Misheard prog lyrics

[Kai]

Well, talking of non-English speakers mishearing lyrics...

”Everyone will move with you now to the lyracite.” What's a lyracite? I have no idea, but I was sure that's what Jon Anderson was singing on the third verse of ”I Would Have Waited Forever” when I was first heard the song. Only when I got the music book for Union did I realise that the word is actually ”riverside”. It makes sense, but I still have trouble hearing the letter ”r” at the beginning. It's Jon Anderson, afterall, and making sense has always been optional with his lyrics. Which is probably why he can actually be quite creative as a lyricist.

I was quite convinced that Van der Graaf's ”The Siren Song” contained the line ”when Mars becomes a platform” and was astonished not to find it on the lyric sheet. When I couldn't find it again on the song itself, I had to accept that it was my imagination playing tricks with the line ”when mast becomes a flagpole”. What can I say, I had just read an interview of Peter Hammill talking about his readings of science fiction, and that must have planted the idea in my head.

So that's how I tend to mishear songs. Nothing funny, just awkward or strange. Or perhaps against the grain, as in GTR's ”Here I Wait”, where the line ”where love is sure to find me” transformed into ”where love is shooting by me”.

[progcd54]

OK...not prog...but worth an "honorable" mention. There is a Japanese lyric sheet in the Japanese LP of Led Zeppelin IV (released in 1976). Also when this LP was initially released in the US (maybe elsewhere too) the inner paper sleeve contained the lyrics to "Stairway To Heaven" only. Even with the lyrics very plainly written out, we get such gems in the Japanese translation as:

There's a lady whose sure all the "gritters" is gold
Cause you know sometimes words have two "means"
All our thoughts are "misgiving"
Who shines white light and "wan" show

Typos...maybe???

But then there's the best one...saved for the last line. Ready...wait...OK...

To be a rock, a "natural".

Many Japanese LP's at that time had a notation on the Japanese lyric sheet "Transcription By [All Lyrics Transcribed By] – Linda Henrick (sometimes Hennrick)". Anyone know who she is/was?

[JKL2000]

The first time I listened to the Egdon Heath album "Him, the Snake, and I" I was sure I heard the unlikely words "let's eviscerate a donkey." When I checked the lyric booklet, I couldn't find it. Not sure I ever gave the album a careful enough listen to try and figure out what I misheard.

[moecurlythanu]

The first time I listened to the Egdon Heath album "Him, the Snake, and I" I was sure I heard the unlikely words "let's eviscerate a donkey." When I checked the lyric booklet, I couldn't find it. Not sure I ever gave the album a careful enough listen to try and figure out what I misheard.

I don't have that album, but it's on one of the early demos. I believe the line is "this eviscerated dung heap, this degenerated realm."

[A. Scherze]

I think it’s become impossible to use Comic Sans un-ironically. Which is good, because it’s utterly hideous.

Yes, it is hideous but I can't look away.

That is why it is the "hipster doofus" of fonts!

[JKL2000]

I don't have that album, but it's on one of the early demos. I believe the line is "this eviscerated dung heap, this degenerated realm."

So what I heard wasn't so crazy!

[Progbear]

I have the German CD of Curved Air’s Second Album, which duplicates the Japanese booklet, complete with hilariously wrong lyrics. I still get a giggle out of “Puppets.” “See the merry-a-mess” instead of “See the marionettes” is forever stuck in my head.

[GuitarGeek]

OK...not prog...but worth an "honorable" mention. There is a Japanese lyric sheet in the Japanese LP of Led Zeppelin IV (released in 1976). Also when this LP was initially released in the US (maybe elsewhere too) the inner paper sleeve contained the lyrics to "Stairway To Heaven" only. Even with the lyrics very plainly written out, we get such gems in the Japanese translation as:

The Japanese were (maybe still are?) notorious for badly translated lyric sheets. I gather it's common practice to have Japanese language lyric sheets over there, and there's reportedly all kinds of mistakes on virtually all of them.

One I remember was the song Blue Oyster Cult song ETI (Extraterrestrial Intelligence), where the lines "Three men in black say/Don't report this/Sentient/And that's all she said" is rendered as "Three men in black say/Don't report dissension/And that's all she said".

As for the Stairway To Heaven gaffe, maybe they didn't consult the lyric sheet before translating it into Japanese?

If I'm not mistaken, the Japanese also regularly had difficulty with things like owner's manuals for synths, cars, etc. All kinds of weird spelling and grammatical errors seem to crop up. I was told once that it's because they don't hire professional translators who actually know both languages well enough to do it correctly, they just get people who kinda sorta know English to translate the Japanese text. Maybe the same thing goes with the people who do the lyric sheet translations.

[GuitarGeek]

Speaking of Yes, I had a music book that had printed the lyrics to ISAGP as "send an instant comment."

The line I heard once was that it's actually "instant comment" on the original record, but Jon changed it for live performances after the John Lennon song came out.

[JKL2000]

The Japanese were (maybe still are?) notorious for badly translated lyric sheets. I gather it's common practice to have Japanese language lyric sheets over there, and there's reportedly all kinds of mistakes on virtually all of them.

One I remember was the song Blue Oyster Cult song ETI (Extraterrestrial Intelligence), where the lines "Three men in black say/Don't report this/Sentient/And that's all she said" is rendered as "Three men in black say/Don't report dissension/And that's all she said".

As for the Stairway To Heaven gaffe, maybe they didn't consult the lyric sheet before translating it into Japanese?

If I'm not mistaken, the Japanese also regularly had difficulty with things like owner's manuals for synths, cars, etc. All kinds of weird spelling and grammatical errors seem to crop up. I was told once that it's because they don't hire professional translators who actually know both languages well enough to do it correctly, they just get people who kinda sorta know English to translate the Japanese text. Maybe the same thing goes with the people who do the lyric sheet translations.

With the lyric sheets I think someone just listened to the album and wrote down the words as he heard them. I never understood how they couldn't have one Brit or American read them to tell them that "the dij and" should be "the pigeon!"

[Mister Triscuits]

The line I heard once was that it's actually "instant comment" on the original record, but Jon changed it for live performances after the John Lennon song came out.

That doesn't work because "Instant Karma" was a hit months before the recording sessions for The Yes Album. Considering the other obvious Lennon reference in the song--the background vocal quote of "Give Peace a Chance"--how can there be any doubt about the "Instant Karma" reference?

[Scrotum Scissor]

I always thought Jon sang, y'know, "Cha-cha-cha'h ch-chah! Cha-cha-cha'h ch-chah!" when apparently, according to my late grandma, the "Sound Chaser" tune is actually about axemurders and he actually sings "Chop-chop!". Opening sequence of the song goes out of its way to describe those wicked actions instrumentally.

[Halmyre]

The line I heard once was that it's actually "instant comment" on the original record, but Jon changed it for live performances after the John Lennon song came out.

That's what I think too. I also think they're singing "send out instant karma", not "send an instant karma".

[JKL2000]

I hear it as "send that instant Karma to me..." I don't think for a minute though that it would ever have been "send an instant comment to me."

[WHORG]

And there's a wino down the road.

[Joe F.]

One I remember was the song Blue Oyster Cult song ETI (Extraterrestrial Intelligence), where the lines "Three men in black say/Don't report this/Sentient/And that's all she said" is rendered as "Three men in black say/Don't report dissension/And that's all she said".

The lyric is this:

Three men in black said, "Don't report this"
"Ascension," and that's all they said
Sickness now, the hour's dread

[Progbear]

RE: Curved Air’s “Puppets”

The right lyrics

The wrong lyrics

“Making the most of their teeth and toast...”

I’m flashing back to laser karaoke now.



Scoot ahead to 36:50. “Sort of stand some glitter...”

[JKL2000]

The lyric is this:

Three men in black said, "Don't report this"
"Ascension," and that's all they said
Sickness now, the hour's dread

That's actually pretty cool. I know very little BOC.

[chescorph]

Yes Revealing:

"Of old fighters past" heard as "I hope I just passed".

Really.

[moecurlythanu]

That's actually pretty cool. I know very little BOC.

They're kinda like Adele.

[JKL2000]

Anyone remember way back I think on a Floyd list or somewhere there were people who thought that on Every Stranger's Eyes Waters said "choo" train instead of "tube" train? I think it was that song, unless it was something earlier and Floyd. Anyway, LOL.

[Digital_Man]

And there's a wino down the road.

Yep and there's a lady who's short.

[thos]

Yep and there's a lady who's short.

"Trying to find a woman who's never, never, never, never been boned"

"But Gollum, the evil one, crept up and slipped away with her... her.. her chair!"

[Digital_Man]

"We come from the land of the ice and snow. From the midnight sun where the huskies go."

[Mister Triscuits]

"We come from the land of the ice and snow. From the midnight sun where the huskies go."

--Led Zappalin