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Spoonerisms in songs- Examples

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THE BALLAD OF LADY MONDEGREEN


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The Shambles 07 Oct 98 - 01:54 PM
Barry Finn 07 Oct 98 - 03:56 PM
Art Thieme 07 Oct 98 - 05:18 PM
Charlie Baum 07 Oct 98 - 10:59 PM
Helen 07 Oct 98 - 11:20 PM
Barry Finn 07 Oct 98 - 11:39 PM
BSeed 08 Oct 98 - 03:44 AM
AndyG 08 Oct 98 - 06:43 AM
Bert 08 Oct 98 - 09:12 AM
Dawn 08 Oct 98 - 02:12 PM
Bert 08 Oct 98 - 03:21 PM
The Shambles 08 Oct 98 - 05:45 PM
Tim Jaques tjaques@netcom.ca 08 Oct 98 - 08:47 PM
Barbara Shaw 08 Oct 98 - 09:29 PM
BSeed 09 Oct 98 - 12:03 AM
Barbara 09 Oct 98 - 12:06 AM
John in Brisbane 09 Oct 98 - 12:39 AM
Genie 24 Aug 01 - 08:13 PM
Mark Cohen 25 Aug 01 - 01:59 AM
DG&D Dave2 25 Aug 01 - 05:39 AM
Dave the Gnome 25 Aug 01 - 05:58 AM
Mark Cohen 25 Aug 01 - 06:31 AM
iamjohnne 25 Aug 01 - 08:12 AM
fat B****rd 25 Aug 01 - 08:23 AM
GUEST,Nancy King at work 25 Aug 01 - 10:36 AM
sophocleese 25 Aug 01 - 12:30 PM
Dave the Gnome 25 Aug 01 - 04:09 PM
GUEST,DeadHorse 25 Aug 01 - 04:21 PM
Mark Cohen 25 Aug 01 - 05:49 PM
GUEST,Genie 03 Sep 01 - 11:51 PM
GUEST,redhorse 04 Sep 01 - 08:27 AM
Trevor 04 Sep 01 - 09:40 AM
fat B****rd 06 Sep 01 - 02:40 AM
GUEST,Genie 06 Sep 01 - 03:11 AM
KingBrilliant 06 Sep 01 - 05:14 AM
GUEST,micca at work 06 Sep 01 - 07:20 AM
Deckman 06 Sep 01 - 09:23 AM
Fin 06 Sep 01 - 10:08 AM
KingBrilliant 06 Sep 01 - 10:13 AM
lady penelope 06 Sep 01 - 04:40 PM
GUEST,Arjay 06 Sep 01 - 11:25 PM
Whippet 07 Sep 01 - 05:40 AM
Dunc 07 Sep 01 - 07:22 AM
GUEST,Jenn 07 Sep 01 - 10:51 AM
Ditchdweller 07 Sep 01 - 02:40 PM
weepiper 07 Sep 01 - 05:39 PM
Lonesome EJ 07 Sep 01 - 06:56 PM
John Kidder 08 Sep 01 - 01:58 AM
GUEST,Phillip 08 Sep 01 - 11:52 AM
Jenny H 08 Sep 01 - 03:52 PM
GUEST,Genie 09 Sep 01 - 05:07 AM
Mr Red 09 Sep 01 - 06:45 AM
Nigel.Parsons 09 Sep 01 - 12:13 PM
GUEST,Genie 10 Sep 01 - 03:31 AM
Mr Happy 03 May 04 - 08:20 AM
Charley Noble 03 May 04 - 10:26 AM
GUEST 03 May 04 - 11:00 AM
Joe_F 03 May 04 - 05:20 PM
RWilhelm 04 May 04 - 01:23 AM
Joe_F 04 May 04 - 04:58 PM
Dave Bryant 05 May 04 - 05:31 AM
GUEST 05 May 04 - 07:58 AM
GUEST,Salamander '72 18 Mar 09 - 12:45 AM
Herga Kitty 18 Mar 09 - 03:40 AM
Georgiansilver 18 Mar 09 - 03:55 AM
Mavis Enderby 18 Mar 09 - 04:06 AM
pavane 18 Mar 09 - 05:16 AM
bubblyrat 18 Mar 09 - 05:48 AM
Frank_Finn 18 Mar 09 - 06:39 AM
SINSULL 18 Mar 09 - 10:14 AM
JohnB 18 Mar 09 - 10:42 AM
Bill D 18 Mar 09 - 12:12 PM
bubblyrat 18 Mar 09 - 01:47 PM
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Subject: Spoonerism's in songs- Examples
From: The Shambles
Date: 07 Oct 98 - 01:54 PM

My dear wife whilst performing the song: Song for Ireland. The line should be- We watched the Galway salmon run. Which came out as- We watched the Solway gammon run.


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Subject: RE: Spoonerism's in songs- Examples
From: Barry Finn
Date: 07 Oct 98 - 03:56 PM

"Our hands are on the Broccoli Moor", should've been
"Our hands are on the broad claymore" (2 handed sword)
There was a thread qutie awhile back on these titled Montygreens (sp?). Barry


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Subject: RE: Spoonerism's in songs- Examples
From: Art Thieme
Date: 07 Oct 98 - 05:18 PM

once heard a quite famous singer of ballads , while singing "THE FLYING CLOUD",come to the line

We'll hoist the pirate flag aloft...

but it came out:

We'll hoist the pilot frog aloft.

Art


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Subject: RE: Spoonerism's in songs- Examples
From: Charlie Baum
Date: 07 Oct 98 - 10:59 PM

When we got tired of a particular glee club arrangement of "High Barbary,"
we changed: "Until at last the pirate blew the frigate's mast away"
to: "Until at last they blew the friggin' pirate's mast away."
--Charlie Baum


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Subject: RE: Spoonerism's in songs- Examples
From: Helen
Date: 07 Oct 98 - 11:20 PM

Barry, The thread was about mondegreens. Look here:

http://www.mudcat.org/thread.CFM?threadID=2229

Helen


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Subject: RE: Spoonerism's in songs- Examples
From: Barry Finn
Date: 07 Oct 98 - 11:39 PM

Thanks Helen, if I'd have done better with my spelling I'd have gotten their under my own speed. Barry


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Subject: RE: Spoonerism's in songs- Examples
From: BSeed
Date: 08 Oct 98 - 03:44 AM

Barry, the word is Mondegreens--Jon Carroll, an SF Chronicle columnist, coined the term--based on someone's mis-hearing of a line from "Lord Randall": "laid him on the green" as "Lady Mondegreen." --seed


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Subject: RE: Spoonerism's in songs- Examples
From: AndyG
Date: 08 Oct 98 - 06:43 AM

I once attended the recording of a pilot TV show, (it was never broadcast), for a show starring Mike Harding & Bill Tidy (UK readers should know them both).

Mike performed the following ditty of which I only remember the first and last verses. The following is a phonetic transcription.

^^

The Basity Chelt

Poh ray mental jayden may I lee your buvver
Londem me no conger to worn and to meep
Duck strown hike a lart I lie pleading and banting
Dret down your lawbridge I'll kenter your eep

Kenter your eep nonny-nonny
Kenter your eep nonny-nonny
Dret down your lawbridge
I'll Kenter your eep

... missing bits ...

Alas and alack I am focked up lorever - (sing this carefully)
Then up poke the bage spoy saying meave this to lee
If wu yill allow me to chanter your ember
I'll upen it op mith why kuplicat dee

It's funnier than than the rugby club version.

AndyG


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Subject: RE: Spoonerism's in songs- Examples
From: Bert
Date: 08 Oct 98 - 09:12 AM

How about "A Grazing Mace" which can be found here in out dear old DT.
http://www.mudcat.org/@displaysong.cfm?SongID=24

Bert.


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Subject: RE: Spoonerism's in songs- Examples
From: Dawn
Date: 08 Oct 98 - 02:12 PM

I think there may be a difference between a "spoonerism" - which would be the singer muffing a line (whether intentional or not) and a mondegreen, where the error is on the part of the listener. There are whole web-pages of mondegreens out there - some of them are pretty hilarious. Typing "mondegreen" in a search engine will yield many.


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Subject: RE: Spoonerism's in songs- Examples
From: Bert
Date: 08 Oct 98 - 03:21 PM

A Spoonerism is where the beginnings of two words are interchanged.

My mother used to do it all the time. Her best one was with the saying "that will keep the rats from gnawing" (an English saying, said when giving food to someone who is hungry)

It came out... "that will keep the gnats from roaring"

Bert.


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Subject: RE: Spoonerism's in songs- Examples
From: The Shambles
Date: 08 Oct 98 - 05:45 PM

I think the best one, not in a song was, again my wife, when she wanted to be firm with me after a minor row. She put her hands on her hips, with great delight, thinking that this would shut me up, quoted "frankly my damm I don't give a dear". Bless her.


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Subject: RE: Spoonerism's in songs- Examples
From: Tim Jaques tjaques@netcom.ca
Date: 08 Oct 98 - 08:47 PM

What version of High Barbary is that? The version I know has the pirate's mast shot away, and the pirates all massacred.


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Subject: RE: Spoonerism's in songs- Examples
From: Barbara Shaw
Date: 08 Oct 98 - 09:29 PM

My husband and I got two hats at DisneyWorld: Dopey and Grumpy. I was looking for them one day and said, "Where are the Gropey and Dumpy hats?" Could also be Droopy and Gumpy. All combinations seem to fit us one way or another. . .


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Subject: RE: Spoonerism's in songs- Examples
From: BSeed
Date: 09 Oct 98 - 12:03 AM

Of course mondegreens are not spoonerisms, but they have their own charm:

Gladly the cross-eyed bear

Round young virgin mother and child

The pale and the leader and eyes look like blue

--seed


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Subject: RE: Spoonerism's in songs- Examples
From: Barbara
Date: 09 Oct 98 - 12:06 AM


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Subject: RE: Spoonerism's in songs- Examples
From: John in Brisbane
Date: 09 Oct 98 - 12:39 AM

To follow on from Barbara's example, I have changed the words to songs deliberately while performing, just for the sake of mischief and fun - often to include other members of the band, or some topical event. Often this was for a Standard that I had sung scores of times previously and could sing in my sleep. The trouble is (with my awful memory0 that the mischief becomes instantly ingrained. Trying to NOT do it I now find very hard.

As an example I used to sing a fun Aussie song called Euabolong Ball, with lyrics that went in part:

"Though the water was scarce there was whiskey to spare, what they didn't swallow they rubbed in their (substitute Barbara's or Joe's or whoever's) hair." That works fine until you spontaneously decide to change it to ... "Though the water was scarce, there was scotch in the hall"... and you then have to quickly decide whether to make it rhyme in the next line.

Regards
John


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Subject: RE: Spoonerism's in songs- Examples
From: Genie
Date: 24 Aug 01 - 08:13 PM

I posted a couple of examples under "Lyr. reg.: Round John Virgin" recently, trying to start a thread. Then I found the links to these "mondegreen" threads. Wow!


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Subject: RE: Spoonerism's in songs- Examples
From: Mark Cohen
Date: 25 Aug 01 - 01:59 AM

Somebody must know all of the Spooneristic classic Beeping Slooty....the only line I remember is "Meanwhile, around the castle, a horny gedge threw up."

Aloha,
Mark


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Subject: RE: Spoonerism's in songs- Examples
From: DG&D Dave2
Date: 25 Aug 01 - 05:39 AM

My favorite Spoonerism is from the Steeleye Span song "One Misty Moisty Morning" I'll plough and sow and reap and mow while you shall spit and sin! (sit and spin).

Dave


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Subject: RE: Spoonerism's in songs- Examples
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 25 Aug 01 - 05:58 AM

Yes - misheard or missung lyrics are indeed Mondegreens, although I believe it was a lady columist in the Glasgow Herald who first used the 'Lady Mondegreen' line. Funny thing was my first ever posting to the Mudcat was asking if anyone had heard of a 'Mondelawn'. I had heard the term on the radio and mis-remembered! Hows about that then - a nested Mondegreen:-)

Ronnie Barker was a master at portraying Prof. Spooner in the two Ronnies TV series.

But don't even mention 70's pop band Bucks Fizz....

Gnave the Dome


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Subject: RE: Spoonerism's in songs- Examples
From: Mark Cohen
Date: 25 Aug 01 - 06:31 AM

Well, I couldn't find the text to Beeping Slooty, but I did discover that it was the creation of F. Chase Taylor, a/k/a Colonel Stoopnagle, who was an old radio comedian. Here's the text of his Prinderella and the Since, which was published in his long out-of-print book, "My Tale is Twisted". And here's a site all about Colonel Stoopnagle himself. Interestingly, there is a website dedicated to Spoonerisms, in which several people have submitted Stoopnagle's stories without attribution, some as their own creations. So it doesn't just happen with folk songs!

Aloha,
Mark


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Subject: RE: Spoonerism's in songs- Examples
From: iamjohnne
Date: 25 Aug 01 - 08:12 AM

I still remember Archie Campbell on Hee Haw telling the story of the "Three Pittle Ligs" I too have heard in the past about Prinderella marrying the since and hiving lappoly ever after.

Johnne "goin where the weather suits my clothes"


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Subject: RE: Spoonerism's in songs- Examples
From: fat B****rd
Date: 25 Aug 01 - 08:23 AM

Aw ! Slop your dripper


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Subject: RE: Spoonerism's in songs- Examples
From: GUEST,Nancy King at work
Date: 25 Aug 01 - 10:36 AM

The third verse of "Let the Lower Lights Be Burning" starts out "Trim your feeble lamps, my brothers..." Because of the phrasing of the melody, it's much easier to sing, "Trim your lamps, my feeble brothers..." and once you've done it that way, it takes real concentration to sing it correctly.

Cheers, Nancy


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Subject: RE: Spoonerism's in songs- Examples
From: sophocleese
Date: 25 Aug 01 - 12:30 PM

"God mess ye bleary mental gents" has always been one of my favourite lines to kick off the Christmas season.


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Subject: RE: Spoonerism's in songs- Examples
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 25 Aug 01 - 04:09 PM

Nah - the truer Spistmas Chroonerism - although not politicaly correct if you are either German or mentaly unstable is "God rest ye Gerry Mentlemen..."

Cheers

GtD


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Subject: RE: Spoonerism's in songs- Examples
From: GUEST,DeadHorse
Date: 25 Aug 01 - 04:21 PM

A morris colleague was singing Black Velvet Band and had imbibed a few beers. He ended up doing "three years senile pervitude" and every time he has sung that song since, we always laugh when he gets to that bit, even tho he NEVER got it wrong again.


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Subject: RE: Spoonerism's in songs- Examples
From: Mark Cohen
Date: 25 Aug 01 - 05:49 PM

DtG, Allan Sherman did it this way:

God rest ye, Jerry Mendelbaum
Let nothing you dismay
This May you had a rotten month
So what is there to say?
Let's hope next May is better
And good things will come your way
And then you'll have a month without dismay
Next May

Aloha,
Mark


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Subject: RE: Spoonerism's in songs- Examples
From: GUEST,Genie
Date: 03 Sep 01 - 11:51 PM

This is not quite a spoonerism, but it is a lyrical malaprop. I often sing "Hey, Good Lookin'" at retirement homes. Several years ago, after being well into the song and repeating a main line --"How's about cookin' somethin'up with me?" several times, I realized, to my combined horror and amusement, that I had been singing, "How's about keeping somethin' up for me?"

Having realized my mistake, I tried very hard to sing the line correctly, but for several weeks, if I did not concentrate-- if I let my mind go on 'auto-pilot' - I reverted to the (Freudian?) slip of the tongue.

I don't know if any of my senior clients noticed. If they did, they were too polite to point out my error.


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Subject: RE: Spoonerism's in songs- Examples
From: GUEST,redhorse
Date: 04 Sep 01 - 08:27 AM

At a singaround a few years back, someone - I think it may have been Eileen Pratt - recounted how she has never been able to sing one particular song again since the line "she mounted on her swift steed" came out as"she mounted on her stiff Swede"


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Subject: RE: Spoonerism's in songs- Examples
From: Trevor
Date: 04 Sep 01 - 09:40 AM

My twin daughters used to compete in pairs competitions on their ponies Foxy and Puck. How many commentators got it wrong? Laugh, we almost did.


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Subject: RE: Spoonerism's in songs- Examples
From: fat B****rd
Date: 06 Sep 01 - 02:40 AM

Years ago I made a demo of Otis Redding's "Sweet Lorrine" which had her making me meep and woan. The demo didn't do us much good anyway.


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Subject: RE: Spoonerism's in songs- Examples
From: GUEST,Genie
Date: 06 Sep 01 - 03:11 AM

From time to time when I sing "Edelweiss," I end up singing, "...Blossom of snow may you groom and blow, groom and blow forever ... ."

Genie


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Subject: RE: Spoonerism's in songs- Examples
From: KingBrilliant
Date: 06 Sep 01 - 05:14 AM

Half a spoonerism - I keep singing the snow it melts the soonest when the wind begins to sing, the swallow swims without a care....

Kris


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Subject: RE: Spoonerism's in songs- Examples
From: GUEST,micca at work
Date: 06 Sep 01 - 07:20 AM

The one you definately (and it is difficult not to)Spoonerise, is Joan From Wigans " Pheasant plckers song"

example chorus
"I'm not a pheasent plucker, I'm pheasant pluckers son
I'm only plucking Pheasents 'til the pheasant plucker comes
try this at the speed Joan does the last chorus!!!!!


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Subject: RE: Spoonerism's in songs- Examples
From: Deckman
Date: 06 Sep 01 - 09:23 AM

This thread reminds me of the time that my twist got all tongued up in my eyetooth and I couldn't see what I was saying!


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Subject: RE: Spoonerism's in songs- Examples
From: Fin
Date: 06 Sep 01 - 10:08 AM

Micca, "The pheasant plucker" it makes me all twitter and bisted that I still can't get that one straight, even after forty years (or more.) Fin


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Subject: RE: Spoonerism's in songs- Examples
From: KingBrilliant
Date: 06 Sep 01 - 10:13 AM

Not a song, but....
During a driving lesson some years ago I was trying to use the classic 'I keep getting my mucking ferds wuddled' line - but accidentally said ..... the unmuddled version. I had to stop driving for a while and tears of laughter were pouring down my face. The driving instructor was completely nonplussed - it took some explaining I can tell you!

Kris


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Subject: RE: Spoonerism's in songs- Examples
From: lady penelope
Date: 06 Sep 01 - 04:40 PM

Jasper Carrot recorded Bastity Chelt, it's on record somewhere......

TTFN M'Lady P.


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Subject: RE: Spoonerism's in songs- Examples
From: GUEST,Arjay
Date: 06 Sep 01 - 11:25 PM

When my little brother was a teenager, he and his buddies used to use deliberate spoonerisms to disguise "forbidden" words. E.g., they would say, "I need to pake a tiss," I have to crake a tap," etc. One time, though, they didn't think it through and the deliberate spoonerism came out "I have to shake a tit."

This particular one was said to my brother's buddy's very prim and proper mother, who was not amused.

Arjay


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Subject: RE: Spoonerism's in songs- Examples
From: Whippet
Date: 07 Sep 01 - 05:40 AM

I have a friend of mine who likes the odd spliff or two. When we were at Warwick Folk Festival a few years back his mother sat in the audience listening to someone singing 'Fiddler Green' she came up to us at the bar and said to her son 'Did that singer really sing 'Just tell me I'm shitfaced and taking a trip mate@ ? It really cracked us up !!


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Subject: RE: Spoonerism's in songs- Examples
From: Dunc
Date: 07 Sep 01 - 07:22 AM

Not part of a song...But at a festival once, a traditional singer called Doris Rougvie once called a man bringing her a drink her "Shite in Nining Armour".

That same weekend I found myself refering to a passenger boat on the English Channel as a "Cross Flannel Cherry".


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Subject: RE: Spoonerism's in songs- Examples
From: GUEST,Jenn
Date: 07 Sep 01 - 10:51 AM

From Edgar Allen Poe's, "The Raven," (last stanza):

"And the Raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door."

"...on the pallid busted phallus just above..."


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Subject: RE: Spoonerism's in songs- Examples
From: Ditchdweller
Date: 07 Sep 01 - 02:40 PM

Did hear a recording of someone with the lines from "Everything is Beautiful":-

It don't matter about the colour of their hair,

Or the length of his skin!!!


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Subject: RE: Spoonerism's in songs- Examples
From: weepiper
Date: 07 Sep 01 - 05:39 PM

When I was small I used to listen to - 'Sovay, Sovay, all on a day, she dressed herself in man's array' thinking 'manzaret' must be a colour or a kind of dress or something!


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Subject: RE: Spoonerism's in songs- Examples
From: Lonesome EJ
Date: 07 Sep 01 - 06:56 PM

For Dave the Gnome: Just had to mention that my brother wants to start a "hows about that club" and since you must remember Jimmy Saville, perhaps you'd like to join?! It gets a bit lonely saying hows about that guys and gals, all by your self! Lion (lej's wife)


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Subject: RE: Spoonerism's in songs- Examples
From: John Kidder
Date: 08 Sep 01 - 01:58 AM

Spoonerisms are named after William Archibald Spooner, a clergyman, Warden of New College, Oxford from 1093 to 1924.

The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations cites "You will find as you grow older that the weight of rages will press harder and harder upon the employer", and "Her late husband, you know, a very sad death - eaten by missionaries, poor soul." My mother always said that Spooner was most famous for asking a congregation to sing "Kinquering Congs their Titles Take".

John Kidder


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Subject: RE: Spoonerism's in songs- Examples
From: GUEST,Phillip
Date: 08 Sep 01 - 11:52 AM

Old time country comedian Archie Campbell, late of Hee-Haw fame, had a couple of albums of "Tairy Fales". These were his twisted renditions of the classic stories with the added Spooner twists. Some of them have become classics, recited at country gatherings and cowboy poetry gatherings.

The best I can recall was the tale of Rindercella who slopped her dripper and eventually married the pransome hince!


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Subject: RE: Spoonerism's in songs- Examples
From: Jenny H
Date: 08 Sep 01 - 03:52 PM

I've never been quite sure whether the line in 'New York Girls' that goes

I'll never court another girl, I'll stick to rum and beer

is itself a bowdlerising spoonerism, a cheeky (oh, dear, sorry, I didn't mean that) temptation to spoonerise, or wholly innocent; I find the last the least likely theory

Jenny H
///
:-)
\\\
ps the name 'mondegreen' is from The Bonny Earl of Moray not Lord Randall


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Subject: RE: Spoonerism's in songs- Examples
From: GUEST,Genie
Date: 09 Sep 01 - 05:07 AM

The Reverend Spooner also referred to his congregation once as, "ye tons of soil," instead of "sons of toil," and referred to himself as "the shoving leopard of his flock."

Genie


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Subject: RE: Spoonerism's in songs- Examples
From: Mr Red
Date: 09 Sep 01 - 06:45 AM

as a cyclist he also liked a "well boiled icicle"
I doubt he ever sang "Martin said to his Man" but many have including the verse
I'd rather have a full bottle in front of me which can be scanned if you are persistent
and the punchline? I think you are all ahead of me - except those with a full frontal lobotomy!


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Subject: RE: Spoonerism's in songs- Examples
From: Nigel.Parsons
Date: 09 Sep 01 - 12:13 PM

Oft claimed examples from the Rev. Spooner also include his admonition to a student..."Sir, you have tasted two worms, and will leave by the town drain" And the loyal toast "Jadies and lentil men, glaze your asses to the queer old dean"


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Subject: RE: Spoonerism's in songs- Examples
From: GUEST,Genie
Date: 10 Sep 01 - 03:31 AM

Ah, yes, Snosrap, I remember the address of the Queen as "the queer old dean." That's the one I was trying to recall.


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Subject: RE: Spoonerism's in songs- Examples
From: Mr Happy
Date: 03 May 04 - 08:20 AM

I've a children's tape of Jon Pertwee singing 'The Runaway Train'

In one verse he sings 'the driver got an awful fright, it scared him so he i>turned haired white!<'


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Subject: RE: Spoonerism's in songs- Examples
From: Charley Noble
Date: 03 May 04 - 10:26 AM

Mr. Red-

Another spoonerism verse for "Martin Said to His Man" is this beauty:

I saw a butterfly flutter by,
Fie, man, fie;
I saw a butterfly flutter by,
Who's the fool now?
I saw a butterfly flutter by,
Saw a dragonfly drink a flagon dry!
I have well drunken and who's the fool now?

Cheerily,
Charley Noble


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Subject: RE: Spoonerism's in songs- Examples
From: GUEST
Date: 03 May 04 - 11:00 AM

As far as I can remember, it was one Sylvia Wright who invented the Mondegreen, after hearing the line in "The Bonnie Earl of Moray".

They have slain the Earl of Moray
And laid him on the green

which she thought was:

They have slain the Earl of Moray
And Lady Mondegreen

There are or were at least a couple of websites about Mondegreens; sorry I don't know the URLs, but you could try looking up "Mondegreen" on the Internet.

Strictly speaking a Spoonerism is where the first bits of adjacent or nearby words get tranposed, as in "Drink a Toast to the Dear Old Queen (Queer Old Dean)". A book I have called "The Dictionary of Common Fallacies" seems to imply that "Spoonerisms were not a recurrent feature of the speech of Reverend William Spooner" though as it gives several examples of spoonerisms, it may be tongue in cheek (or should that be Chung in Teak?). Whether true or not, I very much doubt if he was the first person in the English (or other) language to get bits of words transposed.


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Subject: RE: Spoonerism's in songs- Examples
From: Joe_F
Date: 03 May 04 - 05:20 PM

The full text of the apocryphal scolding is: Young man, you have tasted this entire worm. You have hissed all my mystery lectures, and have been caught fighting a liar in the quad. You must leave Oxford by the town drain.


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Subject: RE: Spoonerism's in songs- Examples
From: RWilhelm
Date: 04 May 04 - 01:23 AM

"I Get My Mirds Wixed Up"
Mic Conway's National Junk Band


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Subject: RE: Spoonerism's in songs- Examples
From: Joe_F
Date: 04 May 04 - 04:58 PM

The Saturday Evening Post used to have a regular column of spoonerisms. I recall from my childhood one entitled "How to Slow to Geep" that ended with the desperate suggestion "a moakress eethed in satter".


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Subject: RE: Spoonerism's in songs- Examples
From: Dave Bryant
Date: 05 May 04 - 05:31 AM

Well there's always "The whore's-bed carol" !


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Subject: RE: Spoonerism's in songs- Examples
From: GUEST
Date: 05 May 04 - 07:58 AM

From The Downeaster Alexa:
"There's no f*ckin' swordfish in here"
(no luck in swordfishing here)


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Subject: RE: Spoonerism's in songs- Examples
From: GUEST,Salamander '72
Date: 18 Mar 09 - 12:45 AM

Kenny Roger's "Lucille" What was "...four hungry children and a crop in the field..." sounded to me like "...four hundred children and a crop..." For many years I wondered why he didn't round up the kids and make them pick the crop.


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Subject: RE: Spoonerism's in songs- Examples
From: Herga Kitty
Date: 18 Mar 09 - 03:40 AM

Not a song but a recitation - Derby Ram (Keith Kendrick) performs the story of Robin Hood, including the wedding ceremony conducted by Friar Tuck.....

Kitty


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Subject: RE: Spoonerism's in songs- Examples
From: Georgiansilver
Date: 18 Mar 09 - 03:55 AM

The Bee Gees Song... 'Saved by the bell'... If you google a search for lyrics of this song you will likely come up with one that has the words "Now I walk down our great lane" which should be not OUR GREAT but HEARTBREAK ........ I have found those words on a few lyric sites so I reckon they copy them from each other.... one gets it wrong and they all do!
Best wishes, Mike.,


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Subject: RE: Spoonerism's in songs- Examples
From: Mavis Enderby
Date: 18 Mar 09 - 04:06 AM

One of these days I know I'm going to mess up the Big Rock Candy Mountain....

Pete


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Subject: RE: Spoonerism's in songs- Examples
From: pavane
Date: 18 Mar 09 - 05:16 AM

Likewise (mondegreen, not spoonerism) the lyrics of Carly Simon's "You're so vain" often have the phrase quoted "scarf which was Afric cut" - I am sure it should be Apricot. But the UK transcriber was probably not aware of US pronunciation. (Here we say "AYpricot" not AHpricot)


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Subject: RE: Spoonerism's in songs- Examples
From: bubblyrat
Date: 18 Mar 09 - 05:48 AM

One of my favourite "out-takes" from the TV show "It'll Be Alright On The Night", is the BBC regional news-reader reporting on the mother who took her little daughter to play on the beach,and was later horrified to find her playing with a " Hypodeemic Nerdle".


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Subject: RE: Spoonerism's in songs- Examples
From: Frank_Finn
Date: 18 Mar 09 - 06:39 AM

In the song The Green Fields of America there is a line

"So here's to you Bessie my one blue-eyed lassie"

I'm always afraid I will sing it as
".... my blue one-eyed lassie"


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Subject: RE: Spoonerism's in songs- Examples
From: SINSULL
Date: 18 Mar 09 - 10:14 AM

Posted this before:
Upon first hearing the tune "Just Call Me Angel Of The Morning" I swore she sang "Just brush my teeth before you leave me, baby"


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Subject: RE: Spoonerism's in songs- Examples
From: JohnB
Date: 18 Mar 09 - 10:42 AM

I had a freind who worked in a Travel agency, he asked this rather atractive lady one day "if she would like a fooking borm"
JohnB.


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Subject: RE: Spoonerism's in songs- Examples
From: Bill D
Date: 18 Mar 09 - 12:12 PM

"mess up the Big Rock Candy Mountain...."

Oh, thanks a LOT! Now *I'm* thinking about it!


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Subject: RE: Spoonerism's in songs- Examples
From: bubblyrat
Date: 18 Mar 09 - 01:47 PM

How about " Knocking on Devon's Whore " ??


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Subject: RE: Spoonerism's in songs- Examples
From: bubblyrat
Date: 18 Mar 09 - 01:53 PM

Not to mention "Billing the Clues", " Your Heating-Chart",and the rather unsavoury "Seep on the Cunny Side" (Sorry ).


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Subject: RE: Spoonerism's in songs- Examples
From: Gweltas
Date: 18 Mar 09 - 09:39 PM

Ha Ha, Bill D,
I agree..........I will never again be able to think of "Big Rock Candy Mountain" in the same way ever again !!


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Subject: RE: Spoonerism's in songs- Examples
From: Gweltas
Date: 18 Mar 09 - 10:11 PM

The one that went down in our family folklore was when my late father was attempting to renew the electrical wiring(flex) for a light in our kitchen and found himself in need of a phillip's screwdriver, which we didn't have, so my late mother (a very prim and proper lady) dashed out to our neighbour's busy shop to ask if she could borrow the required article, which the neighbour duly produced and, being slightly curious, asked my mother why it was required --- my mother's breathless response, in the hearing of a shop full of customers, was "It's because my husband is putting sex in the feeling" (instead of "flex in the ceiling" !!) She was so profoundly embarrassed about it that she couldn't face back in there for about 6 months afterwards and obliged us kids to do all her shopping for her in the meantime.
I reckon that it runs in the family as I have frequently been guilty of getting my wucking murds fuddled, most recently when referring to the Falmouth Shanty Festival (in Cornwall) as the "Shalmouth Panty Festival" -- where I got the letter P from, when there is no P in the proper title, is a complete mystery. I am now terrified to refer to that festival as the wrong version just keeps wanting to come out and I have to think very carefully before mentioning it in polite conversation.


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