Pop and rock aren’t the only songs with misheard lyrics. Salt Lake Tribune readers also had a hard time with these yuletide favorites:
[RELATED: ‘There’s a bathroom on the right’ and other popular song lyrics our readers get wrong]
“Winter Wonderland” • “Later on, we’ll perspire, as we dream by the fire.” Actual lyric: “We’ll conspire.”
— Guy Briggs, West Jordan
“I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus” • “My young cousin thought the Christmas song was ‘I saw Romney kissing Santa Claus.’ It was an election year.”
— Poetic Kate, South Jordan
“Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” • “My niece was devastated that it was not ‘then one froggy Christmas Eve.’”
— Tom White, Seattle
“Joy to the World” • “I was in a young adult Christmas choir, and our choir director at one point stopped us to insist we enunciate our words. Apparently we made ‘Joy to the world, the Lord is come’ sound like ‘Joy to the world, the Lord is scum.’”
— Kerri Harris-Bigler, San Luis Obispo, Calif.
“Silent Night” • “‘Sleep in heavenly peas.’ I just couldn’t figure out why anybody would sleep in what I envisioned as a tub of peas. And ‘round John Virgin,’ of course.”
— Claudia Clayton, Santa Cruz County, Calif.
“Let It Snow” • “Growing up I thought ‘Parson Brown’ was ‘Carson Brown,’ and for some reason thought it was referencing some sheriff from some Western (movie). When he asked, ‘Are you married?’ I thought it said, ‘Are you merry?’ And I wondered what ‘job’ he would do to make it so.”
— Elisa Parmley