Know what a mondegreen is? It’s a series of words that results when someone mishears lyrics. Think “Hit me with your pet shark” instead of “Hit me with your best shot.” Now that Christmas is here and we’re singing songs that are more than 100 years old, what’s your favorite holiday mondegreen?
We all like to think we know our way around Christmas carols, but the truth is that sometimes those lyrics are confusing or just not as recognizable as you’d think, so we’ve long since replaced the real lyrics with something more sensible in our heads. Amazon pulled together a list of misquoted lyrics and we’ve included those as our top 10, but we’re expanding on them with some of our own mess-ups. Ready to laugh?
Amazon’s most misheard lyrics
“Auld Lang Syne”
Misheard lyrics: “Should all acquaintance be forgot and never brought to mine, should all acquaintance be forgot in the land of old man time.”
Real lyrics: “Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind? Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and days o’ auld lang syne?”
“The Christmas Song” (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)
Misheard lyrics: “Chestnuts roasting on an open fire, Jack Frost nipping at your toes”
Real lyrics: “Chestnuts roasting on an open fire, Jack Frost nipping at your nose”
“Winter Wonderland”
Misheard lyrics: “Later on, we’ll perspire”
Real lyrics: “Later on, we’ll conspire”
“Deck the Halls”
Misheard lyrics: “Don we now our day of peril”
Real lyrics: “Don we now our gay apparel”
“Jingle Bells”
Misheard lyrics: “Bells on cocktail rings”
Real lyrics: “Bells on bobtails ring”
“The Twelve Days of Christmas”
Misheard lyrics: “On the fourth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me four colly birds”
Real lyrics: “On the fourth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me four calling birds”
“Silent Night”
Misheard lyrics: “Round John Virgin, mother and child”
Real lyrics: “Round yon virgin, mother and child”
“Joy to the World”
Misheard lyrics: “Joy to the world! The Lord has gum”
Real lyrics: “Joy to the world! The Lord is come”
“Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer”
Misheard lyrics: “Grandma got run over by a reindeer, walkin’ home from outhouse Christmas Eve”
Real lyrics: “Grandma got run over by a reindeer, walkin’ home from our house Christmas Eve”
“We Three Kings”
Misheard lyrics: “We three kings of porridge and tar”
Real lyrics: “We three kinds of Orient are”
More misheard lyrics
“Winter Wonderland”
Misheard lyrics: “In the meadow we can build a snowman and pretend that he is sparse and brown”
Real lyrics: “In the meadow we can build a snowman and pretend that he is Parson Brown”
“White Christmas”
Misheard lyrics: “I’m dreaming of a white Christmas, with every Christmas card arrived”
Real lyrics: “I’m dreaming of a white Christmas, with every Christmas card I write”
“It Came Upon a Midnight Clear”
Misheard lyrics: “To touch their hearts of gold”
Real lyrics: “To touch their harps of gold”
“Sleigh Ride”
Misheard lyrics: “Outside the snow is falling and friends are calling, ‘You fool!'”
Real lyrics: “Outside the snow is falling and friends are calling, ‘You hoo!'”
“Good King Wenceslas”
Misheard lyrics: “Gath’ring wine and gruel”
Real lyrics: “Gath’ring winter fuel”
“Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”
Misheard lyrics: “Then how the reindeer loved him, as they shouted out with gleam”
Real lyrics: “Then how the reindeer loved him, as they shouted out with glee”
“O Come All Ye Faithful”
Misheard lyrics: “Oh come holly faithful”
Real lyrics: “Oh come all ye faithful”
“Joy to the World”
Misheard lyrics: “Let men their sins enjoy”
Real lyrics: “Let men then songs employ”
“God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen”
Misheard lyrics: “God rest ye merry gentlemen, let nothing through this May”
Real lyrics: “God rest ye merry gentlemen, let nothing you dismay”
Leave a Comment