Mondegreens, anyone?

In this morning's SA Excuse-Nuisance, there's an article about how Merriam-Webster has added "mondegreen" to their dictionary. Since the word's been around since 1954, I guess it's about time. Here's a bartleby link to get you the idea of what a mondegreen is.

http://www.bartleby.com/61/30/M0383050.html

Musicians love these things because we get asked stuff like "do you play that Beach Boys song about owls puking?*" or "do you know the happy enchilada song**?"

* "Well since she put me down there's been owls puking in my bed" --Help Me Rhonda

** "That's the way the world goes round; one day you're up, the next you're down. It's a happy enchilada and you think you're going to drown" -- That's The Way the World Goes 'Round -- John Prine [the actual line is "It's a half an inch of water and you think you're going to drown."]

I suppose the most famous is from Jimi Hendrix's "Purple Haze" -- "s'cuse me, while I kiss this guy."

Any favorite mondegreens you'd like to share?

 

HatterMom's own personal mondegreen:

Sly & The Family Stone's "Dance to the Music" has a line "I'm gonna add some bottom so that the dancers just won't hide" that for years she interpreted as "I'm gonna add some bottom to help the dancer with just one eye."

Hmmmm.

 

Here's the ultimate Mondegreen site. Each tab is a column Jon Clayton wrote about the phenomena.

http://www.sfgate.com/columnists/carrol ... eens.shtml

I have several new favorites and, once again, am pleased that nobody in my company works within three or four states of me. Good thing laughing so hard you almost fall out of your chair is good cardio. Enjoy