Rule 17: Expect Misunderstandings

Have you ever sung a song so many times that you fail to think about the absurdity of the lyrics that are coming out of your mouth — until someone else sings them completely differently and you go, “Oh, is that what he’s saying?”

It would appear that I’m chronically lyrically challenged.

I’ve previously mentioned that, until this past December, I sang a line of my favorite Christmas song, “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” as follows: “Hang a shining star upon the highest cloud.” I see nothing wrong with my interpretation. I mean, wouldn’t you hang a star on a cloud?

Then there’s the timeless “Let’s Go Crazy” by Prince. Great song. You know the intro, wherein The Artist Formerly Known As (or whatever moniker he’s going by these days) declares, “‘Cause in this life, you’re on your own?”

Me either.

Because, until two weeks ago, I was sure it was, “‘Cause in this life, you and you.”

Because that makes total sense.

How about “Voices Carry” by Til Tuesday? Love that song. At one point, Amy Mann sings, “Hush hush, darling, she might lowalee.” Right? Oh, it’s “She might overhear?” Hm. I really thought it was lowalee.

A few weeks ago, I tweeted about the song Footloose and someone responded on my Facebook page with the line: “8 hours, for what?”

“For what?” I questioned. “I thought it was ’8 hours, full up.’”

Now, surely you’ll agree that the best all-time summer song is “Boys of Summer” by Don Henley. I’ll never tire of that song, and I love to sing out the car window (loudly). Which, I recently realized, has likely been royally confusing to those around me when they heard me belt out, “I can see her; her breasts get shabby in the sun.” I never understood Don’s motivation with those lyrics, but perhaps that’s because he was saying “her brown skin shining in the sun” which, of course, makes far more sense given that it’s a beach kind of song.

But I still like to sing, “Her breasts get shabby in the sun.” Just for old time’s sake.

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What lyrics did you chronically screw up until someone knocked some sense into you? If you, too, had trouble with the above songs, here they all are, downloadable for your (properly) singing pleasure.

*From You Cannot Be Serious: and 32 Other Rules that Sustain a (Mostly) Balanced Mom