Monde Green

Misheard words.

What is the etymology of "MondeGreen"?

Writer Sylvia Wright listened to a Scottish ballad called The Bonny Earl of Murray which she thought included this line: "They hae slay the Earl of Murray, and Lady Mondegreen." Later she learned that instead of "Lady Mondegreen" it was "laid him on the green."

She then began to collect similar mishearings and in 1954 published an article about them, and coined the word "Mondegreen."

Thirty years after her death, a columnist in San Francisco discovered the term, and released it into the wild.

Usually with song lyrics, but can be anytime someone hears something other than the intended words.

Example: 'Scuse me while I kiss the sky. -- 'Scuse me while I kiss this guy. Jimi Hendrix - Purple Haze. (Note: Apparently Jimi played on this MondeGreen and worked it into his live performances.)

dawn's early light -- donzerly light

there's a bad moon on the rise -- there's an out-house on the right

gladly the cross I'd bear -- "Gladly", the Cross-eyed Bear

And what about: "Some people call me Maurice, 'cause I speak of the pompatus of love"

That's exactly what Steve Miller said. Not misheard.

Sorry, but it is a MondeGreen, by Steve Miller himself. The Joker is in reference to his own song Enter Maurice which inaccurately reuses a couple lines from The Letter written by Vernon Green. The Letter has the line "... and discuss the puppetutes of love." Puppetutes was coined by Vernon to mean a secret paper-doll fantasy figure.

Therefore, pompatus (or pompitous) is a MondeGreen for the made up word puppetutes.

Big Ol Jet in a Light House -- Big Ol Jet Air Liner

Don't it make your brown eyes blue -- Donuts make your brown eyes blue

see:

EditText of this page (last edited July 30, 2003) or FindPage with title or text search