Mangled Lines

Subject: Mangled Lines
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 14 Nov 01 - 05:43 PM

I see the postings where we're all trying to figure out what the heck someone was singing on an old recording (or sometimes a new one.) Some of the guesses are downright hilarious. Unintentionally. My favorite sincerely mis-heard line from a folk song comes from a kid I knew back when I was in High School. He'd walk donw the hall singing "So long, it's Fingers Gunnolia!" at the top of his lungs. I thought it was a song about a gangster. You probably know the song as So Long, It's Been Good To Know Ya."

Jerry

Subject: RE: Mangled Lines
From: Arbuthnot
Date: 14 Nov 01 - 08:45 PM

I always wondered how Here comes the ploughboy with proud and beauteous bearing Good luck, God speed, no charing

got changed to

Here comes the ploughboy with pride and beauty berry Look, speed no cherry

which is what I hear people sing too often.

Subject: RE: Mangled Lines
From: Ralphie
Date: 15 Nov 01 - 12:09 AM

On an irreligious note...
Hail Mary, full of grace, the laundry's with thee
Blessed art thou, a Monk swimming...

And

Our Father, Who art in Heaven
Harold be thy name...

Not to mention the crossed eyed bear called "Gladly"
Pax Probiscus !
Ralphie

Subject: RE: Mangled Lines
From: Amos
Date: 15 Nov 01 - 12:11 AM

These are called Mondegreens and there about a dozen earlier Mudcat threads on the topic good for laughs.

A.

Subject: RE: Mangled Lines
From: Ralphie
Date: 15 Nov 01 - 12:21 AM

Thanks for that Amos
I'll go a hunting, so as not to use up any more valuable server space on such tosh !!
Ralphie

Subject: RE: Mangled Lines
From: Snuffy
Date: 15 Nov 01 - 08:38 AM

I'm dreaming of a White Christmas, with every Christmas card I write:

• Mayor Daisby
• Marion Bright
• Anne-Mae Orlier
• Chris
• Mrs B White.

Subject: RE: Mangled Lines
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 15 Nov 01 - 09:29 AM

The more tosh the merrier, Ralphie. Well, for me anyway. It does us good to have a good laugh. Even if it has been discussed before we always find something new.

Dave the Gnome
Wo-o-o-o my ears are alight...

Subject: RE: Mangled Lines
From: Raptor
Date: 15 Nov 01 - 09:57 AM

John Prine's The Happy Enchalada song on live his album comes to mind

Raptor

Subject: RE: Mangled Lines
From: Celtic Soul
Date: 15 Nov 01 - 10:14 AM

Not a folk song, but what the hey:

A very old and dear friend of mine used to sing "Take the back right turn" instead of "Paperback Writer".

;D

Subject: RE: Mangled Lines
From: Raptor
Date: 15 Nov 01 - 12:51 PM

excuse my while I kiss this guy-Jimmy hendrix

Subject: RE: Mangled Lines
From: DonMeixner
Date: 16 Nov 01 - 10:25 AM

Olive, the other reindeer

Subject: RE: Mangled Lines
From: GUEST,Adrienne
Date: 16 Nov 01 - 02:56 PM

For years I thought Creedance Clearwater Revival were singing, "There's a bathroom on the right."

Subject: RE: Mangled Lines
From: Dead Horse
Date: 16 Nov 01 - 03:03 PM

While singing a favourite song of his (Black Velvet Band) my friend Roger sang "They gave me seven years penile sevitude" by mistake. It cracked us up. Unfortunately we always wait in vain for him to sing that line again.

Subject: RE: Mangled Lines
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 16 Nov 01 - 04:01 PM

Hey, that's great, Adriene! I got a big laugh out of it. This may be tosh (whatever that is) but if it gives a few laughs, I'll take it..

Jerry

Subject: RE: Mangled Lines
From: CapriUni
Date: 16 Nov 01 - 05:28 PM

DonMeixner (And anyone else reading this):

Did you know that there is a children's Christmas story called "Olive the Other Reindeer?" and that it was made into an animated Christmas special for Fox back in 1999? Click here to see pictures from it.

Did you also know that it's my favorite Christmas special so far?

Now you do!

;-)

Subject: RE: Mangled Lines
From: Kaleea
Date: 17 Nov 01 - 02:13 AM

Over the years, some of my favorites have been: "Hark, the hairlip angels sing . . ." "we wish you a hare krishna, we wish you a hare krishna . . ." "I'll be feeling you in all the old familiar places . . ." (I once pulled the above line on a professor of music who had a hangover from the staff fundraiser the night before, and needless to say, he laughed so hard, his head pounded all the more, and class was dismissed after 5 minutes!) "then I saw her face-------, looked like a retriever . . ." "consumate me now to Thy service, Lord . . ." " . . .for purple mountain majesties, above the putrid plains, America, America . . ." and we must not leave out the esteemed Stephen Foster: "Come where my love lies screaming, screaming the happy hours away . . ."

Subject: RE: Mangled Lines
From: GUEST,Rossey
Date: 17 Nov 01 - 06:52 AM

The version of the dark island posted on the digi trad site site was written by my late father Stewart Ross, but uncredited on the site. It contains mangled mishheard words which spoil the scanning(it was written to a slightly different tune than the David Silver version. I am not best pleased and wish someone would at least transpose a corrected version of my father's lyrics (written in Inverness, 1963). "In the years long gone by" - is wrongly copied as "In the years long ago".

"Oh I've wandered away" - should be "though I've wandered away". "The whole world to roam" - should be "the wide world to roam". I could go on (and frequently do!)

I am using a library computer so this is a one off reply.

Subject: RE: Mangled Lines
From: Crane Driver
Date: 17 Nov 01 - 07:21 AM

No matter how clearly you know them, lines just seem to get mangled from time to time - usually in performance. Like the "headless ghost" that came out as a "ghostless head" on one occasion. Not so bad as the "clipper ship" that arrived as a "shitter clip" once!

Subject: RE: Mangled Lines
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 18 Nov 01 - 05:01 AM

That should be packet of biscuits mate! Or Paxo biscuitbum!

LTS

Subject: RE: Mangled Lines
From: RoyH (Burl)
Date: 18 Nov 01 - 02:51 PM

Hi Arbuthnot; I may be wrong but I've always heard that line as a (rather charming) litany of the names of the ploughboy's horses. Thus ' Here comes the ploughboy with Bright, and Beauty, Berry, Goodluck, Speedwell, Cherry, And we'll whoop along...........' Grand song. Johnny Collins sings it beautifully.

Subject: RE: Mangled Lines
From: Snuffy
Date: 18 Nov 01 - 06:23 PM

"With my hump along! Jump along! Here drives my lad along
Pretty,Sparkle, Berry, Goodluck, Speedwell, Cherry"

That's in the DT as "The Oxen Ploughing", from Cornwall. Perhaps the chorus from this got grafted onto the song Arbuthnot is talking about. Well, they are both about ploughing

WassaiL! V

Subject: RE: Mangled Lines
From: Chip2447
Date: 18 Nov 01 - 11:57 PM

Steve Winwood "Bring me an Iron lung"
My sister in law until just recently could be heard singing "searching for my lost Digger the dog" instead of a lost shaker of salt.

Chip2447

Subject: RE: Mangled Lines
From: Mr Happy
Date: 05 Dec 07 - 11:29 AM

As I was going over the Coolkinkelly Mountains
I met Captain Farrel and his money he was counting
.......
I said 'Stand and deliver, for I am a bolder seaman'

Musha ring dum etc

Subject: RE: Mangled Lines
From: GUEST,TJ in San Diego
Date: 05 Dec 07 - 04:24 PM

Back in the early '60's, after having endured "Oh, Mary, Don't You Weep" for the Nth time, we came up with:

"River Jordan is deep and wide,
Clean rest rooms on the other side..."