Monday Mondegreen

It’s been a while since we’ve delved into our pile of fabulously misheard lyrics, and on this damp and squishy January Monday we could all use a good laugh. The year was 1995, and that’s all we’re going to tell you. We want you to tell us the title of the song, the artist, and the correct lyric. Post it in our comments section by February 5th and you will be entered into a random drawing for our fabulous prize of the month. We’re giving away a copy of JaLaLa’s new release That Old Mercer Magic. JaLaLa is Miss Laurel’s trio with Janis Siegel of Manhattan Transfer and Lauren Kinhan of New York Voices, and they’ve got a gigs or two coming up in February. Check out the calendar to the right of this post for more info.

And now…our lyric…

Is that you, baby, or just a pig in this pie?

We can’t wait to see your answers!

All American Mondegreens AND the Muppets

Happy Fourth of July!!! Before there are BBQs and fireworks let there be Muppets and Mondegreens ...



The Star Spangled Banner seems to be fertile ground for misheard lyrics. From the personal  "Jose, can you see" to the fruity "Grapefruit through the night".

Speaking of Fruit, here’s one from Home on the Range: "Oh give me a home, where the buffalo roam, and the deer and the cantaloupe play".

And finally, the Pledge of Allegiance, not just for people anymore: "I led the pigeons to the flag…"

Thank you to our friend Harry Althaus for the National Anthem mondegreen (your surprise is on its way), and to the rest of you have a healthy, joyous and safe Fourth!!

Alright, Okay, You Win

Congratulations Justin Ritchie, from Washington, DC you are the big winner of our mondegreen challenge!

Justin correctly identified "When the world gets naked, hun" as being a misheard lyric from Girls Just Want to Have Fun. He also knew that the correct lyric was “When the working day is done”, and that it was originally sung by Cyndi Lauper. In the process we learned that there are more than a few other recordings out there including one by Greg Laswell (who knew it was really a ballad?), Miley Cyrus and a band with an unprintable name but an oddly catchy version. Being ladies, we can only tell you that the band’s name starts with Star.

Justin, your copy of Hit Me With Your Pet Shark: Misheard Lyrics of the 1980’s is on its way. By the way, Cyndi will be in DC at the 9:30 club on August 12th, maybe you can get her to sign it! The photo comes from Cyndi's website, doesn't she look AMAZING?

Tuesday’s Mondegreen Moment

It’s dreary, it’s dark, it’s damp, and so to amuse ourselves on this sodden Tuesday morning we picked up our trusty mondegreen book, closed our eyes, opened to a page, pointed and this is the wisdom we received from the great mondegreen spirit…

When the world gets naked, hun...

Recognize it? Perhaps you’ve even sung it? If you can identify the source of this misheard lyric, including the original artist, the title of the song and the correct lyric email us by Tuesday June 22nd. We will put all the correct answers into the hat and choose, at random, a lucky winner who will receive a pristine copy of Charles Grosvenor Jr.’s Hit Me With Your Pet Shark Misheard Lyrics of the 1980’s. And, yes, the prize is a hint to the answer.

Mondegreen Moment

On this cloudy Thursday afternoon let’s take a break and ponder the following misheard gem from the Beatles' Ticket to Ride…

She’s got a chicken to ride

We can’t help but wonder where one finds a chicken saddle?

Your Redheads are collecting mondegreens for a weekly feature here on Two Well Read, and we need your input. Please share your stories of misheard lyrics with us by sending them to  wendylaneandlaurel@verizon.net. If we use them we’ll give you full credit, and a nifty surprise gift. There’s no expiration date on this one and no limit on the number of entries you can send.

A Mondegreen for the Moment

In these uncertain times it’s good to know that even the land of misheard lyrics feels our pain.Thus this timely interpretation of the Elton John classic Bennie and the Jets…

B-B-B-Bennie, Bennie is in Debt

This Tuesday diversion brought to you courtesy of your Redheads and Amiright.com, further proof that maybe the internet really isn’t such a boon to productivity after all…