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Misheard Song Lyrics -> Stories -> Peter Gabriel
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!).
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Peter Gabriel's, "Big Time"
The Misheard Lyrics:
Brick house
The Real Lyrics:
Big time
The Story: Could have sworn the former lead singer of Genesis referenced the Commodores! - Submitted by: Cody Finke
Peter Gabriel's, "Big Time"
The Misheard Lyrics:
My penis is getting bigger! Big time!
The Real Lyrics:
My belly is getting bigger! Big time!
The Story: I always applauded to PG for that brave and funny sentence :) Obviously I was a bit disappointed when I checked the lyrics one day :D Fantastic song anyway! - Submitted by: MeneTekel
Peter Gabriel's, "Big Time"
The Misheard Lyrics:
So much lager in Lite
The Real Lyrics:
So much larger than life
The Story: Having to do with Miller Lite. - Submitted by: Cody Finke
Peter Gabriel's, "Biko"
The Misheard Lyrics:
Hear them Nigel
The Real Lyrics:
Yihla moja
The Story: I had no idea it was "Yihla moja" until about three seconds ago when I read this. - Submitted by: anonymous
Peter Gabriel's, "Biko"
The Misheard Lyrics:
Oh, beagle, beagle
The Real Lyrics:
Oh, Biko, Biko
The Story: This is what it sounds like when you don't remember Steve Biko and are a big fan of Peanuts (including Snoopy). - Submitted by: Cody Finke
Peter Gabriel's, "Come Talk to Me"
The Misheard Lyrics:
If you know me, come and talk to me.
The Real Lyrics:
If you'd only talk to me.
The Story: These lyrics aren't only misheard, but confused as well. Sometimes I wasn't sure when the lyrics were "come talk to me" or just "talk to me," because "talk to me" got sang frequently. - Submitted by: Carly B. Steffen
Peter Gabriel's, "Games Without Frontiers"
The Misheard Lyrics:
Gays without frontiers
The Real Lyrics:
Games without frontiers
The Story: It kind of didn't make too much sense every time I listened to this song... I always thought it was my English (since it isn't my first language) but now I see I'm not the only one having problems understanding the lyrics. Lol - Submitted by: Yanila
Peter Gabriel's, "Games Without Frontiers"
The Misheard Lyrics:
Sh*t, so f**king gay
The Real Lyrics:
Jeux sans frontiers
The Story: So I listened to the radio on my phone and suddenly heard this. - Submitted by: Gacha Cara
Peter Gabriel's, "Games Without Frontiers"
The Misheard Lyrics:
She says "F*** you all."
or
She's so punctual.
or
She's so punctual.
The Real Lyrics:
Jeux sans frontiers.
The Story: I love the song so much, and I've been trying for decades to come to terms with him saying either one. The first is too crude for Peter, and the second doesn't really make sense for the song.
Hooray for Google for finally bringing me to this site so I can put this to rest.
Thank you. - Submitted by: Chris G.
Hooray for Google for finally bringing me to this site so I can put this to rest.
Thank you. - Submitted by: Chris G.
Peter Gabriel's, "Games Without Frontiers"
The Misheard Lyrics:
She's so f**king gay
The Real Lyrics:
Jeux sans frontieres
The Story: The first time I heard this on the radio, I was shocked. I work in the radio business myself and I know that you can't say stuff like that on air. So, I later went back and relistened to it. After that, I looked up the lyrics. Then, I found out that I had misheard it. It doesn't help that Peter Gabriel's voice is high pitched at this part and that I don't know French. - Submitted by: Tony
Peter Gabriel's, "Games Without Frontiers"
The Misheard Lyrics:
She's so funky, yeah.
The Real Lyrics:
Jeux sans frontiers.
The Story: I genuinely thought that's what the lyrics were despite being fluent in French. They do fit the song. It wasn't until several years later that I discovered I was wrong when I saw the lyrics written down somewhere, but I can still only hear "She's so funky, yeah" even now. - Submitted by: Andrew Brown
Peter Gabriel's, "Games Without Frontiers"
The Misheard Lyrics:
She's so funky, yea
The Real Lyrics:
Jeux sans frontieres
The Story: Many DJ's used the phrase over the air as the song title in the day (at least in Milwaukee). - Submitted by: Jim Morris
Peter Gabriel's, "Games Without Frontiers"
The Misheard Lyrics:
She's so hot for you.
The Real Lyrics:
Jeux sans frontieres
The Story: On a road trip with a friend, we pop in this CD. I'm fluently bilingual, whereas my friend's French is a little rusty. The song was about kids playing together. So when she sings out, 'She's so hot for you', when it's as clear as day that he sings 'jeux sans frontieres'. I started laughing. One of those 'had to be there' moments. - Submitted by: JM Drapeau
Peter Gabriel's, "Games Without Frontiers"
The Misheard Lyrics:
She's so hot, Pierre.
The Real Lyrics:
Jeux sans frontičres.
The Story: It was only recently that this finally registered with me - despite the lyric being the French translation of the song title and knowing the 80s version of 'It's a knockout!' was called Jeux sans frontičre! - Submitted by: Gavin
Peter Gabriel's, "Games Without Frontiers"
The Misheard Lyrics:
Shee! So funky, yeah!
The Real Lyrics:
Jeux sans frontieres
The Story: Remember those Hannah-Barbara cartoons where the animated characters would say 'Shee!' as an expletive substitution or an interjection? I was 14 when this song came out so do the math. - Submitted by: Sixth Sick Sikh Sheik
Peter Gabriel's, "Games Without Frontiers"
The Misheard Lyrics:
You're so f***in' a'.
The Real Lyrics:
Jeux sans frontiers.
The Story: I did not really mishear these lyrics. I was astonished to hear someone quote 'Jeux sans frontiers' as 'your so f**kin' a'. Granted, I did not understand the line until I one day I saw it in print and realized I did not understand it because it was French. - Submitted by: Terry
Peter Gabriel's, "Games without Frontiers"
The Misheard Lyrics:
She smokes opium
or
She sells opium
or
She's so popular
or
She sells opium
or
She's so popular
The Real Lyrics:
Jeux sans frontières
The Story: My friend and I had a dabble about these lyrics. He used to do drugs, and he was like, "It sounds like he's saying 'She smokes opium,' or 'She sells opium,'" and then I said, "No, it's 'She's so popular'!" Turns out we were both wrong! - Submitted by: Thaddeus Gammelthorpe
Peter Gabriel's, "In Your Eyes"
The Misheard Lyrics:
A driver in my car
The Real Lyrics:
I drive off in my car
The Story: I could have sworn it had to do with a carpool! - Submitted by: Cody Finke
Peter Gabriel's, "In Your Eyes"
The Misheard Lyrics:
I commit to the paisley wall.
The Real Lyrics:
I come back to the place you are.
The Story: I sang this aloud on a cruise, never even thinking twice about it. It's on the ship video that they sell to everyone. - Submitted by: Shari
Peter Gabriel's, "Red Rain"
The Misheard Lyrics:
Well, I see Mary buried in a sheltered place in this town.
The Real Lyrics:
Well, I see them buried in a sheltered place in this town.
The Story: I thought it was a religious reference, meaning the Virgin Mary. I didn't know what it meant, but I like it better than the actual lyrics. - Submitted by: Reynard Muldrake
Peter Gabriel's, "Shaking The Tree"
The Misheard Lyrics:
Wasting your time, dreaming of a better life
The Real Lyrics:
Waiting your time, dreaming of a better life
The Story: Way more cynical than you’d expect from Peter Gabriel… - Submitted by: Hu’s On First
Peter Gabriel's, "Sledgehammer"
The Misheard Lyrics:
Bay slammer
The Real Lyrics:
Sledgehammer
The Story: There was a girl at a party once, dancing to this song, and when the chorus came, she started yelling 'Bay slammer' as loud as she possibly could, of course leaving the rest of us lying on the floor, laughing. - Submitted by: Aleksander Haugen
Peter Gabriel's, "Sledgehammer"
The Misheard Lyrics:
I wanna be your snake charmer.
The Real Lyrics:
I wanna be your sledgehammer.
The Story: I was sure this song was about a snake due to the 'shed my skin' lyrics in another part of the song. - Submitted by: Matt Bateman
Peter Gabriel's, "Sledgehammer"
The Misheard Lyrics:
I've been feeding the rhythm
The Real Lyrics:
I'll be the beat and the rhythm
The Story: Since there is no official source for the lyrics that I can locate, we're on our own to know what Pete's singing. This is what I hear him singing, and to me it makes more sense than "I've been feeding the rhythm". :) - Submitted by: Gabe Johnston
Peter Gabriel's, "Sledgehammer"
The Misheard Lyrics:
I've been peeing in the river.
The Real Lyrics:
I've been feeling the rhythm.
The Story: I heard my brother singing this when I was 13 and he was 11. I sung it with him until I read the lyrics on the sleeve. Then I laughed at him, pretending I knew the truth all along. - Submitted by: Matt
Peter Gabriel's, "Sledgehammer"
The Misheard Lyrics:
If you bring your police car back
The Real Lyrics:
If you bring your blue sky back
The Story: Until I found out the real lyric on a T.V. programme called Don't Forget the Lyrics earlier this year, I thought the lyric I misheard was the real one. - Submitted by: James D
Peter Gabriel's, "Sledgehammer"
The Misheard Lyrics:
Open up your fruitcase
The Real Lyrics:
Show me around your fruit cage
The Story: I told my wife the lyrics I thought I heard, and added: Pink nipples like sweet berries. Breasts like soft, ripe peaches. Cantaloupe halves for butt cheeks. A wet wedge of melon between your legs. Your belly is a watermelon field where I might plant a seed... Open up your fruitcase... - Submitted by: Gershom Lundberg
Peter Gabriel's, "Sledgehammer"
The Misheard Lyrics:
Spacejammer
The Real Lyrics:
Sledgehammer
The Story: My friend was singing this chorus over and over in a bar. He was an idiot, but I have been laughing about it ever since. - Submitted by: Leslie
Peter Gabriel's, "Sledgehammer"
The Misheard Lyrics:
There's a newsman in the rinse.
The Real Lyrics:
This amusement never ends.
The Story: My misheard lyric was strengthened by the fact that at the time he says this line, in the video water pours over his head ('in the rinse'). - Submitted by: Jeffrey
Peter Gabriel's, "Sledgehammer"
The Misheard Lyrics:
When you need some clam chowder, why don't you call my name.
The Real Lyrics:
I want to be your sledgehammer why don't you call my name
The Story: No soup for you! - Submitted by: Ceej
Peter Gabriel's, "Solsbury Hill"
The Misheard Lyrics:
Climb aboard on Salisbury Hill
The Real Lyrics:
Climb aboard on Solsbury Hill
The Story: Heard this in a Nespresso commercial. What else? - Submitted by: Cody Finke
Peter Gabriel's, "Solsbury Hill"
The Misheard Lyrics:
My friends would think I was a nun.
The Real Lyrics:
My friends would think I was a nut.
The Story: It was actually a priest who pointed out that I was singing the wrong words. - Submitted by: Jeroen
Peter Gabriel's, "Steam"
The Misheard Lyrics:
You know you're a classic when you crash
The Real Lyrics:
You know your plastic from your cash
The Story: Neither one made sense. - Submitted by: Cody Finke
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