There's a Bathroom on the Right

Subject: RE: There's a Bathroom on the Right
From: keberoxu
Date: 19 Oct 20 - 07:04 PM

Massive respect for that John Fogerty mondegreen,
I think it is one of the great ones.

Subject: RE: There's a Bathroom on the Right
From: GUEST,The Man from UNCOOL
Date: 18 Oct 20 - 09:05 PM

The line in the Les Barker version is "Where's the Bathroom? On the Right" I think the set-up is that there's no light [so he can't see] and there's been an excess of curry [hence needing the bathroom].
"While Shepherds Washed Their Socks" is a parody, not a mondgereen.
From "Lucille" (Kenny Rogers): "with four hundred children and their crap in the field".
I heard a live Bluegrass band in the States singing, with a heavy southern accent, "I'm using my bible as a road-map", a song I'd never heard before. I thought it was "I'm using my bottle as a road-map" [a much more interesting concept, surely… ]

Subject: RE: There's a Bathroom on the Right
From: Bob Hitchcock
Date: 27 Mar 19 - 09:28 PM

How about "The Clash" - Rocking the cat box.
                  "Robert Palmer" - might as well face it your a dick and a slug.
                  "Steve Miller" - some call me the hamster of love.

Subject: RE: There's a Bathroom on the Right
From: GUEST,Portista!
Date: 27 Mar 19 - 02:44 AM

Back before there was nothing but chain stores, for almost a century the “fancy” department store in St. Louis was Famous-Barr— “Shopping at it’s finest”. As kids, we sang, “We Three Kings of Famous and Barr/Smoking on a rubber cigar/It was loaded/And exploded/Scattering us near and far.

Subject: RE: There's a Bathroom on the Right
From: GUEST
Date: 31 Dec 17 - 09:32 PM

I always thought The Three Kings were Size, Kong and Edwards....

Subject: RE: There's a Bathroom on the Right
From: GUEST,ripov
Date: 31 Dec 17 - 07:53 PM

So they were all kings of the same country. That does make a lot of sense. I hope they stayed friends when they got home after that long jouney with only each other for company.

Subject: RE: There's a Bathroom on the Right
From: GUEST,keberoxu
Date: 30 Dec 17 - 09:07 PM

The three kings came from Orientare. There's even an old Mudcat thread to that effect.

Subject: RE: There's a Bathroom on the Right
From: GUEST,ripov
Date: 30 Dec 17 - 08:58 PM

Where did the third king come from? there was one from Orry and one from Tarr, and then there's one they miss out. Or did two come from the same place? Always puzzled me since mum used to sing me to sleep!

Subject: RE: There's a Bathroom on the Right
From: GUEST,Ken Brock
Date: 30 Dec 17 - 08:15 PM

At first, I thought Paul Simon was having trouble remembering a Saturday in "Mother and Child Reunion" Also, my entire childhood, I thought there must be a "hidamy tree" because of the Cole Porter lyric "Night and day, under the hidamy..."

Subject: RE: There's a Bathroom on the Right
From: oldhippie
Date: 21 Feb 09 - 09:08 AM

There's the line from "I Really Want To See You Tonight" - "I'm not talkin' about believin'"

Hall & Oates ( or "Haulin' Oats" ?)

Subject: RE: There's a Bathroom on the Right
From: Kathryn
Date: 20 Feb 09 - 03:56 PM

Olive, the other reindeer

Subject: RE: There's a Bathroom on the Right
From: Herga Kitty
Date: 19 Feb 09 - 04:46 PM

Errol Brown of Hot Chocolate - I believe in Milko

Kitty

Subject: RE: There's a Bathroom on the Right
From: Ann N
Date: 19 Feb 09 - 03:49 PM

How about the lady, who when requesting hymns for a funeral, asked for the one with the line.......'And saved a wench like me' :)

Subject: RE: There's a Bathroom on the Right
From: DonMeixner
Date: 18 Feb 09 - 09:05 PM

Wild Shepards washed their socks by night

Subject: RE: There's a Bathroom on the Right
From: Joe_F
Date: 18 Feb 09 - 08:53 PM

Just today I heard "I'm on my long journey home" has "I'm on my long, dirty home".

Subject: RE: There's a Bathroom on the Right
From: Uncle_DaveO
Date: 18 Feb 09 - 05:36 PM

Kids' mondegreen:

The ants are my friends
They're blowing in the wind
The ants they are blowing in the wind.

Subject: RE: There's a Bathroom on the Right
From: JennyO
Date: 09 Jul 05 - 11:08 PM

My grandfather, who was a bit of a wag, sometimes used to like to shock his very straight-laced religious family, by finishing off saying Grace with "aaa lot of men" or "aah - women" - not all the time, just occasionally, when you'd least expect it. He always did it really deadpan too.

Jenny

Subject: RE: There's a Bathroom on the Right
From: Genie
Date: 09 Jul 05 - 05:03 PM

Actually, as a woman, I tend to hear that last word -- when it's sung the formal, high-brow way -- as,

"Ah, men!!" §;-D

Subject: RE: There's a Bathroom on the Right
From: frogprince
Date: 09 Jul 05 - 02:39 PM

I can just remember being taught a Sunday school chorus and wondering why the guy wanted us to keep repeating "Hey, men!"

Subject: RE: There's a Bathroom on the Right
From: Mark Cohen
Date: 09 Jul 05 - 01:24 PM

Genie, you forgot the last line:

"Hey, man!"

Aloha,
Mark

Subject: RE: There's a Bathroom on the Right
From: frogprince
Date: 08 Jul 05 - 09:29 PM

Gladly the Crosseyed Bear...

Subject: RE: There's a Bathroom on the Right
From: Genie
Date: 08 Jul 05 - 09:18 PM

Well, at least 5 of the "mondegreens" in this version of the Lord Sprayer are ones I've actually heard of.
(The others are just speculation.)

THE LORD SPRAYER

"Our Father, Richard in Heaven,
Harold be Thy name.
Thy King Dome come,
Thy Will be dumb,
On earth, as it isn't Heaven.
Give us this day our jelly bread,
And forgive us our dress patches
As we forgive those who dress bass against us.
And lead us not into Penn Station
But deliver us from Evel.
For Thine is the King Dome
And the powder
And the glory for river."

Subject: RE: There's a Bathroom on the Right
From: GUEST,Joe_F
Date: 08 Jul 05 - 11:34 AM

Genie: Lead us not into Penn Station.

--- Joe Fineman    [e-mail]

||: If I don't live till I die, whiskey will kill me. :||

Subject: RE: There's a Bathroom on the Right
From: JennyO
Date: 08 Jul 05 - 10:08 AM

Crossposted. Of course I'm referring to "Bathroom on the Right" by Les Barker.

Subject: RE: There's a Bathroom on the Right
From: JennyO
Date: 08 Jul 05 - 09:53 AM

It's in "Dachshunds with Erections Can't Climb Stairs".

Unfortunately I don't have the words.

Subject: RE: There's a Bathroom on the Right
From: Flash Company
Date: 08 Jul 05 - 09:37 AM

My pal at work said one day, 'I heard that k d lang on the radio this morning, What's that song she sings about Can't stand gravy?'
(Constant Craving!)

FC

Subject: RE: There's a Bathroom on the Right
From: Don(Wyziwyg)T
Date: 08 Jul 05 - 08:56 AM

You will find "Bathroom on the right" among the many parodies by Les Barker.

When I have some spare time I will look up which of his many books contains this one.

Don T.

Subject: RE: There's a Bathroom on the Right
From: Genie
Date: 08 Jul 05 - 08:34 AM

How about
"Our Father, which art in Heaven,
Harold be thy name?"

Genie

Subject: RE: There's a Bathroom on the Right
From: GUEST, NOMADman
Date: 18 Jan 03 - 11:43 AM

Check "When My Blue Moon Turns to Gold Again" in the DT.

Regards,
John

Subject: RE: There's a Bathroom on the Right
From: GUEST, NOMADman
Date: 18 Jan 03 - 11:41 AM

That's "My blue moon's made of gold."

Regards,
John

Subject: RE: There's a Bathroom on the Right
From:
Date: 18 Jan 03 - 11:29 AM

I grew up with folk music, etc. in my ears (my parents bought a stereo, back when they were still pretty new, before they got a TV). When I was a kid, listening to Ian & Sylvia singing "lonely girls linger by the door", I thought they were singing, "no niggers linger by the door." When I asked my parents why they were singing that, my mistake was quickly corrected.
I guess I would have been about 6 or so. My parents reminded me of that one recently.

Subject: RE: There's a Bathroom on the Right
From: Celtic Soul
Date: 18 Jan 03 - 08:59 AM

Kiss This Guy

hee!

Subject: RE: There's a Bathroom on the Right
From: Rapparee
Date: 18 Jan 03 - 08:45 AM

I turned on the car radio yesterday just in time to catch a bluegrass song ending, and I swear they were singing "...my bloomers made of gold." Worse, the DJ didn't give the title or the group!

Subject: RE: There's a Bathroom on the Right
From: Haruo
Date: 18 Jan 03 - 02:44 AM

The website MMario linked to back in '99, which was then at www.enteract.com/~jessicar/lyrics , appears to have flown the coop. Does anybody happen to have a cached copy of it lying around, or know how to contact the author?

Haruo

Subject: RE: There's a Bathroom on the Right
From: Eluned
Date: 06 Apr 00 - 09:53 PM

Thanks for the Brain Candy hint, Campfire; I just went off and read a brainload of riddles! It's a nice a site to share with word-lovin' friends (of whom I have many!).

Subject: RE: There's a Bathroom on the Right
From: Lonesome EJ
Date: 06 Apr 00 - 08:39 PM

Reefer, Resh?

Subject: RE: There's a Bathroom on the Right
From: Roger in Baltimore
Date: 14 May 99 - 03:36 PM

A local radio guy does rock and roll parodies and he's already done "There's a bathroom on the right." Sorry, I don't have the words.

I'm at work so I don't have my links. Seems to me there is a site for parodies and this one was included. Anybody know?

Roger in Baltimore

Subject: RE: There's a Bathroom on the Right
From: campfire
Date: 14 May 99 - 02:15 PM

One of my favorite children's mondegreens is:
Oh my Darlin' Lemon Pie!

A good website for many more is Brain Candy - I don't have the URL handy but "Brain Candy" in a search engine should pop it up. Then select Mondegreens (unless you'd rather read lawyer jokes, or...)

campfire

Subject: RE: There's a Bathroom on the Right
From: MMario
Date: 14 May 99 - 01:45 PM

and I went out and did a search and found THIS site among others:

mines'sgreen

MMario

Subject: RE: There's a Bathroom on the Right
From: Jeri
Date: 14 May 99 - 01:44 PM

"Mondegreen." From "Earl and Murrey," (or is that "The Earl of Moray?")

Original: "They've ta'en the Earl o' Moray and laid him on the green"
To: "They've ta'en the Earl o' Moray and Lady Mondegreen(e)"

There's a whole web page - Yet Another Chance to Screw Up a BCT

Yours is so good, there oughtta be a whole song!

(I see your bladder's overflowin'
I see desperation in your eyes
I see you eyeing my petunias
Please let me give you some advice
Don't pee within my sight
It's bound to cause a fight
There's a bathroom on the right)

Subject: RE: There's a Bathroom on the Right
From: Alice
Date: 14 May 99 - 01:41 PM

geez.... Phillipa, Shambles, and Nan, we were all furiously adding our responses at the same time! Forum searches and blue clicky thingies and all!!! ~alice

there were only 2 messages on this thread when I first responded. alice

Subject: RE: There's a Bathroom on the Right
From: Nan
Date: 14 May 99 - 01:32 PM

Yes, remember Jimi Hendrix in the song Purple Haze and says "excuse me while I kiss the sky!" I have a friend who heard it as "excuse me while i kiss this guy!"

Subject: RE: There's a Bathroom on the Right
From: Alice
Date: 14 May 99 - 01:32 PM

MMario, search the forum for "mondegreen" and you will find several lively discussions.

I had bookmarked at one time a website called "there's a bathroom on the right", but it has since disappeared.

Here is one thread:
Mistakes I Have Made When Listening To Songs

alice

Subject: RE: There's a Bathroom on the Right
From: Philippa
Date: 14 May 99 - 01:31 PM

the thread we want is mentioned in the spoonerism thread which the Shambles directs us to:mistakes...
this is almost a chat room - note the posting times of the last few messages

Subject: RE: There's a Bathroom on the Right
From: Philippa
Date: 14 May 99 - 01:27 PM

MMario, we must have been writing at the same time, but you clicked the button faster!
I just looked up John Gillis' explanation of the word at Ir-Trad-L:
This term was coined by an ethnologist type for the process of mishearing the words of a song. The term came from a song which contains the words "They slew the Earl of Moray and laid him on the green", which she heard as "They slew the Earl of Moray and Lady Mondegreen".
for more of the Ir-Trad discussion see Mondegreens
Another one is the child who drew a picture of a fat man, Round youn Virgil to illustrate Silent Night.

Subject: RE: There's a Bathroom on the Right
From: The Shambles
Date: 14 May 99 - 01:24 PM

Yes I had the same problem, but I did find this Spoonerisms.

Subject: RE: There's a Bathroom on the Right
From: Philippa
Date: 14 May 99 - 01:22 PM

I know a term "Mondegreen". Also, there was a mudcat thread on this same subject not so long ago, but I don't think "mondegreen" was mentioned, so I'm trying to think of a useful keyword for a forum search.

Subject: RE: There's a Bathroom on the Right
From: MMario
Date: 14 May 99 - 01:21 PM

LEJ - there is a term for this...mondegrens or mondgreenes?

several websites regarding them, too....

now I gotta go lookitup.....

MMario

Subject: There's a Bathroom on the Right
From: LEJ
Date: 14 May 99 - 01:06 PM

Well actually, the line from John Fogerty's Bad Moon Risin' was "there's a bad moon on the rise ". It's funny how our inability to understand what a singer is actually saying never stops us from singing the song anyway, with whatever lyric we can substitute. When my daughter was 3, she loved The Wizard of Oz , and could sing all of the songs phonetically, although she really had no idea what the hell they were actually singing about. When the Tin Man sang "Picture me, a balcony, a voice calls soft and low", it came out of my daughter's mouth "Picture me, a dalkodee,a boy called salt and low". I remember Jimi hendrix's version of All Along the Watchtower ; instead of singing "none of them along the line know what any of it is worth" Jimi stuggled with "none will level off this mind, nobody off in this world." You gotta love it!

Anyhow, just wonderin if you have any favorite mis-heard or mis-sung lyrics.(seems like their should be a term for these)

LEJ