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!).
12 X 12 album at Amazon.com
N***ers teeming in the chilly air...
Lincoln steaming in the chilly air...
The Story: I just heard this song for the first time on a Twitch DJ set. I was shocked, so I immediately Googled the lyrics and found this page. I was relieved to discover that it wasn't the n-word he was using. But I see that several other people heard the exact same thing. It REALLY does sound like he is saying n***er. Ugh! But seriously, what in the world were they thinking when they recorded this song? Why publish a song that even *remotely* sounds like you are using a racial slur? SMH... - Submitted by: Chris
Ni***rs stealing in the chilly air of the morning.
Lincoln steaming in the chilly air of the morning.
The Story: I was 14 (or so) when I first heard the song. "Lincoln steaming" fit no frame of reference that was available at the time. - Submitted by: Shandooga
Ni**ers teaming in the chilly air of the morning.
Lincoln steaming in the chilly air of the morning.
The Story: For a while I stopped listening to Thomas Dolby because I thought he was some kind of euro skinhead. - Submitted by: Zerosum
Radio silence (Rang-tang)
Radio silence (maintain)
The Story: During college I was mumbling these misheard lyrics in the kitchen when my roommate Andre overheard me. He asked me to repeat what I had just sung and immediately collapsed in laughter. That was over ten years ago and that f***er hasn't let me live it down yet. In my defense, I didn't have the album or the song sheet, just a crummy little Maxell 90 minute tape. - Submitted by: Bart
She blinded me with Pirates!!!!
She blinded me with science.
The Story: For years I thought that old man kept shouting "Pirates!!". - Submitted by: Gabe
She's tied me up, and I can't find anything
She's tidied up, and I can't find anything
The Story: I first heard this song in Dec. '99 on a New Wave c.d. that my dad had purchased for me as a Christmas gift. For the longest time, I assumed that there was really a reference to S&M in this song. Finally, I realized what the words REALLY were; it was funny to learn that I'd been creating a scenario that didn't exist within the realm of the song. Personally, I think that my misheard lyrics are at least slightly more exciting than the real ones. - Submitted by: Katie Okey
Silence!
Science!
The Story: Again a curse of lousy car radio speakers of the time! Dolby's song and lyrics were a jumble, what with the background music on top of the engine noise (cars weren't very quiet in '83!), except for a number of times when another voice would yell, "Silence!"--at least to my ears. So in honor of Cody Finke, this is one time when the reverse was true--Dolby's lyrics were "science", not "silence", and I never knew the difference until years later, researching the lyrics for one of my parodies! - Submitted by: Jonathan Spurlock
As free as in Kenosha
As deep as any ocean
The Story: As heard when I could not get the song out of my head. - Submitted by: Scott Wohlfarth
New entries in this section are currently reviewed by Brian Kelly. Previous editors (if any) are listed on the editors page.
