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!).
Now the hole damn bus is cheap
And I can't believe I see
A hundred yellow ribbons 'round the ole oak tree.
Now the whole damn bus is cheerin'
And I can't believe I see
A hundred yellow ribbons 'round the ole oak tree.
The Story: I remember fondly when this song was originally released and was a #1 hit, it was one of the few songs on Top 40 radio that my mother and my brothers and sisters and me would listen to. But the lyrics are sometimes not sung very clearly by Tony Orlando, including the last couple of lines. It always was confusing to me why there would be hole on the bus and now that made it cheap. I thought maybe Orlando had ridden the bus so long, because he was waiting for his loved one to tie the yellow ribbon around the oak tree, something had happen in the seat he was in to create a hole (I don't want to know) and to have the bus driver make it a cheap fare for him. -:) It was only a few years after the song was out and a hit (back in 1973 - it must have been about 1976 or so) that I saw the lyrics published somewhere and realized that about half of my family was singing the lyrics wrong! - Submitted by: Peter
If I don't see a ribbon 'round the old oak tree
Put the blame on the bus
Forget about us
Don't blame me!
If I don't see a ribbon 'round the old oak tree
I'll stay on the bus
Forget about us
Put the blame on me.
The Story: This was my little brother's interpretation of that lyric in 1973, when he was 3 and this song was a hit. - Submitted by: Dawn
Say has anybody seen my sweet Juicy Roll.
Say has anybody seen me sweet Gypsy Rose.
The Story: That's what I heard in my parents' car and on the kitchen radio. I figured it was "juicy roll" as in "cinnamon roll". When I saw an animated cartoon "video" to this song on the Sonny and Cher variety show and it showed a poster stating the showgirl's stage name then I understood it all and knew that I was wrong. - Submitted by: Kidd Sixx
Say has anybody seen my sweet Tootsie-roll.
Say has anybody seen me sweet Gypsy Rose.
The Story: As a little kid, I remember watching the Tony Orlando and Dawn show with my family and they would often perform this song. And I thought the song was about a Tootsie Roll. - Submitted by: Jay D
Say has anybody seen my sweet juicy roll.
Say has anybody seen my sweet Gypsy Rose.
The Story: I first heard this as a kid in the back of my mom's car. It sounded like "juicy roll" as in "cinammon roll" which we had for dessert recently. When I saw an animated "music video" cartoon featuring this song on the Sonny and Cher variety show then I understood it all. I realized that this "Sweet Gypsy Rose" was a showgirl but I was too young to recognize anything beyond that at the time. - Submitted by: Joo-cee
New entries in this section are currently reviewed by Brian Kelly. Previous editors (if any) are listed on the editors page.
