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Neil Young Song Mondegreens
(Frozen as of 1999.)
<-- It's All One Song replacement for this database.

Compiled by Nancy Jo Wanda Leachman
(See bottom of page for definition of Mondegreen).

The following mondegreens were contributed by various member of the Rust List. Since almost every mondegreen was sent in by multiple contributors, I have not listed the names of submittors. But I wish to thank the entire Rust List for helping to put this together.

The title of the song containing the mondegreen is given first. Song titles are in alphabetical order. This is followed by the "wrong" lyrics, sometimes with several variations. Lastly, the "correct" lyrics are given in italics. "Correct" lyrics are based on album notes and the lyrics in the (not-always-acurrate) HyperRust lyrics database. So, like many other things on the Rust List, they're open to debate.

If you have a Neil Young song mondegreen to add, please send it to me.

. . . . . Wanda

PS: The song lyrics marked with ** Disputed ** below are under debate as to which line is the mondegreen, and which is the "true" line, as written by Neil.  :-)

Alabama

"See the old folks tied in white robes."

"See the old folks tied in white ropes."

Albuquerque

"I........Love Turkey"

"Al.......buquerque"

Barstool Blues

"He trusted in a woman and on her he made his bed"

"...made his bet"

Big Time

"Funny it's not over"

"For me it's not over"

- - - - - - - - - -

"saw a squirrel in the ocean" (Swears Neil sang it that way at a concert!)

"Get my feet wet in the ocean"

Borrowed Tune

"I'm watchin' this gator, fly by on the lake."

"I'm watchin' the skaters...""

Broken Arrow

"Brown skinned Indian on the banks... ...fare well Broken Arrow"

"...held a broken arrow?"

Come On Baby Let's Go Downtown

"Steakhouse french fries"

"Snake eyes, french fries"

Comes A Time

1. "Lift that bay leaf right up off the ground"
2. "Lift that bailey right up off the ground"

"Lift that baby right up off the ground"

Cowgirl In The Sand

"Only love, now, to change your name"

"Old enough now to change your name"

- - - - - - - - - -

"After all the sin we've had, I was hopin' that we'd turn back"

"After all the sin we've had, I was hopin' that we'd turn bad"
   (** Disputed **)

Down By The River

"Down by the river I shot my gravy."

"Down by the river I shot my baby."

Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere

"Gotta get away from this Labor-day runnin' around"

"Gotta get away from this day-to-day runnin' around"

For The Turnstiles

"All the sailors with their seasick mamas
Singin' songs for ten Swiss tailors"

"Singin' songs for pimps with tailors"

- - - - - - - - - -

"All the great explorers are now in Granite Lake"

"All the great explorers are now in granite laid"

Heart Of Gold

"It's been in my mind, it's such a fine whine"

"...it's such a fine line"

Helpless

"Sweet comfort memory to spare"

"Sweet comfort memory despair"

Homegrown

1. "Clap that bell and let it ring"
2. "Plant that pill and let it ring"

"Plant that bell and let it ring"

I Am A Child

"I gave to you, Now you give to me..."

"God gave to you, Now you give to me..."

- - - - - - - - - -

"...fuck up my hair"

"...ruff up my hair"

Inca Queen

"Once there was an Inca Queen,
She gazed at her son, Lyle"

"She gazed at her sun dial"

- - - - - - - - - -

"Intraveneous drugs"

"Inca Queen has come"

- - - - - - - - - -

"Entertain us, entertain us, entertain us scum"

"Inca Queen has, Inca Queen has, Inca Queen has come"

Last Dance

"At nights, make it home by sundown"

"Headlights, make it home by sundown"

Long May You Run

"but we missed that ship on the long decline"

"but we missed that shift on the long decline"

The Loosing End

"It's so hard to make love fade, When you're on the losing end."

"It's so hard to make love pay, When you're on the losing end."

Lotta Love

" 'Cause my heart needs relatin', not solid food"

" 'Cause my heart needs relatin', not solitude"

Nowadays Clancy Can't Even Sing

1. "The night isn't black, it can only be screened."
2. "The night isn't black if you know that it's green."

"The line isn't black, if you know that it's green."

Ohio

"Tin soldiers and myxomotosis"

"Tin soldiers and Nixon's comin'"

Only Love Can Break Your Heart

"I have a friend I've never seen
He hides his head inside a tree"

"He hides his head inside a dream"

Ordinary People

"Two out of work models and a fashion slave,
Try to dance away their piccolo night."

"Try to dance away the Michelob night."

Pocahontas

"They massacred the buffalo, getting quarter from the bank"

"They massacred the buffalo, kitty corner from the bank"

Powderfinger

"When the first shot hit the dog, I saw it comin' "

"When the first shot hit the docks, I saw it comin' "

- - - - - - - - - -

1. "It's got numbers on the side, and a gun, and it's takin' me away"
2. "...and it's makin' me wait"
3. "...and it's makin' me wiz"

"...and it's makin' big waves"

- - - - - - - - - -

"Lookout yonda" (i.e., "yonder")

"Lookout Mama"

Revolution Blues

1. "I'm a barrel of laughs with my carbine arms"
2. "...with my car beams on"

"...with my carbines on"

Rockin' In The Free World

"There's a war outside and in my bed"

"There's a warning sign in the road ahead"

- - - - - - - - - -

1. "Don't feel like singin', but I am The Man"
2. "Don't feel like singin', but I am The Lamb"

"Don't feel like Satan, but I am to them"

Roll Another Number (for the road)

"Think I'll roll another number for the road,
I feel able to get under Emmylou"

"I feel able to get under any load"

Saddle Up The Palomino

"And I'm stuck out here with Melanie"

"And I'm stuck out here with melody"

Scenery

"Wierd things are useful only when you need them"

"Where things are useful only when you need them"

Sedan Delivery

"I'm making another delivery of chemicals to safety groups"

"I'm making another delivery of chemicals and sacred roots"

Surfer Joe And Moe The Sleaze

"We can smoke our bong and watch him ride the big one. "

"We can smoke garfong and watch him ride the big one."

Tell Me Why

Note:This is the mondegreen that started it all on the Rust List. Many rusties prefer the interpretive possibilities of the "wrong" lyric.
"Old enough to repaint, but young enough to sell"

"Old enough to repay, but young enough to sell"

Thrasher

"It was then I knew I'd had enough,
Burned my credit card for Euel" (i.e., Euel Gibbons)

"Burned my credit card for fuel"

- - - - - - - - - -

"Like Dinah Shores in shrines"

"Like dinosaurs in shrines"

Tonight's The Night

1. "Bruce Berry was a workin' man, he used to love that Econoline van"
2. "Gooseberry was a workin' man, he used to love that Econoline van"
3. "Bruce Berry was a workin' man, he used to loathe that Econoline van"
4. "Bruce Berry was a workin' man, he used to work that econoline band"
5. "Bruce Berry was a workin' man, he used to love the Billy Conily Band"

"Bruce Berry was a workin' man, he used to load that Econoline van"

- - - - - - - - - -

1. "If you never heard him sing, I guess you walked too soon"
2. "If you never heard him sing, I guess you'll want to soon"

"If you never heard him sing, I guess you won't too soon"

Welfare Mothers

"I do believe that love is free"

"Hard to believe that love is free"

Definition of mondegreen

From Jessica Ross's Mondegreen page.
Messed up, mis-heard lyrics have a semi-official name: Mondegreens.The term was coined in a 1954 Atlantic article by Sylvia Wright, in which Ms.Wright recalled hearing a folk song that went "They had slain the Earl of Morray and Lady Mondegreen." Actually, no one else was slain with the Earl of Morray, they had "laid him on the green." Thus, the Mondegreen was born.
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