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Every week, msnbc.com entertainment producers Gael Fashingbauer Cooper, Denise Hazlick, Paige Newman, Kurt Schlosser and Anna Chan weigh in on topics ranging from TV commercials to movie hype to the latest celebrity blunder. We're not ashamed to admit our love for bad TV or reveal what's on our iPods, and invite you to join the conversation via your comments.



Get dressed, ye merry gentlemen

Posted: Monday, December 22, 2008 6:00 AM by Gael Fashingbauer Cooper
Filed Under:

How about one last Christmas-themed post? I've written about TV specials, goofy links, and annoying holiday commercials. Now let's tackle holiday music. No, not reviews or favorites or anything like that -- let's talk misheard lyrics (also known as "mondegreens").

Snopes.com has a great entry about misheard holiday lyrics. "Round John Virgin" is perhaps the most famous one. I can totally imagine kids mishearing that, because "yon" is just not a word we hear much these days.

Some of the Snopes entries seem like they might be made up, but they're so much fun I'm willing to go with it. No one could really have thought "deck the halls with boughs of holly" was "deck the halls with Buddy Holly," but imagining it is pretty funny.

I also love "Joy to the world! The Lord has gum!", "Get dressed, ye merry gentlemen," and "Police got my dad" (for "Feliz Navidad").

Another great misheard-lyrics site, Kiss This Guy, has holiday mondegreens mixed in with its regular lyrics, too, but I like how Snopes pulls out the holiday ones all on one page.

Am I Right.com has a lot of misheard holiday lyrics, usually tagged under "Traditional." ("On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me / a poached egg in a pear tree!")

Ever misheard a holiday lyric? If this conversation meanders over into non-holiday misheard lyrics, I'll let that go, too.

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Comments

In Gloria Estefan's "Christmas Through your Eyes," it sounds like she's saying, "like a bearded child again" when she's saying, "like being a child again."  Pretty funny!

Christmas in Dallas (Sent Monday, December 22, 2008 11:59 AM)

My Husband sings "Fleas on my Dog... I'm going to buy him a new flea collar" (Feliz Navidad).  Of course he also sings "There's a Bathroom on the right" to CCRs Bad Moon Rising... My 4 year old says "Very Christmas" instead of "Merry Christmas" and last night was singing "Mary had a little Man"...  Of course Row Row Row your Boat goes "Like a spider dream" and then after we tried to correct "Life is but extreme"

Copper's Fox, Texas (Sent Monday, December 22, 2008 12:03 PM)

How about all the poems and stuff written by that famous and prolific writer Arthur Unknown?

Bob Queen, Winchester, KY (Sent Monday, December 22, 2008 12:05 PM)

The song from Boy George "Karma Chameleon" really threw my co-worker.  She thought it was "Become a comedian"!  I thought Paul Simon's "Slip Slidin' Away" was "There's a fly in my way".

Nancy, Gettysburg, PA (Sent Monday, December 22, 2008 12:06 PM)

I used to think that the rolling stone's "beast of burden" was "big suburban"!!!

Aimee (Sent Monday, December 22, 2008 12:11 PM)

My father had a friend nicknamed "Chappy", so my brother thought "As each happy Christmas" was "Happy Chappy's Christmas."

Barb, Fort Collins CO (Sent Monday, December 22, 2008 12:12 PM)

Not Christmas related, buy my son thought it was "secret asian man", not "secret agent man".  It still cracks us up.

Melissa, Minnesota (Sent Monday, December 22, 2008 12:20 PM)

My 3-year-old daughter used to sing: "On the 8th day of Christmas my true love said to me,
"IIIII hope
IIIII don't
get into trouble!
I hope bells ring!
Four collie birds
Shriek French sheep
Two turtle ducks
And a partray in a pear tree!"

And

Our God narrow angels sing
Glory to the new more king
Peace on earth, and thirteen miles
Come and see the virgin child

And "This, this is Christ the King, whom shepherds, God, and angels sing."

Inexplicably, she insisted that the three wise men were named Marchant, Borfooze, and Cheepy.  LOL!

mrsthing, new haven, ct (Sent Monday, December 22, 2008 12:21 PM)

Whenever my husband lets the dog out to go to the bathroom, he sings "Yellow snow, yellow snow, yellow snow...." (to the tune of "Let it Snow")

Buffalo, New York (Sent Monday, December 22, 2008 12:22 PM)

I had always heard- From Rocking around the Christmast tree: "Later we'll have some f-ing pie and do some caroling"
Realized later it was "pumkin pie" -- OOPS!

St. Louis, Missouri (Sent Monday, December 22, 2008 12:24 PM)

When I was younger, I used to the Deck the Hall with Boughs of Holly, was Deck the Halls with Bowels of Holly, I found the song very disturbing...lol I asked my father what a bowel of Holly was and he explained it to me, but til this day, not really one of my favorite tunes...

jerseygirl (Sent Monday, December 22, 2008 12:27 PM)

Not a Christmas song, but when my daughter was four years old, she would walk around the house singing along with Barry Manilow's "Copacabana", only it came out "Coco, coco-banana".  She's 36 now, and it still makes me chuckle when I think of it, and still makes her roll her eyes when I remind her of it.

Linda P. (Sent Monday, December 22, 2008 12:28 PM)

I used to think the song "Hot Blooded" (was it by Foreigner?) said, "Come on Baby, Do You Do Modern Dance?" (instead of "Do You Do More Than Dance?").  Also, instead of "There's a Bad Moon on the Rise" I thought it was "There's a Bathroom on the Right."

Beth, Danville, CA (Sent Monday, December 22, 2008 12:30 PM)

I had a girlfriend who thought the words "I want to be your beast of burden" was "I want to see your pizza burning".  That still makes me laugh 30 years later.

Lori, Groveport, OH (Sent Monday, December 22, 2008 12:30 PM)

Not Christmas related, but I always sang "Bald Headed Woman" for the Bee Gees "More Than a Woman" and I could  have sworn Eric Carmen was singing "I'll Bite Myself, Don't Wanna Bleed."

Peter Fields, Pasadena, CA (Sent Monday, December 22, 2008 12:36 PM)

When I was a little girl, my mom was playing Christmas in Killarney on the piano and we were singing along and when the line "It's nice you know to kiss your bo" I said "It's nice you know to kiss your toe" by mistake and for some reason we thought it was the FUNNIEST thing in the world, laughed so hard we were crying!  

Jennifer, Chesterfield VA (Sent Monday, December 22, 2008 12:37 PM)

I thought that new song "Chasing Pavement" was "Chasing Penguins."  I couldn't figure out why she wanted to chase penguins around. :)

Anonymous (Sent Monday, December 22, 2008 12:53 PM)

I had a girlfriend in 5th grade that thought Elton John's "Benny and the Jets" lyric was "banging on the desk". I think of that everytime I hear that song...

Barb Giannelli, Columbia, SC (Sent Monday, December 22, 2008 1:00 PM)

I still remember a mental image that I always got, when reciting the Lord's Prayer as a pre-Kindergartener (and maybe post-Kindergarten as well), of lightning bolts and electricity when I got to "for thine is the power ..." I'm pretty sure I had not yet been exposed to the myths of Thor or Zeus; it was just what "power" meant to me at the time.

Hex, Reno, NV (Sent Monday, December 22, 2008 1:02 PM)

I was singing Christmas Carols in a quartet, getting paid no less.  We were sing "Frosty the Snowman", and
on part after "For when they placed it on his head, he began to dance around", Oh... Rudolph the red nosed reindeer,
That was 30 years ago, and I still can't live it down.  

J H, Youngstown Ohio (Sent Monday, December 22, 2008 1:02 PM)

Not really misheard... but I'm 33 years old and this year is the first time I've heard this one:  "Dashing through the snow... on a pair of broken skis... o'er the fields we go... crashing through the trees, OW OW OW!"

:)

Susan, Wylie, TX (Sent Monday, December 22, 2008 1:03 PM)

In "You're So Vain," my little sister used to sing "Wife of a clothespin..."

Brian, Philadelphia, PA (Sent Monday, December 22, 2008 1:04 PM)

My son was singing "police stole my car" instead of "Feliz Navidad"

Elaine C . Brewster WA (Sent Monday, December 22, 2008 1:05 PM)

My sister used to sing "Good King Wenses lost his crown" for the first line of "Good King Wenceslas." I still picture Sr. Wences with a tiny, foil-covered crown on.

Amy; Carrollton, TX (Sent Monday, December 22, 2008 1:10 PM)

I used to sing "Deck the Halls with wads of money" until I found out it was not like that.

Roland, Albquerque, NM (Sent Monday, December 22, 2008 1:10 PM)

"Later on, we'll perspire, while we sit by the fire..."

Jami, Philadelphia, PA (Sent Monday, December 22, 2008 1:17 PM)

Also not Christmas, but I always used to hear "All the boys think she's a spazz/She's got Bette Davis eyes".  I also heard "She knows just what it takes to make a crow blush".  

Anonymous, Portland (Sent Monday, December 22, 2008 1:18 PM)

In a similar vein, I've found that many non-Canadians sing "O Canada" to the tune of "O Tannenbaum."

Lana, Abita Springs, LA (Sent Monday, December 22, 2008 1:27 PM)

Also not Christmas music, but mine was .."let Milo open the door" instead of "...let my love open the door".  Pete Townshend was simply singing about some guy named Milo.  And it made MUCH more sense that a person was opening the door.  My family rolled with laughter as they tried to tell me the right lyrics.  I'm 40 now...and they STILL have a laugh about Milo opening the door to your heart.  <sigh>

Andrea, Lubbock, Texas (Sent Monday, December 22, 2008 1:32 PM)

In another non-Christmas related one, my sister's middle school teacher learned a new word when reviewing the U.S. national anthem with his class: "donzerly" light.

Anonymous (Sent Monday, December 22, 2008 1:38 PM)

When I was a child, I thought that the last line of "Rudolph, the Red Nosed Reindeer" was not "You'll go down in history," but "You'll go down and hear a story."  I guess I thought Rudolph liked books.

Noel, East Alton, IL (Sent Monday, December 22, 2008 1:40 PM)

Otis Redding - White Christmas

"Mayonnaise, mayonnaise be merry and white"
"May your days, May your days be merry and white"

Anonymous, New York (Sent Monday, December 22, 2008 1:43 PM)

In Meli Kimikimaka by Bing Crosby --- instead of hearing "Meli Kimikimaka is Hawaii's way to say Merry Christmas to you" I heard "Meli Kimikimaka is the wise way..."

Tracie, Jackson, TN (Sent Monday, December 22, 2008 1:47 PM)

A friend's 4 year old son, instead of saying "Feliz Navidad", says "Puh-leez mommy not"...

AS, DC (Sent Monday, December 22, 2008 1:51 PM)

Thanks for the laughs.  Some of those were hilarious.
When my mother was a little there was a saying some of the older people would say..... "Land of Goshen".  She always thought they were saying "Atlantic Ocean".

Bonnie Alabama (Sent Monday, December 22, 2008 1:57 PM)

My 3 year old son has just learned "Jingle Bells" only instead he sings "Chicken Bells, Chicken Bells." It cracks me up every time.  

Wendi, Sherwood, AR (Sent Monday, December 22, 2008 1:59 PM)

One horse open sleigh, for whatever unknown reason was always "one horse soap and sleigh" for me.  Kids? Logic?

P.T., Princeton, New JErsey (Sent Monday, December 22, 2008 2:02 PM)

This is from the '50's Superman TV show.  I thought "able to leap tall buildings in a single bound" was "aching police hall buildings and a singing hound".

David Barnett (Sent Monday, December 22, 2008 2:06 PM)

A friend of ours thought "rockin' the casbah" was "pickin' the cat's butt", which I now hear instead of the real lyrics.

And we sing "fleas never die" instead of feliz navidad.

Also, my brother had a friend names Chris Massouh (sorry if you're reading this, Chris!), but I always thought they were talking about inviting over Christmas Sue - she seemed like a fun gal to have around, I guess.

Gretchen (Sent Monday, December 22, 2008 2:19 PM)

My little brother used to say the prayer before dinner wrong.  Instead of "Bless us, oh Lord, and these thy gifts" he would say "Bless us, oh Lord, and please digest"

My sister thought "fire all of your guns at once" on Born to be Wild was "buy all of your guns at half price"

My best friend thought the lyrics to "the stroke" where "Something, Something" instead of "Stroke me, Stroke me".

K, Cleveland, TN (Sent Monday, December 22, 2008 2:20 PM)

Not mis-heard, but wonderful nevertheless - Walt Kelly's (Pogo) famous Christmas song:

Deck us all with Boston Charlie,
Walla Walla, Wash., an' Kalamazoo!
Nora's freezin' on the trolley,
swaller dollar cauliflower alleygaroo!
Don't we know archaic barrel,
Lullaby Lilla Boy, Louisville Lou.
Trolley Molly don't love Harold,
boola boola Pensacoola hullabalou!

Conrad, Williamsport, PA (Sent Monday, December 22, 2008 2:21 PM)

Deck the halls with cows & collies, fa la la la la, la la la la.

Tom (Sent Monday, December 22, 2008 2:25 PM)

Lord's Prayer:  "Lead A Snot Into Temptation"

SV, Belleville MI (Sent Monday, December 22, 2008 2:26 PM)

Don't forget poor old Chet...

"Chet's nuts roasting on an open fire..."

Ginger Vitus (Sent Monday, December 22, 2008 2:27 PM)

Not a Christmas song, but I was in the choir in a Catholic grade school. Just imagine the fun we had with 'PEACE is flowing like a river'!

Pamela, Kenosha WI (Sent Monday, December 22, 2008 2:29 PM)

Not Christmas related, but my daughter, when she was 3 years old thought that the Garthe Brooks song "I'm Shameless" was I'm Shaving.  She sang it so loud and clear.  "I'm Shaving".

Rhonda, Folsom, LA (Sent Monday, December 22, 2008 2:35 PM)

In our family, we sing "Release Mommie Dot" instead of Feliz Navidad.  Dot is my mother-in-law and even though we now live in separate states and can't get back home as often as possible, simply hearing that song and singing our own lyrics, makes the distance bearable.

D. Wesson, Chattanooga, TN (Sent Monday, December 22, 2008 2:37 PM)

This is not Christmas but is is funny. I have a friend who sings "My eyes of Georgia" instead of "My eyes adored you"

Linda Parker (Sent Monday, December 22, 2008 2:38 PM)

What a lame article! Gael Fashingbauer Cooper needs to find more newsworthy things to write about and stop wasting MSNBC time with lousy 239 word crap that nobody really gives a flying f about.

David Yocum Dallas, TX (Sent Monday, December 22, 2008 2:38 PM)

Rockin' around the Christmas tree, later we'll have some F)(*&^ pie.
I laugh EVERY single time...

Tim High Point NC (Sent Monday, December 22, 2008 2:38 PM)



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