A childhood belief about misheard lyrics

Ahhh, yes, I remember it well. It was a sultry summer day in the middle of August... or maybe it was a chilly yet sunny winter afternoon... OK, perhaps not so well, but I remember being in the kitchen, and the radio was playing. My little sister was listening to it. She went out of the room momentarily during the commercials, and while she was out, the songs came back on. Their choice? Counting Crow's cover of "Big Yellow Taxi," but Joni Mitchell.

I was instantly mortified. Although I knew that SOME songs with bad words in them got routine radio airplay, such as "Big Old Jet Airliner," I was POSITIVE that a song using THAT word couldn't get played. I instantly turned the radio down, so my little sister wouldn't have to hear how they paid Paradise to put up a "f---ing lie."

I didn't realize my mistake until the song came on again while we were in the car, and I noticed the curious lack of freakingoutitude in my mom. I thankfully lisened closer that time and learned that the real lyrics were, in fact, "they paid Paradise to put up a parking lot."

For some strange reason, I never met the homosexual lovers that most people seem to hear in this refrain. Huh.