To celebrate me learning a new word today - thanks to our friend Rupert @Rups, here is a new thread to get you searching your memory banks for your favourite mondegreen.
First for anyone (like me) who does not know what a mondegreen is, a definition:
- A mondegreen is a misheard word or phrase, particularly song lyrics or spoken phrases, where the listener incorrectly interprets the words to sound like something entirely different. The brain often fills in gaps in sound using more familiar terms, resulting in amusing or bizarre new phrases
Next, a bit of history. The origins of the word:
The word was coined by American writer Sylvia Wright in a 1954 Harper’s Magazine essay. As a child, she listened to a Scottish ballad and misheard the ending of a tragic stanza:
- Actual lyric: “…and laid him on the green”
- What she heard: “…and Lady Mondegreen”
Now, hear it for yourself here …
The Corrie Folk Trio With Paddie Bell — The Earl O’ Moray
And now for my contribution.
Jimi Hendrix: The lyric “Excuse me while I kiss the sky” is frequently misheard as “Excuse me while I kiss this guy”.
