Misheard Song Lyrics -> Stories -> Radiohead
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!).
Ok Computer album at Amazon.com
Radiohead's, "Airbag"
The Misheard Lyrics:
My legs were warm
The Real Lyrics:
In the next world war
The Story: The song is about surviving an auto wreck. I originally thought the 'legs were warm' line was a brilliant bit of imagination on the part of Thom Yorke--it seems like a mundane thing you might realize with some surprise after a traumatic experience, i.e. 'I'm not dead--my legs are still warm.' Silly. - Submitted by: Rick Anderson
Radiohead's, "Anyone Can Play Guitar"
The Misheard Lyrics:
If the world does turn and if London brrr's
or
If the world does turn and if London turns
The Real Lyrics:
If the world does turn and if London burns
The Story: So my bother , his friends and I were driving home, and we have 'Pablo Honey' blasting out from the speakers. One of my brother's friends (who is a massive Radiohead fan) decides to kill the moment and sing (eyes rolling everywhere). I know he said something besides 'burn'. All I'm thinking is that after listening to this album for almost ten years, how the hell can he get this wrong? I was too tired to correct him. - Submitted by: spacegirl
Radiohead's, "Bones"
The Misheard Lyrics:
Well you've got to eat your vegetables
The Real Lyrics:
When you've got to feel it in your bones
The Story: On the Radiohead newsgroup, someone posted a set list from a concert. By the looks of it, the band opened with a song called 'Vegetables.' The truth is that whoever did the post just didn't know the song, and misheard the lyric. - Submitted by: Luke
Radiohead's, "Creep"
The Misheard Lyrics:
I don't curve enough
The Real Lyrics:
I don't care if it hurts
The Story: I thought this was the lyric for years, I thought it was a bit weird but two lines after, Thom sings 'I want a perfect body...' so I just took that as confirmation of the line! I assumed he was making a comment on the male/female divide, that if he was female for the day, he might begin to understand women, and how he could never be a woman ('I don't curve enough')!! - Submitted by: jo nicholls
Radiohead's, "Idioteque"
The Misheard Lyrics:
Lucy Parker
The Real Lyrics:
Who's in a bunker?
The Story: For the longest time, I seriously thought these were the lyrics. I kept wondering who Lucy Parker was and I came up with a number of theories. My most recent was that she was an ex-girlfriend of Thom's, and he added her name in the song to emphasize the apocalyptic feelings she gave him. - Submitted by: Carolyn
Radiohead's, "Karma Police"
The Misheard Lyrics:
Arrest this girl
Her hypno hairdo
Is makin' me feel ill.
Her hypno hairdo
Is makin' me feel ill.
The Real Lyrics:
Arrest this girl
Her Hitler hairdo
Is makin' me feel ill.
Her Hitler hairdo
Is makin' me feel ill.
The Story: In a drunken state I spent an hour arguing with two guys from my class in college insisting that it's 'hypno' - the following morning I woke up and read the lyrics sheet. 'Oops', I said. - Submitted by: Alan Broderick
Radiohead's, "Karma Police"
The Misheard Lyrics:
Karma Police, arrest this man
He talks in mouths
He buzzes like a fridge
He's like a dead geranium.
This is what you get when you mess with love.
He talks in mouths
He buzzes like a fridge
He's like a dead geranium.
This is what you get when you mess with love.
The Real Lyrics:
Karma Police, arrest this man
He talks in maths
He buzzes like a fridge
He's like a detuned radio.
This is what you get when you mess with us.
He talks in maths
He buzzes like a fridge
He's like a detuned radio.
This is what you get when you mess with us.
The Story: I am a cover artist, and I play in bars around town. I looked up the lyrics to this song to cover it tonight at a gig. Thank God I did. There are a lot of hardcore Radiohead fans in Peoria, IL. - Submitted by: Nan
Radiohead's, "Karma Police"
The Misheard Lyrics:
This is what you get when you mess with love
The Real Lyrics:
This is what you get when you mess with us
The Story: We were listening to this song in the car and someone asked if i had a clue what it was about. I made up a story that it's about the laws of Karma and what you eventually get if you are being unfaithful. I still think my version is pretty cool... - Submitted by: heartbeat
Radiohead's, "Let Down"
The Misheard Lyrics:
Take it off, Miranda
The Real Lyrics:
Taking off and landing
The Story: I was dating a Miranda at the time.. she is a huge radiohead fan, so i started listening to them to impress her. I put the cd in my car stereo, and started singing along to show off my newly found band, and I started talking about how it's weird that her name was in one of their songs. She, of course, had no idea what I was talking about, so when this part came up, I pointed to it and said.. 'right here.. they say 'take if off, Miranda..'' she just laughed at me. I felt like an idiot when she told me what they were really saying. - Submitted by: Travis
Radiohead's, "Molasses"
The Misheard Lyrics:
Shake Heads Genocide Molasses Jay Parked Caravans Molasses
I'm taboo, youre stale cum rent free earthquakes on molasses
I'm taboo, youre stale cum rent free earthquakes on molasses
The Real Lyrics:
Shake Hands Genocide Molasses Jet Powered Caravans Molasses
I'm too good, you're stuck on Rent free earthquake zone, molasses
I'm too good, you're stuck on Rent free earthquake zone, molasses
The Story: Me and my best friend always used to compete to get the words to Radiohead songs. In my haste to beat her, I came up with this. I sang it to her and unfortunately for me, she had the real words and I looked like a complete (perverted) idiot. Oh Well - Submitted by: Vivien
Radiohead's, "Morning Bell"
The Misheard Lyrics:
Kunte Kinte's back, Kunte Kinte's back
The Real Lyrics:
Cut the kids in half, cut the kids in half
The Story: Kunte Kinte is the main guy in the movie 'Roots' the guy Lavar Burton played.. When I first heard that..I really wondered why Thom was singing about Kunte... then I rewound the song.. and realized that I'm not to bright. - Submitted by: Space Wax
Radiohead's, "Optimistic"
The Misheard Lyrics:
If you try to masticate
If you try to masticate
If you try to masticate
The Real Lyrics:
You can try the best you can
You can try the best you can
You can try the best you can
The Story: I kept asking myself, 'Is this song about eating or something?' Then I read the lyrics... - Submitted by: SalsaShark!
Radiohead's, "Optimistic"
The Misheard Lyrics:
The best you can is getting it in the rough.
The Real Lyrics:
The best you can is good enough.
The Story: I thought it was weird, Radiohead singing about golf. - Submitted by: Sam
Radiohead's, "Packt Like Sardines In A Crushd Tin Box"
The Misheard Lyrics:
I'm a reasonable man
Get off my face.
Get off my face.
The Real Lyrics:
I'm a reasonable man
Get off my case.
Get off my case.
The Story: I was at a Radiohead concert with a co-worker in Aug; both of us are huge Radiohead fans. I'd had a couple drinks before the concert, which contributed to me being a little bit 'out of it' (what can I say; they make pretty strong vodka and cranberry at Madison Square Garden...) Anyway, I was singing pretty loudly to this song, not even noticing I was singing the wrong lyrics. I didn't even realize what I'd been singing till 3-4 hours later, when I was finally getting into my car to go home. I started listening to 'Amnesiac' and realized what a dork I was... ok, it was pretty minor, and the arena was noisy, but I still felt stupid! - Submitted by: Dippy Radiohead Fan
Radiohead's, "Paranoid Android"
The Misheard Lyrics:
Mission makes you look preety ugly
kinky sleezy squishy little piggy
kinky sleezy squishy little piggy
The Real Lyrics:
Ambition makes you look preety ugly
Kicking stealing Gucci little piggy
Kicking stealing Gucci little piggy
The Story: At the concert in Chicago, I barely figured out the correct 'piggy' line since a guy was wearing a shirt that displayed the correct lyrics. - Submitted by: Dana
Radiohead's, "Phillipa Chicken"
The Misheard Lyrics:
Sing a song for you
The Real Lyrics:
I won't fall for you
The Story: I've been looking for a Radiohead song including this sentence in its lyrics for years (and every time I tried, I only found the song "Sing a Song for You"), until I finally knew I misheard it... - Submitted by: schatz
Radiohead's, "Street Spirit"
The Misheard Lyrics:
Rows of thousands, all bearing down on me.
The Real Lyrics:
Rows of houses, all bearing down on me.
The Story: Caused a great argument on the Radiohead message board. - Submitted by: The Goose King
Radiohead's, "True Love Waits"
The Misheard Lyrics:
I'd drown my beliefs
To have your babies.
To have your babies.
The Real Lyrics:
I'd drown my beliefs
To have you be in peace.
To have you be in peace.
The Story: There's a HUGE debate about whether it's 'babies' or 'in peace'. I have three versions of the song: on one it's definitely 'babies', on one it's definitely 'in peace' and on one it's pretty much ambiguous. I prefer 'babies' though, even if it doesn't make much sense. - Submitted by: Kralia
There are more Radiohead misheard lyrics available.
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