15 Song Lyrics We've Been Singing Wrong For Years

Jordan Claes
John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John in 'Grease'.
Paramount Pictures | Paramount Pictures

There are certain songs that have risen to such iconic status that they become a part of our pop cultural paradigm. You may not know all the words, but you definitely know the tune.

Well, as it turns out, a vast majority of us have been singing the words wrong the entire time! Have a look below and check out these 15 song lyrics that we've all been getting wrong for years.

Queen - "We Will Rock You"

Rami Malek in 'Bohemian Rhapsody'.
20th Century Fox | 20th Century Fox

Believe it or not, there are legions of die-hard Queen fans all over the world who sing the lyrics "Kicking your cat all over the place" instead of the proper "Kicking your can all over the place."

ABBA - "Dancing Queen"

ABBA in the snow.
instagram | @abba

ABBA's iconic hit was 2014's most commonly misunderstood lyrics, according to a 2014 NPR poll. The real lyrics are written "See that girl, watch that scene, diggin' the dancing queen" although some prefer to sing "See that girl, watch her scream, kicking the dancing queen."

Elton John - "Tiny Dancer"

It turns out that Phoebe Buffay had it wrong, after all. Despite what you might think you hear, the lyrics are most assuredly "Hold me closer, tiny dancer" and not "Hold me closer, Tony Danza."

The Beatles - "I Want To Hold Your Hand"

Paul and John singing "I Want To Hold Your Hand".
Giphy

This one blew my mind. I would've bet my life that Paul and John were singing the line "I get high" in the bridge, but in reality, the lyrics are actually "I can't hide."

I like my version better.

Eurythmics - "Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)"

Eurythmics selfie.
instagram | @eurythmicsmusic

That's right, the title is "Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)." At no point in the song does Annie Lennox sing, "Sweet dreams are made of these," even though it might sound otherwise.

Pink Floyd - "Another Brick In The Wall Pt. 2"

Pink Floyd's "The Wall"
Giphy | jbetcom

I absolutely love this song and I thought that the lyrics always seemed pretty straightforward. However, there's apparently a large minority of people who sing "No docks and chasms in the classroom" as opposed to "No dark sarcasm in the classroom."

The Eagles - "Desperado"

For my money, this is one of the best songs that's ever been written. But although the lyrics sound like "You've been outright offensive for so long," the actual lyric is "You've been out riding fences for so long."

Beyoncé - "Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)"

Beyonce selfie.
instagram | @beyonce

I always thought that Queen Bey was singing "Hold me tighter than my very own jeans" when in fact, what she's actually saying is "Hold me tighter than my Deréon jeans."

Nirvana - "Smells Like Teen Spirit"

Kirk Cobain in "Smells Like Teen Spirit" music video.
Giphy | Nirvana

In fairness, the lyrics to this song are largely nonsensical. That being said, the chorus goes "A mulatto, an albino, a mosquito, my libido" — not "I'm a lion, I'm a vinyl, I'm a skittle, I'm a beetle."

Third Eye Blind - "Semi-Charmed Life"

Third Eye Blind backstage.
instagram | @thirdeyeblind

People tend to balk when they realize that this song is all about having sex whilst doing chemical drugs. They also tend to mistake the line "I speak to you like the chorus to the verse" as being "I speak to you like the colors to the birds."

Manfred Mann's Earth Band - "Blinded By The Light"

If I'm being honest, I never really understood what the lyrics in the chorus were. Now that I know, I personally prefer the fan's version of "Wrapped up like a douche, another rumor in the night" compared to the real lyrics "Revved up like a deuce, another runner in the night."

John Legend - "All Of Me"

John Legend and Chrissy Teigen.
instagram | @johnlegend

You can blame this one on Oprah, that's who I'm pointing the finger at. Because the lyrics in "All Of Me" are sung "My head's underwater but I'm breathin' fine" and not "My head's underwater and I'm breathing fire."

John Henry Kurtz - "Drift Away"

For years, I thought that this song was an ode to Brian Wilson. It turns out that Kurtz was actually singing "Give me the beat boys, and free my soul" — even though most people tend to think it's "Give me The Beach Boys, and free my soul."

Missy Elliot - "Work It"

Missy E selfie.
instagram | @missymisdeamnorelliot

In the chorus, it sounds as if Missy loses control of her vocal cords and sings "Iss yurr fweminippi fwep yet." In reality, the line is "Ti esrever dna ti plif nwod gniht ym tup I" — which is "I put my thing down flip it and reverse it," written backward.

John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John - "One That I Want"

Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta in 'Grease'.
Paramount Pictures | Paramount Pictures

I love John Travolta in Grease, but it's almost impossible to make out what he's actually singing. In the final musical number, John sings "I've got chills, they're multiplying" — even though it sounds a lot more like "I've got shoes, they're made of plywood."