[EllenM]

Misheard song lyrics​

Does anyone else have memories of misheard song lyrics? My favourite is from a little girl who loved ABBA

Dancing Queen
Young and Sweet
Only seven teeth

 

[PepeLePew]

Someone I knew was convinced the words to AC/DC's song was 'It's a Long Way to the Shop if you want a Sausage Roll'.

 

[EllenM]

The Ballad and the Mishearing

• The Ballad: The Scottish ballad "The Bonnie Earl o' Moray" describes the death of the Earl of Moray.
• The Correct Lyrics: The line in question is, "They have slain the Earl of Moray, / And laid him on the green".
• The Misheard Version: Sylvia Wright, as a child, misheard these words as, "They have slain the Earl of Moray, / And Lady Mondegreen".

The Origin of the Term "Mondegreen"

• Sylvia Wright's Coining: In 1954, Wright wrote about this childhood memory and coined the term "mondegreen" to describe this type of mishearing.
• The Term's Meaning: A mondegreen is now the general term for any misheard phrase or lyric, especially in songs.