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Misheard Song Lyrics -> Stories -> Kenny Rogers

Misheard lyrics (also called mondegreens) occur when people misunderstand the lyrics in a song. These are NOT intentional rephrasing of lyrics, which is called parody. For more information about the misheard lyrics available on this site, please read our FAQ.

This page contains a list of the songs that have stories about their misheard lyrics submitted.

Song names are sorted by first letter, excluding A and The. This is sorted by song title only, not by song title and performer. So if two different performers preformed the same song, you'll see misheard lyrics for both on the same page (provided the song title was spelt the same both times, and misheard lyrics have been submitted for both!).


20 Greatest Hits album at Amazon.com
Kenny Rogers', "Fine Time to Leave Me Lucille"
The Misheard Lyrics:
400 children and a crop in the field
The Real Lyrics:
4 hungry children and a crop in the field
The Story: I am 44 and just discovered the correct lyrics! It’s comforting to know I’m not alone in my discovery. - Submitted by: Sammi Beauregard
Kenny Rogers', "I Don't Need You"
The Misheard Lyrics:
We don't need each other baby, or Dewey.
The Real Lyrics:
We don't need each other baby - or do we?
The Story: Perhaps I've been watching too much 'Malcolm In The Middle'? - Submitted by: Chris
Kenny Rogers', "Lady"
The Misheard Lyrics:
I'm your night in shining arbor
The Real Lyrics:
I'm your knight in shining armor
The Story: Confusion between the homophone: "knight" and "night". - Submitted by: Cody Finke
Kenny Rogers', "Lucille"
The Misheard Lyrics:
'you picked a fine time to leave me lucille, with four hundred children and a crop in the field.'
The Real Lyrics:
'you picked a fine time to leave me lucille, with four hungry children and a crop in the field.'
The Story: The song came out in the eighties, but I didn't miss hear it until early 2000's. My sister and I were sitting in the living room and listening to her new Kenny Rogers box set and that song came on. When the line came up that I thought was saying 'four hundred children', I asked my sister if that is what he was singing. She was laughing so hard all she could do was shake her head (meaning 'No.') at me. - Submitted by: Esther
Kenny Rogers', "Lucille"
The Misheard Lyrics:
400 children and a cop in the field
The Real Lyrics:
4 hungry children and a crop in the field
The Story: My niece had asked her mother, 'How can she do that to him?'. Her mom replied, 'What did she do to him?' She said, 'Leave him with 400 children and a cop in the field.' - Submitted by: Peggy Hopkins
Kenny Rogers', "Lucille"
The Misheard Lyrics:
400 hundred children and a dog who can't squeal.
The Real Lyrics:
4 hungry children and a crop in the field.
The Story: My dad and mom used to play Kenny Rogers Greatest Hits on road trips. When I was 23, I sang those lyrics loud and proud. That is until my boyfriend asked me to repeat what I had just sung. When I told him my interpretation of the lyrics, he just about died laughing. He told me the proper lyrics, but I wouldn't believe him. It was only after I had gone on the internet and did a search for the lyrics that admitted defeat. I like my lyrics better, plus I've been singing them for the past 22 years, so it's hard to break the habit. - Submitted by: Stephanie
Kenny Rogers', "Lucille"
The Misheard Lyrics:
Four hundred children and a crock full of beer
The Real Lyrics:
Four hungry children and a crop in the field
The Story: When the song came out, our sister Patty was 6 or 7. She loved the song and sang it everywhere she went, even at church. Eventually our Mom decided to tell her the actual lyrics. And Patty was very relieved to find out he did not have 400 children! - Submitted by: Pattys Sisters
Kenny Rogers', "Lucille"
The Misheard Lyrics:
Four hundred children and a crop full of steel.
The Real Lyrics:
Four hungry children and a crop in the field
The Story: I was pretty young when I first heard this song and I was always puzzled by 'a crop full of steel'. Was there a field littered with steel? Was the ground so hard that the plow blades kept breaking off? - Submitted by: Maura NiConnell
Kenny Rogers', "Lucille"
The Misheard Lyrics:
With 400 children and a crop in the field
The Real Lyrics:
With four hungry children and a crop in the field
The Story: I was a kid and I thought "400 children....no wonder she left.." - Submitted by: Diana Roys
Kenny Rogers', "Lucille"
The Misheard Lyrics:
With four hundred children and crap in the field.
The Real Lyrics:
With four hungry children and a crop in the field.
The Story: After misunderstanding these lyric, my kids commented, 'No wonder Lucille left.' - Submitted by: val holladay
Kenny Rogers', "Lucille"
The Misheard Lyrics:
You picked a fine time to leave me, Lucille
With four hundred children and a crop in the field.
The Real Lyrics:
You picked a fine time to leave me, Lucille
With four hungry children and a crop in the field.
The Story: Listening to this song, I could not imagine how someone could have that many kids. But for years, I couldnt figure out the real words. My father who was a disc jockey heard me sing this and was hysterical. He finally gave me the right words; and the song finally made sense to me. [Ed.'s note: BTW, Donna, any relation? ;)] - Submitted by: donna pacholek
Kenny Rogers', "Lucille"
The Misheard Lyrics:
You picked a fine time to leave me Lou Seal
The Real Lyrics:
You picked a fine time to leave me Lucille
The Story: I never heard of the name Lucille before when I was younger, so I thought this song was about a seal. - Submitted by: Secret
Kenny Rogers', "Lucille"
The Misheard Lyrics:
You picked a fine time to leave me Lucille
With four hungry children and a crap in the field.
The Real Lyrics:
You picked a fine time to leave me Lucille
With four hungry children and a crop in the field.
The Story: My mother, of all people, pointed this out - as she genuinely hadn't realised what the singer had said (or sung, to be precise). When it was clarified, she said she 'didn't like pap music very much onywoy'. - Submitted by: Colin Ventress, Saudi Arabia
Kenny Rogers', "Lucille"
The Misheard Lyrics:
You picked a fine time to leave me Lucille
With 400 children and not a crop in the field
The Real Lyrics:
You've picked a fine time to leave me, Lucille
With four hungry children and a crop in the field.
The Story: I can remember my mom laughing so hard at me when I was a kid every time I sang along, after she explained it I liked my version better, and even now some 20 odd years later I still catch myself singing my version. - Submitted by: Tommy
Kenny Rogers', "Lucille"
The Misheard Lyrics:
You picked a fine time to leave me, Lucille
With 400 children and a crock in the field.
The Real Lyrics:
You picked a fine time to leave me, Lucille
With 4 hungry children and a crop in the field.
The Story: My aunt misheard the lyric as a kid. I was surprised to hear the story. I mean, nobody has 400 children. And a crock in the field? How is that possible? Was someone cooking with a Crock-Pot in the field? - Submitted by: Amanda
Kenny Rogers', "Lucille"
The Misheard Lyrics:
You picked a fine time to leave me, loose wheel.
The Real Lyrics:
You picked a fine time to leave me, Lucille.
The Story: For two years, I thought that he was singing about a broken-down cart. - Submitted by: Absolicious
Kenny Rogers', "Lucille"
The Misheard Lyrics:
You've picked a fine time to leave me Lucille,
With four hundred children and a crop in the field.
The Real Lyrics:
You've picked a fine time to leave me Lucille,
With four hungry children and a crop in the field.
The Story: This song seemed to always be on the radio when I was a child. I was singing along to it, when my dad said 'What did you just sing?' I repeated it and he asked me what I thought the song was about, if he had four hundred children? So I said I thought it was about a woman who worked in an orphanage. - Submitted by: Faith Couzens
Kenny Rogers', "Ruben James"
The Misheard Lyrics:
Moving train
The Real Lyrics:
Ruben James
The Story: I was about 5 years old and couldn't understand any of the lyrics. Except when he said Ruben James, I thought he said, "Moving train"; and I though the song was about the Old West and train robbers. I remember I'd have a hat on and cowboy boots that came all the way up my thighs and shorts and singing, "Moving train!" at the top of my lungs whenever my father played this song. I don't know how he kept a straight face. - Submitted by: Erin B
Kenny Rogers', "Ruby (Don't Take Your Love To Town)"
The Misheard Lyrics:
The warts on the knees of a woman your age
The Real Lyrics:
The wants and needs of a woman your age
The Story: My son Peter was a kid of about 9 years old when he wrote out the words to this song and showed it to me. I thought it was hilarious. - Submitted by: Clive
Kenny Rogers', "The Gambler"
The Misheard Lyrics:
'Cause you've got no wind to hold her
No wind to fold her
No wind to walk away
And no wind to run
The Real Lyrics:
'Cause you've got to know when to hold 'em
Know when to fold 'em
Know when to walk away
And know when to run
The Story: I used to think "You've got no wind to" do this and that meant "You have no right to do this and that" - Submitted by: Isac
Kenny Rogers', "The Gambler"
The Misheard Lyrics:
the gambler, Hebrew Cleveland
The Real Lyrics:
the gambler, he broke even
The Story: Every time I heard this song growing up I thought it was about a gambler named Hebrew Cleveland! - Submitted by: Jimmy
Indexes: [#] [A] [B] [C] [D] [E] [F] [G] [H] [I] [J] [K] [L] [M] [N] [O] [P] [Q] [R] [S] [T] [U] [V] [W] [Y] [Z]

New entries in this section are currently reviewed by Brian Kelly. Previous editors (if any) are listed on the editors page.

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