Mondegreens ‘R Us
By Gail Richards - Aug 25 , 2008
Have you ever been driving—alone—in your car when a song comes on the radio that you absolutely have to sing along with? It’s a song you just cannot listen to at normal volume. It’s a song you have to crank up loud and dive into.
And, during such a musical extravaganza, have you ever come to a part of the song you love, and suddenly realized that even after all these years, air guitar sessions, and singing along, that you didn’t actually know the words?
Happens to me all the time. I love to sing in my car. I’m a terrible singer, and in my car –alone–it doesn’t matter. It’s a beautiful thing — what a tremendous stress release this simple activity is.
And I’ll be the first to admit, I’m a little weak in the lyrics department.
Sometimes I fudge it, saying what seems to make sense. Did you know there’s a word for this? Mondegreen—mishearing or misinterpretation of a phrase such as a line in a poem or a lyric in a song. For example, “Excuse me while I kiss this guy” (for the Jimmy Hendrix lyric, “Excuse me while I kiss the sky”), or “the girl with colitis goes by” (for “the girl with kaleidoscope eyes,” in “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds,” by the Beatles).
While there’s not been an official count, I’m sure I rank pretty high in the mondegreen department. Like I said, I’m in it for the sheer enjoyment, not the accuracy. I’m fine with faking it ‘til I make it.
Recently, I’ve discovered some websites where I go to look up any suspect lyrics. It’s always eye-opening and entertaining to fill those knowledge gaps. And the next time I hear the song in question, I have a good laugh at myself now that I’ve filled in the blanks.
The other thing that happens when I’m driving and singing is that I forget that I’m singing and how this must appear to the drivers on either side of me when I’m sitting at a stoplight belting out “Roxanne” with Sting and the Police. More than once, a friend has told me they tried to get my attention in traffic, but I was far too busy “rocking out” to notice. Then there was the time I forgot the windows were down as I pulled up at a friend’s house while her neighbors were out front getting their mail. Oops.
I share this glimpse into the goofier side of my personality with you because it’s one of the only instances in my life where I am unequivocally uninhibited.
You might even say I am passionate about it.
If you are passionate about something, do you need to know all of the answers, all at once? Or, can you trust that the answers will reveal themselves when you are ready to put them to use and just enjoy the ride in the mean time?
If you are truly passionate about something, does it matter that your efforts are marked with the enthusiasm of a three-year old discovering bubble soap?
If you are passionate about the material in your book, is there anything at all wrong with, well, getting some things wrong along the way, as you learn betters ways to describe your work as you promote and share it with others?
When was the last time you felt uninhibited about the possibilities that lie between the covers of this book you want to create? Maybe this would be a good time to let your guard down and let your inner rock star take the wheel.
