Years ago, my husband, was surprised to discover that the actual title to Tom Petty’s song was Running Down a Dream.
“I always thought it was I’m Running Down the Drain,” he told me. “I thought it was about a guy who slit his wrists and was standing there watching his blood pour into the sink.”
“No,” I told him. “No, it’s not.”
He thought for a minute, then said, “I like mine better.
What is it about misunderstood song lyrics that makes them so funny?
I guess it’s because what your singing is ridiculous. But maybe it’s also because some actual lyrics are just as ridiculous that you couldn’t even tell the difference.
I mean, here’s a quick quiz:
Which of these lines is an actual Tori Amos song lyric?
a) What about the deal on the flying trapeze got a peanut butter hand
OR
b) If I lose my Cracker Jacks at the tidal wave, I got a place in the pope’s rubber robe
Did you guess?
Surprise! They’re both real; in fact, there’s both from the same song.
So I guess it’s not too surprising that people sing the wrong lyrics and don’t even question it.
This one is my family’s favorite:
This one’s pretty funny too:
And this one’s worth sharing just because of the photo:
But if you really want to have a good laugh, take six minutes and watch this clip from comedian Peter Kay: