We’ve all misheard lyrics at some point. Sometimes, singers sound so far off from their lyric sheet you can’t help but wonder if they spoke a different language by mistake. Here’s a list of some of the most popular lyrics that are easy to misunderstand.
‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ by Nirvana (1991)
Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” is infamous for having misheard lyrics. Musician “Weird Al” Yankovic even parodied the song. According to an interview with Spin, Yankovic called lead singer Kurt Cobain to ask for his permission, saying “I’m parodying your song because nobody understands your lyrics.” Personally, I know the Weird Al lyrics better than the original song’s lyrics.
The misheard lyrics for “Smells Like Teen Spirit” are, “A little boy is self-assured, ya know, ya know, just a dirty word,” and “A Milano, Anna’ll bite you, I’m a skater, a burrito / When the light’s out, it’s a stained dress / A fallen heart, it’s hard to find, the will, whatever, nevermind / Hello, hello, hello, heart-broke.”
Here are the real lyrics to the song: “She’s over-bored and self-assured, oh no, I know a dirty word,” and “A mulatto, an albino, a mosquito, my libido / Yeah! Hey! With the lights out, it’s less dangerous! / Oh yeah, I guess it makes me smile, I found it hard, it’s hard to find / Oh well, whatever, never mind / Hello, hello, hello, how low.”
‘I Write Sins, Not Tragedies’ by Panic! At the Disco (2005)
Not all songs lose entire verses to misunderstandings. For several years, I believed
“It’s much better to face these kinds of things with a sense of poison rationality” were the lyrics to this Panic! At the Disco song. It wasn’t until a few weeks ago that my fiance showed me the lyric book that I learned the real lyrics: “It’s much better to face these kinds of things with a sense of poise and rationality.”
‘Holiday’ by Green Day (2004)
To wrap it up with the song lyrics, Green Day’s “American Idiot” album had some good singles on it, including the anti-war song “Holiday”. I was in love with the song from the beginning, so I learned the lyrics while I listened. However, I discovered that not everyone knew the lyrics.
The misheard lyrics to “Holiday” are “Every sound of the bowling lane. Coming down like an armored can of flame / I bet to tree man dipper. From the hollowed ice / This is the darling of the rest of our lives on all the day!” The real lyrics are “Hear the sound of the falling rain Coming down like an Armageddon flame (hey!) / I beg to dream and differ from the hollow lies. This is the dawning of the rest of our lives on holiday”
The list of misheard song lyrics can go on and on. Though it can be annoying to find out that you were wrong on a song, misheard lyrics can be hilarious to hear and read.
