Couldn't resist telling you all this story. During college I visited my roomie's home and met her family members of a strict sect of Dutch Reformed. Sunday morning the youngest child stayed after services for Sunday School and then walked home. Waiting at the door for her Little One, my friend's Mother was pleased to hear her young daughter singing "Onward Christian Soldiers" as she marched along ... that is until she belted out the words "with the cross-eyed Jesus going on before."
wow
Directly related of course, to the ursine nemesis of all optomotrests:
Glad Lee, the cross-eyed bear.
I've heard of Gladly, the cross-eyed bear.
Dear wow: Would the fond mama have preferred the version: "With the Cross of Jesus left behind the door"
Matt Groening, the creator of the Simpsons, did a good one of the Pledge of Allegiance in his comic Life in Hell - I read it years ago. I'm sure the Pledge of Allegiance has been done a million times, but it's pretty funny nonetheless...
"I plead alignment to the flakes
of the united snakes of a merry cow
and the Republicans for which they scam
One nacho, underpants..."
and so on. I can't remember the rest. However, since I'm Canadian, I don't know the real text to the Pledge, and Groening's version is the only thing that comes to mind when I hear the Pledge of Allegiance!
On another American note - Ramona Quimby, a character in children's books, learned the Star Spangled Banner as "Oh say can you see, by the donzer lee light" and she was convinced that a "donzer" was a type of lamp, which gave off a "lee" light (she figured it somehow described the type of light). Pretty good. However, that bit didn't make much sense to me when I was about nine because I had never even heard the Star Spangled Banner at that time.
I've heard of Gladys, the cross-eyed bear.
Gladly is a good friend with one of the angels -- the angel Hark Therold -- as in "Hark Therold angel sings.."
I was curious about the origin of the word 'mondegreen', and found this:
Oh, they have slain the Earl of Morray and Lady Mondegreen
The term mondegreen for misheard lyrics comes from this. It originated from Sylvia Wright's mishearing of the 'Oh, they have slain the Earl of Morray and laid him on the green' line from the Scottish folk song, 'The Bonny Earl Of Morray'.
Cited as examples of common mondegreens were the following:
"There's a bathroom on the right" ~Creedance Clearwater
"'Scuse me while i kiss this guy" ~Jimmy Hendrix
and
"The ants are my friends; they're blowing in the wind" ~PP&M
bridget=)
Ipsa scientia potestas est ~Bacon
there is a Mondegreen site--
http://www.thechicagoloop.net/lyrics/ with hundred of of them
My autistic son is an unending source of mondegreens. I'll probably be able to add to this thread until you kick me off.
In the movie, The Lion King, the juvenile son of the king, Simba, sings a song with the refrain,
I just can't wait to be king.
My son's version gives homage to a fine soul singer:
I just can't wait B B King.
the angel Hark Therold -- as in "Hark Therold angel sings.."
Then there's, "Our Father which art in heaven, Harold be thy name..."
Matt Groening, the creator of the Simpsons, and Beverly Cleary, author of the Ramona Quimby books also mentioned on this thread, both hail from Oregon. They grow strange people in Oregon!
I used to listen to the radio as a child, hearing the Butt Abbot and Lucas Tello show.
Geoff
Portland, Oregon
For a long time, I thought my mother was singing,
"Mairzy doats and dozy doats,
and little lambsy divy".
In reply to:
For a long time, I thought my mother was singing,
"Mairzy doats and dozy doats,
and little lambsy divy".
I don't think you're alone there, Jackie. I believe it's intentional - part of the appeal of the lyrics - that what sounds initially like euphonious nonsense actually means something sensible(?).
Mad Magazine (once upon a time in another millenium) wrote new national anthems for a lot of countries. One of them began something like:
Daisy dotes and Dozy dotes and little Abu Dhabi ...
Still amuses me ... simple things and simple minds, I guess.
simple things and simple minds, I guess
Uh--huh...
My favorite mondegreen was from the Wizard of Oz...
Bill Cosby Cosby Cosby Cosby Cos... Bill Cosby the wonderful things he does...
For a long time, I thought my mother was singing,
"Mairzy doats and dozy doats,
and little lambsy divy".A kid'll edivry, do
Wunden you?
It is a nonsense song which makes sense in a way
-- Lambs eat oats and does eat oats and little lambs eat ivy, a kid will eat ivy, too, wouldn't you? ----
if I recall correctly it was popular near the end or just after WWII. And very popular with several verses, all of which I have forgotten! No comments please on what "goes" first ... been there, done that!
wow
Many years ago my mother gave me a sampler with this Latin inscription:
"Lucat bene, derdego honet bosis inero. Honomo, demis trux, summit causin summit dux."
And people wonder where I get my sense of humor.
TEd (who seems to have gotten a life recently!!!)
Actually, I've been just far too busy. I am about a month behind in everything.
In the first grade, singing "America the Beautiful" I always wondered what grew on a "gain divine."
In our car is currently installed a Chenille Sisters' CD which is played every day. One of the songs is a lively tune called The Ants in Our Pants Dance, about going on a picnic and being set upon by ants. On Friday, I asked my son what song he wanted to hear, and was told he wanted "Hands in my Pants." I keep expecting the cops and social services to beset us.
That's how I learned to tell the difference between stalactites and stalagmites. Ants in the pants.
The mites go up and the tites go down.
Gee, TEd: I learned it as lact=milk, tits=hang down. What's left in on the ground.