"Mondegreens" - Misheard Lyrics 101 Quiz

Answer: 'Scuse me while I kiss the sky

"Purple haze all in my brain
Lately things just don't seem the same
Actin' funny, but I don't know why
'Scuse me while I kiss the sky"

Most people heard it as "Scuse me while I kiss this guy." This mondegreen was so widespread that Hendrix himself became aware of it and would sometimes playfully kiss one of his male band members onstage after singing the line!

Answer: Oh, oh big ol' jet airliner

"Oh, oh big ol' jet airliner
Don't carry me too far away
Oh, oh big ol' jet airliner
Cause it's here that I've got to stay"


"Jet Airliner" was one of Miller's biggest hits.

Answer: Oh say can you see

"Oh, say can you see
By the dawn's early light
What so proudly we hailed
At the twilight's last gleaming?"

Ask any kid under the age of twelve for the lyrics to this song, and you'll often get such humorous lyrical substitutes.

Answer: And to the republic for which it stands

"I pledge allegiance to the flag
Of the United States of America.
And to the republic for which it stands
One nation, under God, indivisible
With liberty and justice for all."

As opposed to...

"I pledge a lesion to the flag
Of the united skates of America
And to the reduction of Richard's stands
One naked undergone individual
With liver tea and just this for all."

Answer: Fleetwood Mac

"Salmon Dave" should of course be "Sam and Dave." Andy Gibb probably does have an "Auntie Gibb," but he didn't perform under her name. And many people feel that most Hall and Oates songs are comprised of "hollow notes".

Answer: Revved up like a deuce, another runner in the night

"Blinded by the light,
revved up like a deuce,
another runner in the night"

The "deuce" supposedly refers is a 1932 Ford coupe. I swear to this day that Mann truly pronounces the word "deuce" as "douche."

Answer: And little Early-Pearly came by in his curly-wurly

"And little Early-Pearly came by in his curly-wurly
and asked me if I needed a ride"

Wow. I guess that made sense to Bruce! I'm assuming a "curly-wurly" is a type of helicopter. For years, I thought the "Little girlie Pearly" line was the right one, and always wondered how they got away with putting such a line on the radio!

I still stand by the opinion that the actual lyrics to this song are stranger than any mis-heard version of them. Consider these lines as "Exhibit A":

"Some brimstone baritone anticyclone rolling stone
preacher from the east
Says, "Dethrone the dictaphone,
hit it in its funny bone,
that's where they expect it least""

Ooooookayyyyy, Bruce! Whatever you say!

Answer: Just like the white-winged dove

"Just like the white winged dove
Sings a song
Sounds like she's singing
Whoo, whoo, whoo"

It's not technically a mondegreen, but for years I thought the title of the song was "White-Winged Dove." But then, I wasn't a big Fleetwood Mac fan, either, so I'll give myself a pass on that one.

Answer: Rocket man, burning out his fuse up here alone

"And I think it's gonna be a long long time
Till touch down brings me round again to find
I'm not the man they think I am at home
Oh no no no, I'm a rocket man
Rocket man, burning out his fuse up here alone"

Sometimes knowledge of the artist can lead to the wrong lyric. Knowing that Elton is openly gay led many to mis-hear the lyrics "Hold me closer, tiny dancer" as "Hold me closer, Tony Danza"!

Answer: Beelzebub has a devil put aside for me

"Mama mia,mama mia
mama mia let me go
Beelzebub has a devil put aside for me
for me, for me"

This song is another mondegreen treasure trove. Some people have even heard the title to this song wrong, hearing "Bohemian Rap City" instead of "Bohemian Rhapsody". Hope my quiz gave you a few good laughs!