At first, I was convinced that Tina Turner was singing about paint...

"What's love but a second hand emulsion?"

Snitter the Rat

I used to think that the chorus from the song "Stop In the Name of Love" was "Stop! in the neighborhood... before I break your heart" I was singing it at the top of my lungs one day and didn't understand why my brothers were laughing hysterically at me.. they explained of course and then laughed at me some more. Ah well.

Vay

When I first heard Bruce Springsteen's song, "Born in the USA," I thought that the song was "Porn in the USA"

Anon

When she was little, my mom thought that "Winter Wonderland" was actually "Winter Underwear." Too bad nobody told her differently BEFORE she sang it in front of the entire church.

Jenn

For the longest time as a child, my father thought Trooper's "Raise a Little Hell" was actually "Raise a Little Elf", having first heard it around Christmas... It was only when he asked why Christmas songs were being played out of season that he learned the truth.

~Earthman Xosha Rosp

While listening to AC/DC's "You Shook Me All Night Long", I usually hear...
"She was a fast machine, she kept her boner clean, she was the best half woman that I ever seen.."
As opposed to...
"She was a fast machine, she kept her motor clean, she was the best damn woman that I ever seen"

And Skid Row's "I Remember You"...

"Cause you'll always be my dream come true, Woman or man, I love you."
Instead of...
"Cause you'll always be my dream come true, Oh my darling, I love you"

Kinda a recurring theme.

..

I used to think a lyric to the oldy but goody "Twisting the Night Away" by Sam Cooke was "He's dancing with the chicken slacks." The real lyric is "He's dancing with the Chick In Slacks." For the longest time, I wondered what the heck chicken slacks were!

geatornez82

Who remembers the Wham Classic Wake Me Up And Bring Me Coco (as in hot chocolate)?
I sang that for years, how embarrassing.

Tommo

I thought the line in Need You Tonight by INXS was "Oh, we'll boycott a snowman" as opposed to "All we've got is this moment." I first heard it at a wedding when I was 7 and had all the other kids there singing "Let's boycott a snowman!" Nobody could work out why.

Katya

The Police - Message in a Bottle:

Actual line: "A year has passed since I wrote my note"

I thought it was: "A year has passed since I broke my nose"!

Catherine

I used to believe that the kids poem "finders keepers, losers weepers" really said "finders keepers, losers sweepers." I figured that Cinderella had a hard life, and she did a lot of sweeping!

Sara

That song "another saturday night and I ain't got nobody, I got some money cause I just got laid" My daughter heard me singing away and exclaimed "I just got paid MUM". She walked away shaking her head.

tracey/nz

i knew someone who believed for ages that the words to Madonna's 'like a Virgin' were actually 'like a fir-tree' ;-)

Anon

For the longest time I thought that in Bruce Springsteen's song, "I'm on fire', where he says "Ooooh....I'm on fire", I was sure he was saying "Ooooh....I might fart".

Catherine

I believed that "video killed the radio star" by the buggles was "professor plum killed the radio star" I found out when I sang it in my wedding karaoke and my mum in law fainted

George

I thought Californication by the Red Hot Chilli Peppers lyrics were:

"Dream of midget fornication"
as opposed to:
"Dream of Californication"
I often wondered why the song had no reference to its title!

Louweez

When I was a kid, the song "I fought the Law" (I'm not sure who sang it) but I went years beliving it was "I fought the log, and the log one." I thought it was about a lumberjack.

Anon

I thought Aerosmith's 'Love in an Elevator' was 'Loving a man like Victor'.

Tracy Miller

I heard a Billy Joel song that went "You may be right, I may be crazy" as "you make the rice, I'll make the gravy". Also, until reading on here, I thought the Sir Mix-Alot song "Big Butts" said "Oooh Rumpelstiltskin" not "I wanna rub you smooth skin" as well.

Anon

I thought the Beach Boys song went 'Wouldn't it be nice if we were older, then we wouldn't have to wear a thong.' I sang it once while showering at a hotel and a whole line of people told me in the breakfast room the right lyrics. I still think mine are better.

At least my shower singing was loud enough.