Mistakes I Have Made When Listening To Songs

Subject: RE: Mistakes I Have Made When Listening To Songs
From: Mountain Dog
Date: 10 Jul 97 - 10:06 AM

Alan!

Whether it's great minds thinking alike or fools seldom differing, I think we've just had an instance of trans-hemisperhical coincidence. No sooner had I posted my Juice gaffe, than I saw yours appear. DT meets the Twilight Zone, eh?

(Glad to know someone else heard it that way, too.)

Yours, amused and amazed.

Subject: RE: Mistakes I Have Made When Listening To Songs
From: Mountain Dog
Date: 10 Jul 97 - 10:03 AM

Even though it's not exactly in the folk category, I'll offer a favorite misinterpretation:

I remember wincing the first several times I heard Juice Newton's "Angel of the Morning", wondering if she was really singing:

"Just call me Angel of the Morning, baby, Just brush my teeth before you leave..."!

(Others insist she'd said "Just touch my cheek..." You listen and decide.)

This served to reinforce the wisdom of an old friend who said: "Don't believe a word you hear and only half of what you see."

Subject: RE: Mistakes I Have Made When Listening To Songs
From: Alan of Oz
Date: 10 Jul 97 - 10:01 AM

"Angel of the Morning" has a line "Just brush my teeth before you leave me" which could be mistaken for ".....Touch my cheek.........".

Or is that the other way round?

Madonna has a line in "Material Girl" - "If they can't raise my interest then I'll have to let them be" or is that "If they can't raise nine inches then I'll have to let them be"?

Cheers,
Alan

Subject: RE: Mistakes I Have Made When Listening To Songs
From: Sharon
Date: 10 Jul 97 - 08:08 AM

Kids do a lot of this mistranslating. One of my Kindergarten kids wanted to sing a song about the running tooth. All the other kids knew which song it was. Only I, the adult, didn't recognize the words to "his tooth is marching on" from the Battle Hymn of the Republic. The same with the song about the "mittens." You know... John Jacob Jingleheimer's mittens.

Subject: RE: Mistakes I Have Made When Listening To Songs
From: Ted in Australia
Date: 10 Jul 97 - 07:17 AM

when I was much much younger I had this line wrong from the hym "My cup's full and running over". I was convinced that it went " my cuboards full of roll me overs" I thought that "roll me overs" must have been something real cool to eat. Shoals of Herring is a favourite of mine too. Regards

Subject: RE: Mistakes I Have Made When Listening To Songs
From: Rick
Date: 10 Jul 97 - 03:14 AM

Funny that, I always thought that line was

I was cook, and I'd a quarter share'nt

- quarter share of the profits...

I've only been singing it like that for 20 odd years...

Rick.

Subject: Mistakes I Have Made When Listening To Songs
From: John
Date: 10 Jul 97 - 01:50 AM

I know we have all done it, and it's only when I see the printed word in DT or this MARVELLOUS forum, that I realise how my ear has deceived me as to the real lyrics.

For years I listened to a Scottish friend sing "The Shoals of Herring". There's a part which goes ...I was cook and was quarters sharing... I had always honestly thought that the words were ...I got crook on a quart of sherry...

Anybody else wish to share their translation gaffs?

Regards John