Posted on by qscrisp

Mondegreen

I recently learnt the word 'mondegreen'. Here's an example of a mondegreen from my own life:

Because you're young/You'll need a stranger sunlight.

That particular mondegreen is my mishearing of the lyrics of 'Because You're Young' by David Bowie. One part of the definition of a mondegreen is that the mishearing should, preferably, be better than the original. Here's the original:

Because you're young/You'll meet a stranger some night.

7 Replies to “Mondegreen”

  3. After listening to Sonic Youth’s “Schizophrenia” many times, I found out one of my favorite lines from the song was a mishearing of something else. Where Kim Gordon sings “My future is static/It’s already had it” I heard “The future is static/It’s all in your head.” I still prefer the version I heard, but what she actually sings works perfectly well in the song. It’s all in your head, indeed.

  4. oh goody a new word for me… mondegreen. that phenomenon is well known to me but i did not know there was a word for it. seems a strange word though… makes no sense at all. green world. and yes the mondegreen was enticing. :happy:

  5. In This Mortal Coil’s version of Song To The Siren I thought Liz Fraser was singing “I must poison this newborn child”. It was only when I heard the Tim Buckley original that I realised it was “I’m as puzzled as the newborn child”.I love those two old Maxell tape adverts which present “alternative” lyrics to Into The Valley and Israelites:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6gYsRMKDcchttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKMAeMCESos

  6. Originally posted by gveranon: Where Kim Gordon sings “My future is static/It’s already had it” I heard “The future is static/It’s all in your head.” I still prefer the version I heard, but what she actually sings works perfectly well in the song. It’s all in your head, indeed.I’ve often been disappointed to learn what the lyrics really are… I think many of mine come from listening to David Bowie in the days before lyric sheets… And now, of course, we’re in the days after lyric sheets. I think that the transcriptions of lyrics on the internet are largely composed of mondegreens, but sadly not always very good ones.Originally posted by I_ArtMan: that phenomenon is well known to me but i did not know there was a word for it. seems a strange word though… makes no sense at all. green world. and yes the mondegreen was enticing. Thank you. The origin of the word is explained at the link. ‘Mondegreen’ is, itself, part of a mondegreen.Originally posted by rtdavies:”I must poison this newborn child”. It was only when I heard the Tim Buckley original that I realised it was “I’m as puzzled as the newborn child”.That’s a good one – a touch Iron Maiden.

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