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3.23pm
5 February 2010
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Note by Ahhh Girl: I merged two other threads about misheard lyrics into this one on 5 May 2014.
1. Began 5 Feb 2013 (posts 179-188)
2. Began 21 May 2013 (posts 252 & 254)
Another thread merged in 26 October 2014 (posts 43-86 and 97-179).
I left this misheard lyric thread separate because it had question attached (that received some answers) that seems to really belong in the White Album section of the forum.
https://www.beatlesbible.com/f…..cquestion/
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Presumably, we’ve all done it: listened to a Beatles song and either a) unintentionally picked up the wrong lyric or b) knew darn well that probably wasn’t the right lyric, but couldn’t figure out the real line, and so stuck with the blunder for lack of a better alternative. And if you personally have not done this, you probably know someone who has.
So what are some of your favorite misheard lyrics, whether of your own faulty ears or those of someone else?
Here are mine:
1) I was convinced the second verse of “Let it Be” said “And in my outer darkness …”
2) My own Da’ heard the lyric of “Taxman ” as “… lay clever pennies on your eyes.”
3) From the same source: the opening line of “Here, There, and Everywhere” was Paul singing, “Peter Weatherby … I need my love to be here.” And an internet username was born. 
4) Was always unsure why, in “Tell Me Why “, John sang, “Did he have to treat me oh-so bad?”
5) The naughtiest line in “Happiness Is A Warm Gun ” came in the raunchy bridge: “I need a fix ’cause I’m going down, down to the bitch that I left uptown”
Of course, now that I know the real lyrics for the above songs, I still sing the stray lines on purpose, just because it’s an inside joke now and it’s fun.
So what are/were some of yours? Even more interesting: are there any lyrics you’re still unsure about?
The following people thank PeterWeatherby for this post:
BeatlebugNot a bit like Cagney.
3.41pm
14 October 2009
Offline Great subject!
One of my oldest ones was on The Ballad of John & Yoko. Instead of hearing “Peter Brown called to say” I thought it was “In a brown corsair” (A Corsair was a model of car in the sixties to all you oversees guys!) I always think of that when I hear the song.
And to this day I'm never sure of the lyrics on Bad Boy . I know waht they should be but John seems to fumble them……..badly 
And HEY – my 200th post 
The following people thank mjb for this post:
forn"If we feel our heads starting to swell.....we just look at Ringo!"
4.44pm
31 March 2008
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Congratulations! I might have to think of some new ones to continue it. Yellow Submarine seas, perhaps.
Bad Bad – that's Bad Boy I presume?
As for misheard Beatles lyrics, I'm sure I've had plenty but the right ones are pretty ingrained these days. Although I do remember as a teenager spinning the run-out groove of Sgt Pepper backwards and thinking it said “Paul McCartney 's dad is Superman”. Apparently other people thought they were saying “We'll f**k 'em like supermen” so I wasn't far off!
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Or buy my paperback/ebook! Riding So High – The Beatles and Drugs
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5.48pm
14 October 2009
Offline Joe said:
Congratulations! I might have to think of some new ones to continue it. Yellow Submarine seas, perhaps.
Bad Bad – that's Bad Boy I presume?
As for misheard Beatles lyrics, I'm sure I've had plenty but the right ones are pretty ingrained these days. Although I do remember as a teenager spinning the run-out groove of Sgt Pepper backwards and thinking it said “Paul McCartney 's dad is Superman”. Apparently other people thought they were saying “We'll f**k 'em like supermen” so I wasn't far off!
Corrected!
And I've read that “Supermen” line too………………
"If we feel our heads starting to swell.....we just look at Ringo!"
6.15pm
13 November 2009
Offline You know the line “four of fish and finger pies” in Penny Lane ? I heard in a more innocent way: “for vision think of pies in summer”.
So that's where the secret track is on Sgt. Pepper ? I just bought a copy and couldn't figure it out. 🙂
Ad hoc, ad loc, and quid pro quo! So little time! So much to know!
6.48pm
21 August 2009
Offline Haha! I don't think any of my own interpretations are as hilarious, mine are all pretty minor. 😛
For Golden Slumbers , is it “smiles await you when you rise” OR “smiles awake you when you rise”? Perhaps the latter would make more sense, but I like the first!
I basically made up all the words for Yer Blues , at least during the verses; I couldn't imagine why John would be singing about some eagle having a light snack of eyes!
Tongue, lose thy light. Moon, take thy flight… see ya, George!
9.44am
31 March 2008
Offline skye said:
So that's where the secret track is on Sgt. Pepper ? I just bought a copy and couldn't figure it out. 🙂
When I was younger I plundered my parents' record collection for their original Beatles mono vinyl. On Sgt Pepper , after A Day In The Life 's final chord there was the high-pitched whistle for dogs (and keen-earned humans) in the little groove that took the needle from the songs to the inner run-out groove around the record label. The run-out groove was a loop of sound which, in theory, could go on forever, though some turntables automatically lifted the arm when it got to the middle.
My brother and I had heard there was a secret message in the groove so used to wind the turntable backwards to hear it. I dread to think how we could have damaged the vinyl, but it sounds OK still. I'm still convinced it's about Paul McCartney 's dad, rather than the more vulgar alternative!
Can buy me love! Please consider supporting the Beatles Bible on Amazon
Or buy my paperback/ebook! Riding So High – The Beatles and Drugs
Don't miss The Bowie Bible – now live!
10.14am
13 November 2009
Offline Joe said:
On Sgt Pepper , after A Day In The Life 's final chord there was the high-pitched whistle for dogs (and keen-earned humans)
I hate listening to the end of A Day In The Life on my iPod because of that high-pitched noise. I guess The Beatles didn't realise kids would be able to hear it as well as dogs when they decided to put it on there.
When my mum was a kid in the 60s, her brother bought a Spanish version of Sgt. Pepper 's because he liked the foreign language writing and he gave my mum his original mono English copy. I heard that only the very original versions have the high-pitched tone but my mum's doesn't have it. Also, my parents bought a modern record player last year with loads of bells and whistles. We played Sgt. Pepper backwards to hear the gobbledygook but we still couldn't decipher it. There was a small gap of silence in it though, which must have been where EMI censored the swear word after they realised it was on there.
I know I've had loads of misheard lyrics but I can't think of any specific ones. Until recently, I couldn't understand Paul's shouting during the middle of I've Got A Feeling. When singing along, I always just made up nonsense to fit in, which probably didn't add much to my already off-key rendition!
10.59am
13 November 2009
Offline So where does that “I wouldn't have it any other way “ come in? As for the dog whistle, I'm sure it's there, but our dogs don't care. 
I found a copy of A Day In The Life that is supposed to be a master tape. It sounds more or less the same, it's main selling point is that seperated into four channels(?), but at the end, instead that big chord everyone yells “Bong!”. It may or may not be easier on your ears McLerristarr.
Ad hoc, ad loc, and quid pro quo! So little time! So much to know!
5.03pm
14 December 2009
Online It sounds more like “Never could be any other” to my ears, but that's subjective. There isn't any “secret message” to be heard when it's played backwards; these things aren't planned. The only way to intentionally record a legitimate “backwards message” would be a ridiculously complicated and time-consuming task: A process similar to George Harrison 's painstaking construction of “I'm Only Sleeping”, except immeasurably harder, since a backwards guitar note will always be a note – the SAME note – whereas a backwards word is often not a word at all.
Anyways, back on topic: There's quite a few folks on the internet who used to listen to “Across The Universe ” and wonder who “Kangaroo Dave” was! And as for me, I used to hear “That girl's so incredibly high” rather than “That grow…” Oh, and can't forget “My love, I get high/I get high/I get hiighhhh” OK, I'm just kidding about that one…
Paul: Yeah well… first of all, we’re bringing out a ‘Stamp Out Detroit’ campaign.
6.05pm
13 November 2009
Offline I'm saying not there are any secret messages. I just know that I had to shorten ADitL to lose whatever that phrase is at the end of my cd copy.
But as you said, back on topic. I misunderstood She Said She Said . I thought he was insisting that he did understand what she was saying, not that he didn't want to hear about it. Peter Fonda following you around talking about death sounds like a strange dream all by itself.
Ad hoc, ad loc, and quid pro quo! So little time! So much to know!
10.15pm
21 August 2009
Offline In ADitL I always hear, “never to be any other way,” which makes some sense, taking into the fact the music preceding it was to be like “the end of the world.”
I'll give it a listen backwards if possible! I have mp3 versions of all the songs; do you think there's some sort of website that could loop a song backwards? I'll do a little more research, because I've always wanted to play Rain backwards and hear the backwards bit, well, frontwards! 
It may not be a misheard lyrics, but some songs took me forever to get the words right. Cry Baby Cry is an endless narrative. though I've finally nailed it, and Hey Bulldog 's lyrics are close variants to each other, so I always got them mixed up and out of order, though I drilled it in my brain for half an hour, so I'd say I've tackled them all now.
Tongue, lose thy light. Moon, take thy flight… see ya, George!
10.42pm
31 March 2008
Offline I don't know about web services, but there's a good free audio editing program, Audacity, that allows you to reverse mp3s and other sound files. Open up a file, select all, go to the Effect menu and click on Reverse. It should then play backwards.
I've just tried it with a couple of files. It works OK with mp3s but doesn't like m4a files, which is what some of my iTunes stuff is in.
The backwards bit in Rain goes: “Raaaaaaaain, I don't mind [pause] If the rain comes, they run and hide their heads”. The second line is what you hear first in the backwards coda, if that makes sense.
Can buy me love! Please consider supporting the Beatles Bible on Amazon
Or buy my paperback/ebook! Riding So High – The Beatles and Drugs
Don't miss The Bowie Bible – now live!
11.19pm
21 August 2009
Offline Perfect sense, Joe, thank you
Tongue, lose thy light. Moon, take thy flight… see ya, George!
11.23pm
13 November 2009
Offline I've been using free audio editor but it's only free if you only work with wav. I have a program that lets you convert files back and forth by DVDVideoSoft. There isn't a Mac version that I could find, sorry. It's great for PC users, I would highly recommend it. I might switch to Audacity. I've read good things about it.
I tried reversing Sea Of Monsters after reading your article about how George Martin used it to simulate the sound of everything being sucked up. It was interesting, but Rain is probably cooler.
Ad hoc, ad loc, and quid pro quo! So little time! So much to know!
11.26pm
21 August 2009
Offline Ha ha ha! I've run into an interesting albeit hilarious blunder-
when I open Rain , it opens up in slow motion! John's voice is about 500,000 decimals lower, really! I'm having quite a time over here
Tongue, lose thy light. Moon, take thy flight… see ya, George!
1.52am
5 February 2010
Offline With Audacity? I had that same problem, importing mp3s and everything playing super slow – turns out you have to set the audio track's rate (there's a drop-down menu on the track itself with a “Set Rate” option), as well as the project rate (that's all the way in the bottom left of the window). If it's playing too slow it's because the mp3 is supposed to be set at a higher rate than Audacity is playing it. So, for example, I had a file that should have been set at 44100Hz, and Audacity had the track and the project set to 8000Hz. Suuuuuper slow.
Not a bit like Cagney.
12.56pm
14 October 2009
Offline Joe said:
I don't know about web services, but there's a good free audio editing program, Audacity, that allows you to reverse mp3s and other sound files. Open up a file, select all, go to the Effect menu and click on Reverse. It should then play backwards.
I've just tried it with a couple of files. It works OK with mp3s but doesn't like m4a files, which is what some of my iTunes stuff is in.
The backwards bit in Rain goes: “Raaaaaaaain, I don't mind [pause] If the rain comes, they run and hide their heads”. The second line is what you hear first in the backwards coda, if that makes sense.
I tried that with Rain a while back. Must try it with the end of Free As A Bird sometime……
"If we feel our heads starting to swell.....we just look at Ringo!"
8.18pm
31 March 2008
Offline Try it with the A Day In The Life run-out groove. Trust me – Paul McCartney 's dad is Superman 
Can buy me love! Please consider supporting the Beatles Bible on Amazon
Or buy my paperback/ebook! Riding So High – The Beatles and Drugs
Don't miss The Bowie Bible – now live!
10.39pm
13 November 2009
Offline Quick question: how can you be a Day Tripper with a one-way ticket?
Ad hoc, ad loc, and quid pro quo! So little time! So much to know!
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