "Mr Guys" by "Them". Needless to say the shop assistant didn't know what I was on about. Explaining where I heard it, she told me the industry hadn't released it in Australia yet and she would pre book it for me, all I had to do was check if it was released every week or two. This I did while adding to my collection each visit, waiting for this really good record I enjoyed so much. One day I strolled into the shop and started looking through the rack containing all the latest records, when I noticed a single by "Them" labled "Mystic Eyes" I immediatly purchased it and went home feeling stupid, never to return back to the shop. Shame really, she was a really good looking shop assistant.

Subject: RE: Mis-heard session tune titles.
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 02 May 02 - 11:15 PM

This is changing the subject slightly, but have you ever arranged a gig over the phone, and had the venue get the name of your BAND wrong?

Some friends of mine were performing under the name "Scottish Ramble." (It's the name of a strathspey, I understand.) They arrived at the site, the Ironworld Discovery Center, in Chisholm, MN, to see a huge marquee sign announcing "Scottish Rambo."

Subject: RE: Mis-heard session tune titles.
From: michaelr
Date: 02 May 02 - 08:03 PM

One of my favorites is "The Asshole Highlanders"...

There's a California Irish band called "Jody's Heaven", so named because one of the members, a native Japanese, mispronounced the title of the tune "Jolly Seven".

Cheers,
Michael

Subject: RE: Mis-heard session tune titles.
From: Les from Hull
Date: 02 May 02 - 05:32 PM

We Yorkies prefer Barnsley Pilgrim for Blarney Pilgrim. And Robin Garside has a good one for Tarry Road to Sligo - The Slimy Road to Otago. But we usually have 'Varnish me foreskin' for Banish Misfortune.

Subject: RE: Mis-heard session tune titles.
From: Skipper Jack
Date: 02 May 02 - 03:27 PM

One of our lads new to my Shanty group heard us singing Cyril Tawney's "Chicken On A Raft"

He though we were singing "Frigging on a raft!"

Sorry Cyril!

Subject: RE: Mis-heard session tune titles.
From: weepiper
Date: 02 May 02 - 02:23 PM

Not mis-heard, but rather how we usually refer to tunes (gosh, most of these are rude, what does this say about the sort of people I go to sessions with?):

Banish Misfortune - Banished Man's Foreskin
Jenny's Picking Cockles - Jenny's Pickling Cocks
The Nine Points of Roguery - Nine Pints of Buggery
Canongate Twitch - Canongate Itch
Mason's Apron - My Son's a Prawn
The Night We Had The Goats - hell, that one's funny enough as it is

They're not big or clever but they still raise a smile after several pints of Old 'n Nasty

Subject: RE: Mis-heard session tune titles.
From: GUEST,mr happy
Date: 02 May 02 - 06:37 AM

i've also heard an irish session tune referred to as 'she begs for more'

Subject: RE: Mis-heard session tune titles.
From: MikeofNorthumbria
Date: 02 May 02 - 06:31 AM

"My love she's but a yeti lass" for "My love she's but a lassie yet."

Wassail!

Subject: RE: Mis-heard session tune titles.
From: JohnL
Date: 02 May 02 - 05:26 AM

Not folk I know, but a friend misheard Glen Cambell's Rhinestone Cowboy and used to sing along "I'm a nine stone cowboy".

Subject: RE: Mis-heard session tune titles.
From: Mr Happy
Date: 02 May 02 - 03:48 AM

I've just found this thread while searching for another but it reminded me of a session when a drunk guy stumbled in from the bar and asked us to play 'Julians Banjos'

We said we didn't know that one- had he got the title right. He then mumbled something like 'Could be Gillians Banjos'

Mr Happy

Subject: RE: Mis-heard session tune titles.
From: Peter Kasin
Date: 22 Jan 00 - 12:48 AM

The hauling chantey with the chorus "Hurrah for the Blackball Line-O" was heard as "Hurrah for the Black-balled Rhino" by someone I encountered at a singing session in Healdsburg, California a few years ago.

Subject: RE: Mis-heard session tune titles.
From: RiGGy
Date: 21 Jan 00 - 05:43 PM

Belly Laughin', obviously........

Subject: RE: Mis-heard session tune titles.
From: RiGGy
Date: 21 Jan 00 - 05:41 PM

Humors of Bell Laughin'

The Lad's Unleashed

A Sushi Van

RiGGy

Subject: RE: Mis-heard session tune titles.
From: Bert
Date: 21 Jan 00 - 04:48 PM

When posting mondegreens, remember that, however familiar the songs may be to you, there WILL be others who don't know them.

Bert.

Subject: RE: Mis-heard session tune titles.
From: GUEST,Brendan from Brandon
Date: 21 Jan 00 - 04:20 PM

The Irish National anthem - last line ' Shoving Connie around the green' instead of 'Seo libh, cannaigh Amhrán na bhFiann'

Brendan

Subject: RE: Mis-heard session tune titles.
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 20 Jan 00 - 08:57 PM

"stupidbodhranplayer" mentioned some conflated tune titles; we used to follow Merrily Kiss the Quaker with Cock of the North;   you can imagine what thatturned into...

Malcolm

Subject: RE: Mis-heard session tune titles.
From: Callie
Date: 20 Jan 00 - 07:15 PM

Not strictly folk, but Creedence Clearwater Revival's great song "There's a bathroom on the right", and a FOur Seasons song "Do Faces Have Eyes (?)"

Callie

Subject: RE: Mis-heard session tune titles.
From: Magpie
Date: 20 Jan 00 - 06:26 PM

Vanish Ms. Fortune!

Magpie

Subject: RE: Mis-heard session tune titles.
From: GUEST,izzymac
Date: 20 Jan 00 - 05:42 PM

Due to our box player's fits of giggles, Phil the fluter's ball is now Phil the fluter's spherical object and poor Lord Moira now has his tune subtitled 'the transvestite'

Subject: RE: Mis-heard session tune titles.
From: Lady McMoo
Date: 20 Jan 00 - 05:07 PM

Going back in time here! And a band name not a tune.

When in my teens my mother, probably with the best of intentions, forbade me from going to a folk club (anybody remember The Dungeon at Tower Bridge, London) to see

"Noel Murphy and The Shaggers" (aka Noel Murphy and Shaggis for younger 'Catters!)

All the best,

mcmoo

Subject: RE: Mis-heard session tune titles.
From: GeorgeH
Date: 20 Jan 00 - 05:08 AM

There was a time when Martin Simpson would, in the right circumstances, refer to one of his tunes as "The Scarlet Zit". Aurally it's "The red-headed boy", but someone had misheard the title as "The red-headed boil".

G.

Subject: RE: Mis-heard session tune titles.
From: Margo
Date: 19 Jan 00 - 07:48 PM

Real title: Gladly the Cross I'd Bear

Mistaken: Gladly the Cross Eyed Bear.

Subject: RE: Mis-heard session tune titles.
From: Pinetop Slim
Date: 19 Jan 00 - 05:26 PM

John Prine tells about being asked to play the song about "the happy enchilada," in reference to the line "it's a half an inch of water," in the chorus to That's The Way That the World Goes Round.

Subject: RE: Mis-heard session tune titles.
From: GUEST,Seamus Kennedy
Date: 19 Jan 00 - 04:41 PM

I was once asked to sing Dublin On The Railroad Ties (Dublin In The Rare Old Times). And a drunk gent once asked me to sing "Donegal". I asked him which one he wanted - The Homes Of Donegal, The Hills Of Donegal, Donegal Danny, Dear Old Donegal. He said "No, no, none of those. The One that goes: 'O Donegal, the pipes the pipes are calling..."

Subject: RE: Mis-heard session tune titles.
From: GUEST,Petr
Date: 19 Jan 00 - 04:29 PM

some more misheard titles Hamish the Tambourine Man Hes got the whole world in his pants If I had a rockin lawnchair cheers Petr

Subject: RE: Mis-heard session tune titles.
From: Snuffy
Date: 19 Jan 00 - 03:05 PM

At one time my wife believed Maddy Prior etc were in a group called Steel Ice Band

Subject: RE: Mis-heard session tune titles.
From: The Shambles
Date: 19 Jan 00 - 06:12 AM

How about Old Hog, You Have Killed Me?

Subject: RE: Mis-heard session tune titles.
From: Lady McMoo
Date: 19 Jan 00 - 03:23 AM

Remembered another I was asked for a while back while playing last night:

"The pratie in the gander hole"

All the best,

mcmoo

Subject: RE: Mis-heard session tune titles.
From: Les B
Date: 18 Jan 00 - 10:46 PM

I've heard "Blackberry Blossum" introduced as "Black Hairy Possum," and, although not a title mistake, our group was requested by some middle-aged newlyweds to "play something sexy like The Old Rugged Cross" !?!

Subject: RE: Mis-heard session tune titles.
From: Mark Clark
Date: 18 Jan 00 - 10:38 PM

Years ago, a bluegrass band in which I played received a request note to play "Father-in-law." You know... Father-in-law we'll know all about it... It took us a couple of minutes to figure out what song was being to requested. Then there's the old Clyde Moody tune, "Who's in your underwear tonight." And fiddler Al Murphy used to talk about having to play "The Orange Colored Possum" ad nauseum.

- Mark

Subject: RE: Mis-heard session tune titles.
From: Alice
Date: 18 Jan 00 - 09:53 PM

Just remembered the earlier thread Mondegreen for Mason's Apron was May Sensation.

Subject: RE: Mis-heard session tune titles.
From: Petr
Date: 18 Jan 00 - 09:14 PM

I wasnt trying to be anonymous I just forgot to put my name Petr

Subject: RE: Mis-heard session tune titles.
From:
Date: 18 Jan 00 - 08:33 PM

another one I heard was My son's a prawn

a rather mispronounced mason's apron.

Subject: RE: Mis-heard session tune titles.
From:
Date: 18 Jan 00 - 08:31 PM

when a Canadian female fiddle playing friend of mine innocently requested the planxty "fanny power" at a session in Edinburgh all the guys gave her a hard time about it as fanny has a rather different meaning in the uk. She never asked for it again. cheers. Petr

Subject: RE: Mis-heard session tune titles.
From: Snuffy
Date: 18 Jan 00 - 07:32 PM

Can you do "Island in the Sun" by Arabella Fonteyne

Subject: RE: Mis-heard session tune titles.
From: Martin _Ryan
Date: 18 Jan 00 - 06:59 PM

"My darling's asleep" often becomes "My darling's a sheep".

Regards

Subject: RE: Mis-heard session tune titles.
From: stupidbodhranplayer
Date: 18 Jan 00 - 06:27 PM

Jenny tastes like Chicken(although I think that was on purpose) Also I've heard Jenny's Chickens>Craig's Pipes abreviated as Jenny Craig's only to have someone else think it was one title. It's Dark in the Morning ( the lark)

Subject: RE: Mis-heard session tune titles.
From: emily rain
Date: 18 Jan 00 - 04:39 PM

a friend of mine always used to play "planxty powered fannies" on his mandolin.