Mondegreen
Encyclopedia
A mondegreen is the mishearing or misinterpretation of a phrase as a result of near homophony
, in a way that gives it a new meaning. It most commonly is applied to a line in a poem or a lyric in a song. American writer Sylvia Wright coined the term in her essay "The Death of Lady Mondegreen," published in Harper's Magazine
in November 1954.
"Mondegreen" was included in the 2000 edition of the Random House Webster's College Dictionary. Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary added the word in 2008.
The phenomenon is not limited to English, with examples cited by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, in the Hebrew song Háva Nagíla
(Let’s be Happy)", and in Bollywood
movies.
A closely related category is the soramimi
, which are songs that produce different meanings from those originally intended when interpreted in another language.
"The Bonny Earl O'Moray". She wrote:
The actual fourth line is "And laid him on the green". Wright explained the need for a new term:
Other examples Wright suggested are:
has observed that "The interesting thing about mondegreens is that the mishearings are generally less plausible than the intended lyrics."
James Gleick
says that the mondegreen is a distinctly modern phenomenon. Although people have no doubt misconstrued song lyrics for as long as songs have been sung, without improved communication and the standardization of language which accompanies it, there would have been no way for this shared experience to have been recognized and discussed. Since time immemorial, songs have been passed on by word of mouth. Just as mondegreens transform songs based on experience, a folk song repeated in a country where people are unfamiliar with some of the references in the song will often be transformed. A classic example is The Golden Vanity
, which contains the line "As she sailed upon the lowland sea."; carried to Appalachia by immigrants from England, over generations, not knowing what the lowland sea refers to, singers transformed "lowland" to "lonesome".
Rap and hip-hop lyrics may be particularly susceptible to being misheard because they are often improvised and frequently lack an official, written version. This issue gained publicity in 2010 over multiple errors claimed in lyrics printed in the Anthology of Rap, printed by Yale University Press.
"Blinded by the Light," a cover of a Bruce Springsteen song by the Manfred Mann's Earth Band
(for which they rewrote the lyric in the chorus), contains what has been called "probably the most misheard lyric of all-time": "revved up like a deuce
" is frequently misheard as "wrapped up like a douche
". The comedy show The Vacant Lot
built an entire skit, called "Blinded by the Light", around four friends arguing about the lyrics.
In the lyrics to the opening theme to the FOX animated television series
Family Guy
, after the cast sings "Lucky there's a man who, positively can do, all the things to make us..." it was widely thought that Stewie Griffin
sang "effin' cry" (or "f'in cry"). However, in an interview, Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane
stated that Stewie actually sings "laugh and cry." The theme to later seasons (starting with The Kiss Seen Around the World.) was re-recorded and the actual line is heard more clearly. The mondegreen was referenced by Peter Griffin
in the episode Friends of Peter G.
when he utters to Stewie in a drunken slur, "laugh and cry, effin' cry, what's the difference?"
The Bernie Taupin/Elton John song Bennie and the Jets
contains the line "She's got electric boots, a mohair suit" which is often misheard as "She's got electric boobs, and mohair shoes". A scene in the film 27 Dresses
shows that this is but one of many mondegreens that listeners have invented for this song.
A number of misheard lyrics have been recorded, turning a mondegreen into a real title. They include:
(Let’s be Happy)."
A collection of items submitted by Hindi
speakers (and relating mainly to songs in Bollywood
movies) is available online.
has long been rife with the potential for mondegreens, both intentional and unintentional.
Russian author Fyodor Dostoyevsky in 1875 cited a line from Fyodor Glinka
's song "Troika" (1825) колокольчик, дар Валдая (‘the bell, gift of Valday
’) claiming that it is usually understood as колокольчик, дарвалдая (‘the bell darvaldaying’ - the onomatopoetic verb for ringing).
A prominent example is Mairzy Doats
, a 1943 novelty song
by Milton Drake, Al Hoffman
and Jerry Livingston
. The lyrics are a mondegreen and it's up to the listener to figure out what they mean.
The refrain of the song repeats nonsensical sounding lines:
The clue to the meaning is contained in the bridge:
The listener can figure out that the last line of the refrain is "A kid'll eat ivy, too; wouldn't you?", but this line is sung only as a mondegreen.
Other examples include:
produced a volume of pseudo-French poetry, Mots D'Heures: Gousses, Rames (sounds like "Mother Goose Rhymes"), complete with critical, historical and interpretive apparatus, which are actually elaborate, extended mondegreens for English-language nursery rhymes. This can also be considered soramimi
, which produces different meanings when interpreted in another language.
Some performers and writers have used deliberate mondegreens to create double entendre
s, including:
Homophone
A homophone is a word that is pronounced the same as another word but differs in meaning. The words may be spelled the same, such as rose and rose , or differently, such as carat, caret, and carrot, or to, two, and too. Homophones that are spelled the same are also both homographs and homonyms...
, in a way that gives it a new meaning. It most commonly is applied to a line in a poem or a lyric in a song. American writer Sylvia Wright coined the term in her essay "The Death of Lady Mondegreen," published in Harper's Magazine
Harper's Magazine
Harper's Magazine is a monthly magazine of literature, politics, culture, finance, and the arts, with a generally left-wing perspective. It is the second-oldest continuously published monthly magazine in the U.S. . The current editor is Ellen Rosenbush, who replaced Roger Hodge in January 2010...
in November 1954.
"Mondegreen" was included in the 2000 edition of the Random House Webster's College Dictionary. Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary added the word in 2008.
The phenomenon is not limited to English, with examples cited by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, in the Hebrew song Háva Nagíla
Hava Nagila
"Hava Nagila" is a Hebrew folk song that has become a staple of band performers at Jewish weddings and Bar/Bat Mitzvahs.-History:...
(Let’s be Happy)", and in Bollywood
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
movies.
A closely related category is the soramimi
Soramimi
or ; is a Japanese term for homophonic translation of song lyrics, that is, interpreting lyrics in one language as similar-sounding lyrics in another language...
, which are songs that produce different meanings from those originally intended when interpreted in another language.
Etymology
In the essay, Wright described how, as a young girl, she misheard the last line of the first stanza from the 17th-century balladBallad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
"The Bonny Earl O'Moray". She wrote:
- When I was a child, my mother used to read aloud to me from Percy's ReliquesReliques of Ancient English PoetryThe Reliques of Ancient English Poetry is a collection of ballads and popular songs collected by Thomas Percy and published in 1765.-Sources:...
, and one of my favorite poems began, as I remember:- Ye Highlands and ye Lowlands,
- Oh, where hae ye been?
- They hae slain the Earl O' Moray,
- And Lady Mondegreen.
The actual fourth line is "And laid him on the green". Wright explained the need for a new term:
- The point about what I shall hereafter call mondegreens, since no one else has thought up a word for them, is that they are better than the original.
Other examples Wright suggested are:
- Surely Good Mrs. Murphy shall follow me all the days of my life ("Surely goodness and mercy…" from Psalm 23Psalm 23In the 23rd Psalm in the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, the writer describes God as his Shepherd. The text, beloved by Jews and Christians alike, is often alluded to in popular media and has been set to music....
) - The wild, strange battle cry "Haffely, Gaffely, Gaffely, Gonward." ("Half a league, half a league,/ Half a league onward," from "The Charge of the Light BrigadeThe Charge of the Light Brigade (poem)"The Charge of the Light Brigade" is an 1854 narrative poem by Alfred, Lord Tennyson about the Charge of the Light Brigade at the Battle of Balaclava during the Crimean War...
")
The psychology of the mondegreen
Human beings perceive in part based on past experiences, including what words we hear. We are more likely to see or hear what we expect to see or hear than something completely unexpected, or something that is not part of our normal everyday experiences. For example, in everyday speech, one would be more likely to hear somebody recalling how they "kissed this guy" than that they were about to "kiss the sky". On the other hand, Steven PinkerSteven Pinker
Steven Arthur Pinker is a Canadian-American experimental psychologist, cognitive scientist, linguist and popular science author...
has observed that "The interesting thing about mondegreens is that the mishearings are generally less plausible than the intended lyrics."
James Gleick
James Gleick
James Gleick is an American author, journalist, and biographer, whose books explore the cultural ramifications of science and technology...
says that the mondegreen is a distinctly modern phenomenon. Although people have no doubt misconstrued song lyrics for as long as songs have been sung, without improved communication and the standardization of language which accompanies it, there would have been no way for this shared experience to have been recognized and discussed. Since time immemorial, songs have been passed on by word of mouth. Just as mondegreens transform songs based on experience, a folk song repeated in a country where people are unfamiliar with some of the references in the song will often be transformed. A classic example is The Golden Vanity
The Sweet Trinity
"The Sweet Trinity", also known as "The Golden Vanity" or "The Golden Willow Tree", is Child Ballad 286. The first surviving version, about 1635, was "Sir Walter Raleigh Sailing In The Lowlands "The Sweet Trinity", also known as "The Golden Vanity" or "The Golden Willow Tree", is Child Ballad 286....
, which contains the line "As she sailed upon the lowland sea."; carried to Appalachia by immigrants from England, over generations, not knowing what the lowland sea refers to, singers transformed "lowland" to "lonesome".
Examples in songs
The top three mondegreens submitted regularly to mondegreen expert Jon Carroll are:-
- "Gladly, the cross-eyed bear (from the line in the hymn "Keep Thou My Way" by Fanny CrosbyFanny CrosbyFrances Jane Crosby , usually known as Fanny Crosby in the United States and by her married name, Frances van Alstyne, in the United Kingdom, was an American Methodist rescue mission worker, poet, lyricist, and composer. During her lifetime, she was well-known throughout the United States...
, "Kept by Thy tender care, gladly the cross I'll bear") Carroll and many others quote it as "Gladly the cross I'd bear". - There's a bathroom on the right (the line at the end of each verse of "Bad Moon RisingBad Moon Rising (song)"Bad Moon Rising" is a song written by John Fogerty and performed by Creedence Clearwater Revival. It was the lead single from their album Green River and was released in April 1969, four months before the album. The song reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and #1 on the UK Singles...
" by Creedence Clearwater RevivalCreedence Clearwater RevivalCreedence Clearwater Revival was an American rock band that gained popularity in the late 1960s and early 1970s with a number of successful singles drawn from various albums....
: "There's a bad moon on the rise") - Scuse me while I kiss this guy (from a lyric in the song "Purple HazePurple Haze"Purple Haze" is a song written in 1966 and recorded in 1967 by The Jimi Hendrix Experience and released as a single in both the United Kingdom and the United States. It appeared on their 1967 album Are You Experienced...
", by Jimi HendrixJimi HendrixJames Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
: "'Scuse me while I kiss the sky").
- "Gladly, the cross-eyed bear (from the line in the hymn "Keep Thou My Way" by Fanny Crosby
- Both Creedence's John FogertyJohn FogertyJohn Cameron Fogerty is an American rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist, best known for his time with the swamp rock/roots rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival and as a #1 solo recording artist. Fogerty has a rare distinction of being named on Rolling Stone magazine's list of 100 Greatest...
and Hendrix eventually acknowledged these mishearings by deliberately singing the "mondegreen" versions of their songs in concert.
Rap and hip-hop lyrics may be particularly susceptible to being misheard because they are often improvised and frequently lack an official, written version. This issue gained publicity in 2010 over multiple errors claimed in lyrics printed in the Anthology of Rap, printed by Yale University Press.
"Blinded by the Light," a cover of a Bruce Springsteen song by the Manfred Mann's Earth Band
Manfred Mann's Earth Band
Manfred Mann's Earth Band is a British progressive rock group formed in 1971 by Manfred Mann.-Formation:Having started in the 1960s with a British band that had such hits as "Do Wah Diddy Diddy" and "The Mighty Quinn", then moving on to Jazz Fusion with Manfred Mann's Chapter Three, Manfred's third...
(for which they rewrote the lyric in the chorus), contains what has been called "probably the most misheard lyric of all-time": "revved up like a deuce
Ford Model B (1932)
The Model B was a Ford automobile with production starting with model year 1932 and ending with 1934. It was a much updated version of the Model A and was replaced by the 1935 Ford Model 48...
" is frequently misheard as "wrapped up like a douche
Douche
A douche is a device used to introduce a stream of water into the body for medical or hygienic reasons, or the stream of water itself.Douche usually refers to vaginal irrigation, the rinsing of the vagina, but it can also refer to the rinsing of any body cavity. A douche bag is a piece of...
". The comedy show The Vacant Lot
The Vacant Lot
The Vacant Lot was a short-lived comedy sketch show which the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation ran for only six episodes starting in December 1993...
built an entire skit, called "Blinded by the Light", around four friends arguing about the lyrics.
In the lyrics to the opening theme to the FOX animated television series
Cartoon series
A cartoon series is a set of regularly presented animated television programs with a common series title, usually related to one another. These episodes typically share the same characters and a basic theme...
Family Guy
Family Guy
Family Guy is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their children Meg, Chris, and Stewie; and their anthropomorphic pet dog Brian...
, after the cast sings "Lucky there's a man who, positively can do, all the things to make us..." it was widely thought that Stewie Griffin
Stewie Griffin
Stewie Griffin is a fictional character from the animated television series Family Guy. Once obsessed with world domination and matricide, Stewie is the youngest child of Peter and Lois Griffin, and the brother of Chris and Meg....
sang "effin' cry" (or "f'in cry"). However, in an interview, Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane
Seth MacFarlane
Seth Woodbury MacFarlane is an American animator, writer, comedian, producer, actor, singer, voice actor, and director best known for creating the animated sitcoms Family Guy, American Dad! and The Cleveland Show, for which he also voices many of the shows' various characters.A native of Kent,...
stated that Stewie actually sings "laugh and cry." The theme to later seasons (starting with The Kiss Seen Around the World.) was re-recorded and the actual line is heard more clearly. The mondegreen was referenced by Peter Griffin
Peter Griffin
Peter Griffin is a fictional character and the protagonist of the animated comedy series Family Guy and the patriarch of the Griffin family. He is voiced by cartoonist Seth MacFarlane and first appeared on television, along with the rest of the family in the 15-minute short on December 20, 1998....
in the episode Friends of Peter G.
Friends of Peter G.
"Friends of Peter G." is the tenth episode of the ninth season of the animated comedy series Family Guy. It aired on Fox in the United States on February 13, 2011. The episode follows Peter and Brian as they are forced to join Alcoholics Anonymous, due to their excessive drinking, much to their...
when he utters to Stewie in a drunken slur, "laugh and cry, effin' cry, what's the difference?"
The Bernie Taupin/Elton John song Bennie and the Jets
Bennie and the Jets
"Bennie and the Jets" is a song composed by Elton John and Bernie Taupin. The song is written in the key of G major and first appeared on the Goodbye Yellow Brick Road album in 1973. "Bennie and the Jets" has been one of John's most popular songs....
contains the line "She's got electric boots, a mohair suit" which is often misheard as "She's got electric boobs, and mohair shoes". A scene in the film 27 Dresses
27 Dresses
27 Dresses is a 2008 romantic comedy film directed by Anne Fletcher and written by Aline Brosh McKenna. The film stars Katherine Heigl and James Marsden. The film was released January 10, 2008 in Australia and opened in the United States on January 18....
shows that this is but one of many mondegreens that listeners have invented for this song.
A number of misheard lyrics have been recorded, turning a mondegreen into a real title. They include:
- The song "Sea Lion WomanSea Lion Woman"Sea Lion Woman" is a traditional American folk song originally used as a children's playground song....
", recorded in 1939 by Christine and Katherine Shipp, was performed by Nina SimoneNina SimoneEunice Kathleen Waymon , better known by her stage name Nina Simone , was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, arranger, and civil rights activist widely associated with jazz music...
under the title "See Line Woman" and later by Feist as "Sealion". According to the liner notes from the compilation "A Treasury of Library of Congress Field Recordings," the actual title of this playground song might also be "See [the] Lyin' Woman" or "C-Line Woman." - Jack LawrenceJack LawrenceJack Lawrence was an American songwriter. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1975.- Biography :...
's misinterpretation of the French phrase "pauvre Jean" ("poor John") as the identically pronounced "pauvres gens" ("poor people") led to the translation of La goualante du pauvre Jean ("The Ballad of Poor John") as The Poor People of ParisThe Poor People of Paris"The Poor People of Paris" is a popular song, with "Paris" being pronounced as "pa-REE".It was adapted by Jack Lawrence in 1954 from the French language song "La goualante du pauvre Jean"...
, which in no way hindered it from becoming a major hit in 1956.
Examples in non-English-language songs
Ghil'ad Zuckermann cites the Hebrew example mukhrakhím liyót saméakh (‘we must be happy’, with a grammar mistake) instead of (the high-register) úru akhím belév saméakh (‘wake up, brothers, with a happy heart’), from the well-known song Háva NagílaHava Nagila
"Hava Nagila" is a Hebrew folk song that has become a staple of band performers at Jewish weddings and Bar/Bat Mitzvahs.-History:...
(Let’s be Happy)."
A collection of items submitted by Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
speakers (and relating mainly to songs in Bollywood
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
movies) is available online.
Examples in literature
- "A Monk SwimmingA Monk SwimmingA Monk Swimming is a memoir by Malachy McCourt of his life in Limerick, Ireland, and of his experiences when he came to America. The book recounts the journey and the many obstacles that McCourt had to overcome...
" by author Malachy McCourtMalachy McCourtMalachy Gerard McCourt is an Irish-American actor, writer and politician. He was the 2006 Green Party candidate for governor in New York State, losing to the Democratic candidate Eliot Spitzer. He is the younger brother of Frank McCourt.-Personal life:Born in Brooklyn, New York, McCourt was raised...
is so titled because of a childhood mishearing of a phrase from the Catholic rosary prayer, Hail Mary. 'Amongst women' became 'a monk swimming'. - The title of J. D. SalingerJ. D. SalingerJerome David Salinger was an American author, best known for his 1951 novel The Catcher in the Rye, as well as his reclusive nature. His last original published work was in 1965; he gave his last interview in 1980....
's The Catcher in the RyeThe Catcher in the RyeThe Catcher in the Rye is a 1951 novel by J. D. Salinger. Originally published for adults, it has since become popular with adolescent readers for its themes of teenage confusion, angst, alienation, language, and rebellion. It has been translated into almost all of the world's major...
comes from the main character, Holden CaulfieldHolden CaulfieldHolden Caulfield is the 16-to-17 years old protagonist of author J. D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye. He is universally recognized for his resistance to growing older and desire to protect childhood innocence...
, mishearing a sung version of the Robert BurnsRobert BurnsRobert Burns was a Scottish poet and a lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland, and is celebrated worldwide...
poem Coming Through the Rye: the line "Gin a body meet a body / comin' through the rye" is understood as "Gin a body catch a body / comin' through the rye." - The title and plot of the short sci-fi story, "Come You Nigh: Kay Shuns" ("Com-mu-ni-ca-tions") by Lawrence A. Perkins in Analog Science Fiction and FactAnalog Science Fiction and FactAnalog Science Fiction and Fact is an American science fiction magazine. As of 2011, it is the longest running continuously published magazine of that genre...
magazine (April 1970) deals with securing radio communications by encoding them with mondegreens.
Examples in television
- Mondegreens have been used a story element in advertising campaigns, including:
- A commercial for the 2012 Volkswagen PassatVolkswagen PassatThe Volkswagen Passat is a large family car marketed by Volkswagen Passenger Cars through six design generations since 1973. Between the Volkswagen Golf / Volkswagen Jetta and the Volkswagen Phaeton in the current Volkswagen line-up, the Passat and its derivatives have been badged variously as...
touting the car's audio system shows a number of people singing incorrect versions of the line "Burning out his fuse up here alone" from the Elton JohnElton JohnSir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
/Bernie TaupinBernie TaupinBernard John "Bernie" Taupin is an English lyricist, poet, and singer, best known for his long-term collaboration with Elton John, writing the lyrics for the majority of the star's songs, making his lyrics some of the best known in pop-rock's history.In 1967, Taupin answered an advertisement in...
song "Rocket Man", until a woman listening to the song in a Passat realizes the correct words. - A series of advertisements for Maxell audio cassette tapeCompact CassetteThe Compact Cassette, often referred to as audio cassette, cassette tape, cassette, or simply tape, is a magnetic tape sound recording format. It was designed originally for dictation, but improvements in fidelity led the Compact Cassette to supplant the Stereo 8-track cartridge and reel-to-reel...
s, produced by Howell Henry Chaldecott LuryHHCLHHCL was a London based advertising agency prominent in the 1990s. The firm won fame for its innovative working practices and radical approach to marketing communications, and was voted 'Agency of the Decade' by Campaign magazine in 2000...
, shown in 1989 and 1990, featured song lyrics as heard by users of other brands of tape.
- A commercial for the 2012 Volkswagen Passat
- "Mondegreens" is the name of a segment on the AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n music quiz show Spicks and Specks (ABC TVAustralian Broadcasting CorporationThe Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
). - The Two RonniesThe Two RonniesThe Two Ronnies is a British sketch show that aired on BBC1 from 1971 to 1987. It featured the double act of Ronnie Barker and Ronnie Corbett, the "Two Ronnies" of the title.-Origins:...
comedy skit "Four CandlesFour candlesThe Four Candles sketch, originally titled The Hardware Shop or Annie Finkhouse is a sketch from the BBC comedy The Two Ronnies. Written by Ronnie Barker under the pseudonym of Gerald Wiley, it was first broadcast on Saturday, 4 September 1976 on BBC1...
" is entirely built around mondegreens, including a customer request for "fork handles" being misheard as "four candles".
Other examples
Amongst schoolchildren in the U.S., daily recitation of the Pledge of AllegiancePledge of Allegiance
The Pledge of Allegiance of the United States is an expression of loyalty to the federal flag and the republic of the United States of America, originally composed by Christian Socialist Francis Bellamy in 1892 and formally adopted by Congress as the pledge in 1942...
has long been rife with the potential for mondegreens, both intentional and unintentional.
Russian author Fyodor Dostoyevsky in 1875 cited a line from Fyodor Glinka
Fyodor Glinka
Fyodor Nikolaevich Glinka was a Russian poet and author.-Biography:Glinka was born at Smolensk in 1786, and was specially educated for the army. In 1803 he obtained a commission as an officer, and two years later took part in the Austrian campaign...
's song "Troika" (1825) колокольчик, дар Валдая (‘the bell, gift of Valday
Valday
Valday is a town in Novgorod Oblast, Russia, the administrative center of Valdaysky District. It lies on the federal highway M10 connecting Moscow and St. Petersburg, from Moscow and from Veliky Novgorod...
’) claiming that it is usually understood as колокольчик, дарвалдая (‘the bell darvaldaying’ - the onomatopoetic verb for ringing).
Reverse mondegreen
There are compositions which appear nonsensical but which can be interpreted homophonically as a rational text.A prominent example is Mairzy Doats
Mairzy Doats
Mairzy Doats is a novelty song composed in 1943 by Milton Drake, Al Hoffman and Jerry Livingston. It was first played on radio station WOR, New York, by Al Trace and his Silly Symphonists. The song made the pop charts several times, with a version by the Merry Macs reaching No. 1 in March 1944...
, a 1943 novelty song
Novelty song
A novelty song is a comical or nonsensical song, performed principally for its comical effect. Humorous songs, or those containing humorous elements, are not necessarily novelty songs. The term arose in Tin Pan Alley to describe one of the major divisions of popular music. The other two divisions...
by Milton Drake, Al Hoffman
Al Hoffman
Al Hoffman , a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame since 1984, was a hit songwriter active in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s, usually co-writing with others and responsible for number one hits through each decade, many of which are still sung and recorded today...
and Jerry Livingston
Jerry Livingston
Jerry Livingston was an American songwriter, and dance orchestra pianist.-Biography:...
. The lyrics are a mondegreen and it's up to the listener to figure out what they mean.
The refrain of the song repeats nonsensical sounding lines:
-
- Mairzy doats and dozy doats and liddle lamzy divey
- A kiddley divey too, wooden shoe
The clue to the meaning is contained in the bridge:
-
- If the words sound queer and funny to your ear, a little bit jumbled and jivey,
- Sing "MareMareFemale horses are called mares.Mare is the Latin word for "sea".The word may also refer to:-People:* Ahmed Marzooq, also known as Mare, a footballer and Secretary General of Maldives Olympic Committee* Mare Winningham, American actress and singer...
s eat oats and does eat oats and little lambs eat ivy."
The listener can figure out that the last line of the refrain is "A kid'll eat ivy, too; wouldn't you?", but this line is sung only as a mondegreen.
Other examples include:
- Iron ButterflyIron ButterflyIron Butterfly is a US psychedelic rock band best known for the 1968 hit "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida".Their heyday was the late 1960s, but the band has been reincarnated with various members. In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida is the 31st best-selling album in the world, selling more than 25 million copies.-History:The...
's 1968 hit "In-A-Gadda-Da-VidaIn-A-Gadda-Da-Vida"In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" is a song by Iron Butterfly, released on their 1968 album In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida.At a little over seventeen minutes, it occupies the entire second side of the In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida album. The lyrics are simple, and heard only at the beginning and the end...
", a reverse mondegreen of the phrase "In the Garden of Eden," which was going to be the song's title, according to liner notes. (An episode of The SimpsonsThe SimpsonsThe Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
has Bart SimpsonBart SimpsonBartholomew JoJo "Bart" Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons and part of the Simpson family. He is voiced by actress Nancy Cartwright and first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
handing out the song's lyrics as a hymn titled In the Garden of Eden.) - Sly and the Family Stone's 1970 hit "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)"Thank You " is a 1969 hit single recorded by Sly and the Family Stone, recognized as one of the greatest and most influential funk songs of all time. The song, double a-sided with "Everybody Is a Star", reached number one on the soul single charts for five weeks, and reached number one on the...
" is pronounced "Thank You For Lettin' Me Be Myself Again". - A plot line in the 1945 comedy-mystery film Murder, He SaysMurder, He SaysMurder, He Says is a slapstick comedy film about a murderous rural family and the hapless pollster who becomes entangled in their hunt for a cache of money.-Plot:...
, which involves a nonsense ditty repeated by a character, which is a reverse mondegreen that contains a clue to finding some lost money.
Deliberate mondegreen
Luis van RootenLuis van Rooten
Luis van Rooten, was an American film actor. He was christened Luis d'Antin van Rooten.Van Rooten earned his BA at the University of Pennsylvania and worked as an architect before deciding to pursue film work in Hollywood during World War II...
produced a volume of pseudo-French poetry, Mots D'Heures: Gousses, Rames (sounds like "Mother Goose Rhymes"), complete with critical, historical and interpretive apparatus, which are actually elaborate, extended mondegreens for English-language nursery rhymes. This can also be considered soramimi
Soramimi
or ; is a Japanese term for homophonic translation of song lyrics, that is, interpreting lyrics in one language as similar-sounding lyrics in another language...
, which produces different meanings when interpreted in another language.
Some performers and writers have used deliberate mondegreens to create double entendre
Double entendre
A double entendre or adianoeta is a figure of speech in which a spoken phrase is devised to be understood in either of two ways. Often the first meaning is straightforward, while the second meaning is less so: often risqué or ironic....
s, including:
- The lyric "if you see Kay" (F-U-C-K) was employed by bluesBluesBlues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
pianist Memphis SlimMemphis SlimMemphis Slim was an American blues pianist, singer, and composer. He led a series of bands that, reflecting the popular appeal of jump blues, included saxophones, bass, drums, and piano. A song he first cut in 1947, "Every Day I Have the Blues", has become a blues standard, recorded by many other...
in 1963, R. Stevie MooreR. Stevie MooreRobert Steven Moore is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. In addition to having numerous albums released on labels around the world, the prolific Moore has self-released over 400 cassette and CD-R albums since 1968, as well as dozens of home videos, mostly through the R. Stevie Moore...
in 1977, April WineApril WineApril Wine is a Canadian rock band formed in 1969. According to the band, they chose the name 'April Wine' simply because members thought the two words sounded good together...
on its 1982 album Power PlayPower Play (album)Power Play is the tenth studio album by the Canadian rock band April Wine, released in 1982 .Music videos were made for the singles "Enough Is Enough", "If You See Kay", and "Tell Me Why"...
, the Poster ChildrenPoster ChildrenPoster Children are an indie rock band formed at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana in 1987. They have issued eleven studio albums. Known for their strong DIY ethic, the band members continue to drive their own tour bus, create their own artwork and T-shirt designs, and operate their...
via their 'Junior Citizen' in 1995, and TurbonegroTurbonegroTurbonegro is a Norwegian punk rock band that was initially active from 1989 to 1998, and later reformed in 2002. Their style combines glam rock, punk rock and hard rock into a style the band describes as "deathpunk"....
in 2005, as well as a line from James JoyceJames JoyceJames Augustine Aloysius Joyce was an Irish novelist and poet, considered to be one of the most influential writers in the modernist avant-garde of the early 20th century...
's 1922 novel UlyssesUlysses (novel)Ulysses is a novel by the Irish author James Joyce. It was first serialised in parts in the American journal The Little Review from March 1918 to December 1920, and then published in its entirety by Sylvia Beach on 2 February 1922, in Paris. One of the most important works of Modernist literature,...
. Britney SpearsBritney SpearsBritney Jean Spears is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing as a child, landing acting roles in stage productions and television shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album...
did the same thing with the song "If U Seek AmyIf U Seek Amy"If U Seek Amy" is a song by American recording artist Britney Spears from her sixth studio album, Circus. It was released on March 13, 2009 by Jive Records as the third single of the album, and was chosen by a poll on Spears's official website. "If U Seek Amy" was co-written and produced by Max...
", as did The Script in their 2008 song "If You See Kay" and AerosmithAerosmithAerosmith is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "The Bad Boys from Boston" and "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based hard rock, has come to also incorporate elements of pop, heavy metal, and rhythm and blues, and has inspired many...
in "Devil's Got a New Disguise." - The liner notesLiner notesLiner notes are the writings found in booklets which come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for vinyl records and cassettes.-Origin:...
in the album ÆnimaÆnimaÆnima is the second studio album by American rock band Tool. The album was released on September 17, 1996 in vinyl format and on October 1, 1996 in Compact Disc format. The album was recorded and cut at Ocean Way, Hollywood, California and The Hook, North Hollywood, California from 1995 to 1996...
by the metalHeavy metal musicHeavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
band ToolTool (band)Tool is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1990, the group's line-up has included drummer Danny Carey, guitarist Adam Jones, and vocalist Maynard James Keenan. Since 1995, Justin Chancellor has been the band's bassist, replacing their original bassist Paul D'Amour...
feature the phrase see you auntie (C-U-N-T). - The score of AtonementAtonement (film)Atonement is a 2007 British romantic suspense war film directed by Joe Wright. It is a film adaptation of the 2001 novel of the same name by Ian McEwan. The film stars James McAvoy, Keira Knightley, and Saoirse Ronan. It was produced by Working Title Films and filmed throughout the summer of 2006...
(2007) contains a track called "Cee, You and Tea," referring both to the main character of Cecelia, played by Keira KnightleyKeira KnightleyKeira Christina Knightley born 26 March 1985) is an English actress and model. She began acting as a child and came to international notice in 2002 after co-starring in the film Bend It Like Beckham...
, and also the word "cunt," the use of which factors significantly into the plot. - A similar effect was created in HindiHindiStandard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
in the 2011 BollywoodBollywoodBollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
movie Delhi Belly in the song Bhaag D.K. BoseBhaag D.K. Bose"Bhaag D.K. Bose, Aandhi Aayi" is a Hindi song composed and sung by Ram Sampath, with lyrics by Amitabh Bhattacharya for the 2011 Hindi film Delhi Belly...
. While 'D.K. Bose' appears to be a person's name, it is sung repeatedly in the chorus to form the deliberate mondegreen 'bhosadi ke' (Hindi: भोसडी के), a Hindi expletive. - "Mondegreen" is a song by YeasayerYeasayer-History:The band's three core members, Chris Keating, Ira Wolf Tuton, and Anand Wilder, first came to attention after appearing at the SXSW festival in early 2007. Their first single consisted of a double A-side of the tracks "Sunrise" and "2080"...
on their 2010 album, Odd BloodOdd BloodOdd Blood is the self-produced second studio album by American experimental rock band Yeasayer. Recorded in the state of New York during 2009, it was released on February 8, 2010 in Europe and a day later in North America, with Secretly Canadian as the primary label. "Ambling Alp", "O.N.E", "Madder...
. The lyrics are intentionally obscure (for instance, "Everybody sugar in my bed" and "Perhaps the pollen in the air turns us into a stapler") and spoken hastily to encourage the mondegreen effect. - During the 2008 presidential campaign, John McCainJohn McCainJohn Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
joked about the Beach Boys song, Barbara AnnBarbara Ann"Barbara Ann" is a song written by Fred Fassert and performed by The Regents in 1961. The recording reached a peak position of #13 on the Billboard Hot 100 record chart....
, singing it with the lyrics "Bomb bomb bomb, bomb bomb Iran".
See also
- AmbiguityAmbiguityAmbiguity of words or phrases is the ability to express more than one interpretation. It is distinct from vagueness, which is a statement about the lack of precision contained or available in the information.Context may play a role in resolving ambiguity...
- AmphibologyAmphibologyAmphibology or amphiboly is an ambiguous grammatical structure in a sentence. -Examples:*Teenagers shouldn't be allowed to drive...
- Double entendreDouble entendreA double entendre or adianoeta is a figure of speech in which a spoken phrase is devised to be understood in either of two ways. Often the first meaning is straightforward, while the second meaning is less so: often risqué or ironic....
- EggcornEggcornIn linguistics, an eggcorn is an idiosyncratic substitution of a word or phrase for a word or words that sound similar or identical in the speaker's dialect. The new phrase introduces a meaning that is different from the original, but plausible in the same context, such as "old-timers' disease" for...
- Folk etymology
- HolorimeHolorimeHolorime is a form of rhyme in which the rhyme encompasses an entire line or phrase. A holorime may be a couplet or short poem made up entirely of homophonous verses.-Holorime in English:...
- Homophonic translationHomophonic translationHomophonic translation renders a text in one language into a near-homophonic text in another language, usually with no attempt to preserve the original meaning of the text. In one homophonic translation, for example, English "sat on a wall" is rendered as French "s'étonne aux Halles" 'is...
- Mad GabMAD GABMad Gab is a game created by Terry White in which there are at least two teams and 2-12 players. Each team has two minutes to sound out three puzzles. The puzzles, also known as mondegreens, contain small words that, when put together, make a word or phrase...
- MalapropismMalapropismA malapropism is an act of misusing or the habitual misuse of similar sounding words, especially with humorous results. An example is Yogi Berra's statement: "Texas has a lot of electrical votes," rather than "electoral votes".-Etymology:...
- Mind RhymeMind RhymeMind rhyme is a kind of substitution rhyme similar to rhyming slang, but it is less codified.In mind rhyme, an intended word remains unsaid, and is “heard” only in the listener’s mind...
- Olive, the Other ReindeerOlive, the Other ReindeerOlive, the Other Reindeer is a CGI animated Christmas television special written by Steve Young, and directed by Oscar Moore. The feature was produced by Matt Groening's The Curiosity Company and animated by DNA Productions...
- Optical illusionOptical illusionAn optical illusion is characterized by visually perceived images that differ from objective reality. The information gathered by the eye is processed in the brain to give a perception that does not tally with a physical measurement of the stimulus source...
(visual analogy) - Phono-semantic matchingPhono-semantic matchingPhono-semantic matching is a linguistic term referring to camouflaged borrowing in which a foreign word is matched with a phonetically and semantically similar pre-existent native word/root....
- Portmanteau
- Relaxed pronunciationRelaxed pronunciationRelaxed pronunciation is a phenomenon that happens when the syllables of common words are slurred together...
- Satiric misspelling
- SoramimiSoramimior ; is a Japanese term for homophonic translation of song lyrics, that is, interpreting lyrics in one language as similar-sounding lyrics in another language...
- Subliminal message
- That's what she said
Further reading
- Scuse Me While I Kiss This Guy — Gavin EdwardsGavin EdwardsGavin Derek Edwards is an English cricketer. Edwards is a right-handed batsman who plays primarily as a wicketkeeper. He was born at Penzance, Cornwall....
, 1995. ISBN 0-671-50128-3 - When a Man Loves a Walnut — Gavin Edwards, 1997. ISBN 0-684-84567-9
- He's Got the Whole World in His Pants — Gavin Edwards, 1996. ISBN 0-684-82509-0
- Deck The Halls With Buddy Holly — Gavin Edwards, 1998. ISBN 0-06-095293-8
- Chocolate Moose for Dinner — Fred GwynneFred GwynneFrederick Hubbard "Fred" Gwynne was an American actor. Gwynne was best known for his roles in the 1960s sitcoms Car 54, Where Are You? and The Munsters, as well as his later roles: Pet Sematary and My Cousin Vinny...
, 1988. ISBN 0-671-66741-6 - Your walrus hurt the one you love: malapropisms, mispronunciations, and linguistic cock-ups — Philip NormanPhilip Norman (author)Philip Norman is an English novelist, biographer, journalist and playwright.Norman grew up in Ryde, Isle of Wight. He attended Ryde School, and his father, Clive Norman, ran the Seagull Ballroom on Ryde Pier. He described his childhood in his book Babycham Night...
, 1988. ISBN 9780333473375
External links
- Misheard lyrics to Christmas songs are immortalized as 'mondegreens' (from Snopes.com)
- "Mondegreens Ripped My Flesh" - columns by San Francisco Chronicle columnist Jon Carroll
- Man-bol lists numerous HindiHindiStandard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
mondegreens, mainly from BollywoodBollywoodBollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
movie songs - The Archive of Funny Misheard Music Lyrics
- Am I Right - Misheard Song Lyrics, Latest Additions