Misheard Song Lyrics -> Stories -> Grand Funk Railroad

The Story: I remember several years ago I wanted to by a ski boat and pay cash (hence no loan) and this song came on the radio. It (the misheard version) became my money saving motivation that played in my head whenver I checked my bank account or thought about eating out or otherwise wasting money. So, it worked. I got the boat, but after the fact I found out the song wasn't even saying 'closer to my boat,' which would've made sense with all the waves and seagulls in the background. Oh well. - Submitted by: Jon Wyncroft

The Story: When I was younger I thought he was saying "getting closer to my hole"...in the sense that he was playing golf and getting the ball closer to the hole. - Submitted by: Jeff

The Story: I was packing it up and moving out and found that my ex-husband had taken many of my things. For this to come on the radio was pretty hilarious, since I wanted him to return me, my s***. Basically, you can replace any 'ship' word with 's***' and it's pretty close and very funny. - Submitted by: Lisa L3 Lislangsta

The Story: Originally, I posting "It's Alright, It's OK" by Ashley Tisdale, "Goodbye to You" by Michelle Branch, "Ready or Not" by Bridgit Mendler, "Nothing's Gonna Change My Love for You" by George Benson, "I Believe in You" by Twisted Sister, and "Can't Smile Without You" by Barry Manilow to this site. However, because I was very much lucky, all these songs are giving to "I'm Your Captain (Closer to Home)" because "Green Grass & High Tides" fame the Outlaws and other progressive rock bands taking my time. For the lyrical content of "I'm Your Captain (Closer to Home)", first, how musician Mark Farner talking to his lover to tell him to his bone? Second, because I love all songs of all time, like each other songs, I'm growing up by adding the English second-person pronoun and ended with this like when we hear Mark Farner hold "you" while sing on this song itself. It compared to Freddy Curci when we hear Freddy sing on "When I'm with You". However, because "I'm Your Captain (Closer to Home)" was first released in 1970, "When I'm with You" not happens released until the 1980s. Also, Mark Farner did not reaching Freddy Curci. About this song: "I'm Your Captain (Closer to Home)" have many titles that included on many GFR albums, including "I'm Your Captain", "I'm Your Captain/Closer to Home", "Closer to Home/I'm Your Captain", "Closer to Home (I'm Your Captain)", and "Closer to Home". 10 minutes and 9 seconds in duration, it is the band's longest studio recording to date. One of the group's best-known songs, it is composed as two distinct but closely related movements. The song is composed in the compound binary form that was most popular, and used for several well-known songs, in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The first movement opens with an electric guitar riff from Farner, which aspiring young guitarists of the time learned to imitate. This soon changes into a strummed acoustic guitar paired with a distinctive lead bass line from Mel Schacher, set against a steady drumbeat from Don Brewer accompanied with occasional wah wah guitar flourishes. The chord changes go from D to G to G6/C. The story ostensibly deals with a ship's captain on a troubled voyage. The music has a bass break and then drops down to half time before resuming at its normal tempo. At the 4½-minute mark the song switches to the second movement, which begins with the sounds of waves and gulls. The captain's voice is tinged with a sense of hopeless longing, perhaps even indicating that it is his ghost now singing "I'm getting closer to my home". Again the bass line carries the music, with now a flute line accompanying it. Soon the strings from the orchestra, make their entrance, featuring violins, violas, cellos, and basses. The second movement starts at a fairly slow tempo, before speeding up somewhat into its repeats. The significant chord progression in this part is from C to B♭add9. The movement's single lyric repeats over and over, in the style of Van Morrison. Around the 7-minute mark a full orchestra appears to accompany the band to the gradually fading conclusion. Unusually for him, Farner wrote the lyric of the song first, with the words coming to him in the middle of the night after saying prayers for inspiration to write something meaningful. The chord changes to "I'm Your Captain" came to him the following morning between sips of coffee, and the following day he took it to the band. They immediately liked it and began jamming on it and working out their parts at a local union hall in their hometown of Flint, Michigan where they usually did their rehearsals. But after a while they had no ending for the second movement. Inspired by groups like The Moody Blues, they came upon the idea of using an orchestra, and hired Tommy Baker, an arranger and trumpet player who was working on the Cleveland television series, "Upbeat". He suggested they extend the ending so that his orchestral score would have space to develop in, so the band extended the jam on it. Producer Terry Knight brought in the Cleveland Orchestra to record it. The band members never heard the full version until Knight played it for them back in Flint. Farner nearly cried when he heard it. Released as track #8 on their third studio album "Closer to Home" on 15 June 1970 and later released as a single with the title "Closer to Home", it would be the album's major hit with reaching #22 on Billboard's Pop Chart and #21 on Canada chart. While this song get some pop airplays, it faring better when it achieved greater airplay on the progressive rock radio stations and has become a classic rock staple for them and has appeared on several audience-selected lists as one of the best rock songs of all time. - Submitted by: Wisnu Aji

The Story: I barely remember this version. When I was in college Kylie Minogue scored a big hit with her version and her Aussie accent actually makes the words easier to discern. She'd be more fun to do the Loco-Motion with. She's a lot cuter ; ) Still, Grand Funk Railroad's version is great too! - Submitted by: Kylie --> Kute + Kuddly

The Story: I work as a D.J. and my boss who has been a D.J. for more than 20 years was singing while we were playing this song, and this is what he was singing (he really thought it was the lyric) - Submitted by: Lisa

The Story: Driving with my daughter and singing along with the song when she stopped me and asked "what are you say"? I told her my version and she corrected me. I then asked with a little defensive rage " who the F#*k wants a witness". Family joke ever since - Submitted by: Don Stansbury

The Story: This is what my mother always heard the lyrics as. - Submitted by: CJ

The Story: I am a drunk and started singing the lyrics to this song at a bar and made a fool of myself. - Submitted by: Terri Allen

The Story: My husband and I opened the front door to go out last evening. The sound of the cicadas was deafening. Once inside the car I started singing 'All them cicadas in Omaha.' He started laughing and asked 'Is that what you think the words are?!' 'No, I don't think so, I know so,' I replied. Both hubby and I were teenagers when this song came out and here I have been singing it wrong all this time! Well, you learn something new every day. - Submitted by: Val

The Story: I was totally confused by this lyric for years because Focus was a one-hit wonder whose only top 10 hit was 'Hocus Pocus', which was pretty much an instrumental. The only part of the song that had any resemblance to singing was the piss poor yodeling attempt throughout the song. - Submitted by: Bob Malone

The Story: During this time frame, people were actually drying banana skins and smoking them to get high. No, really! Hence, 'Smokin' Chiquitas'. - Submitted by: OldRocker

The Story: A male friend of mine back then thought they were using his nickname, 'Boots' (which he earned because that's what he always wore). He got really stoked on that part. It was years before I realized that's not what they were saying--wonder if my friend ever figured it out? (Hey, what a bummer, dude!) - Submitted by: Kathy W.

The Story: Our drummer sang these misheard lyrics for months at live shows until I finally had to ask him what in God's name he was saying there and find the correct lyrics for him. - Submitted by: Sheldon Jeddore

The Story: I thought this was the lyric until I was in my 40's until my husband set me straight. - Submitted by: Suzanne

The Story: do NOT, I repeat do NOT search on Google for my misheard lyrics (which I swear they were singing since age 14)...it's apparently some sort of p*doph*le code; the images that come up in the search could have the FBI breaking down your door! makes you wonder about GFR, because I still swear that what I "misheard" is what they really sang... - Submitted by: Frank

The Story: Kept thinking it was American men! - Submitted by: Cody Finke