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Misheard Song Lyrics -> Stories -> Counting Crows
Misheard lyrics (also called mondegreens) occur when people misunderstand the lyrics in a song. These are NOT intentional rephrasing of lyrics, which is called parody. For more information about the misheard lyrics available on this site, please read our FAQ.
This page contains a list of the songs that have stories about their misheard lyrics submitted.
Song names are sorted by first letter, excluding A and The. This is sorted by song title only, not by song title and performer. So if two different performers preformed the same song, you'll see misheard lyrics for both on the same page (provided the song title was spelt the same both times, and misheard lyrics have been submitted for both!).
Accidentally in Love album at Amazon.com
Counting Crows', "Big Tellow Taxi"
The Misheard Lyrics:
Pink pair of dice to put in a parking lot.
The Real Lyrics:
They paved paradise, and put in a parking lot.
The Story: I thought the song was about a dude sitting in his car in a parking lot with a pink pair of fuzzy dice he got from his girlfriend that dumped him - Submitted by: im me
Counting Crows', "Big Tellow Taxi"
The Misheard Lyrics:
They made paradise to put off our f*cking life
The Real Lyrics:
They paved paradise, and put in a parking lot.
The Story: I was so angry hearing this group cursing on the radio while the background of angelic women kept singing "Pup, Pup, Pup" that I changed the station everytime I heard the song. Once I commented it with a co-worker who told me "this is not what they sing" and gave me the correct lyrics... - Submitted by: andy
Counting Crows', "Big Yellow Taxi"
The Misheard Lyrics:
Don't it always seem to go,
That you don't know what you've got till it's gone
If you love paradise, you'll put up a f*cking life.
That you don't know what you've got till it's gone
If you love paradise, you'll put up a f*cking life.
The Real Lyrics:
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you got till it's gone
They paved paradise and put up a parkin' lot
That you don't know what you got till it's gone
They paved paradise and put up a parkin' lot
The Story: I loved this song, but I never sang it because I thought the lyrics were obscene. Then I heard my dad singing it just recently and I learned the real lyrics. - Submitted by: FunnyBiz
Counting Crows', "Big Yellow Taxi"
The Misheard Lyrics:
Great big paradise and put up a f***ing love.
The Real Lyrics:
They paved paradise, and put up a parking lot.
The Story: I always wondered why my friend's mom liked playing this song for her daughter and me (We were 9) so much when there was clearly a swear word in it. - Submitted by: Sophie
Counting Crows', "Big Yellow Taxi"
The Misheard Lyrics:
Hey, paradise, put back the funk in life.
The Real Lyrics:
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot.
The Story: I never realized I was wrong until somebody asked me if I knew the song that said, "They paved paradise and put up a parking lot" I was like, "Oh, is that what that said?" - Submitted by: Karlab=nna
Counting Crows', "Big Yellow Taxi"
The Misheard Lyrics:
I don't care about spots on the owls.
The Real Lyrics:
I don't care about spots on my apples.
The Story: I couldn't figure out why the EPA was allowing people to tear down trees, home to the protected spotted owl and replace them with parking lots. Or maybe the singer just prefers birds and bees over owls. Anyway, who gives a hoot?? - Submitted by: Gregory Costa
Counting Crows', "Big Yellow Taxi"
The Misheard Lyrics:
If it ain't paradise, then put up a parking lot.
The Real Lyrics:
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot.
The Story: I was bopping through the office humming and singing the song and my co-worker started busting a gut! He couldn't convince me I was wrong. This happened just last month. - Submitted by: chelle
Counting Crows', "Big Yellow Taxi"
The Misheard Lyrics:
It aint paradise till you put up a parking lot
The Real Lyrics:
They paved paradise, and put up a parking lot
The Story: I've always thought it was some profound lyric on how society exploits the beauty of nature. - Submitted by: Dmoney
Counting Crows', "Big Yellow Taxi"
The Misheard Lyrics:
It paid paradise to put up with f***ing love.
The Real Lyrics:
They paved paradise, and put up a parking lot.
The Story: I was listening to this when I was little. Then I asked my mother, "Why do they say f**king love?" My mother couldn't talk for almost 5 minutes. She was so surprised. - Submitted by: Casey
Counting Crows', "Big Yellow Taxi"
The Misheard Lyrics:
It's a true paradise and put up a funky lie.
The Real Lyrics:
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot.
The Story: I was singing this song in the car when my mom heard me and told me that I wasn't singing the right words. She was about to tell everyone in my family but we couldn't stop cracking up laughing! - Submitted by: Amanda
Counting Crows', "Big Yellow Taxi"
The Misheard Lyrics:
Made big paradise and put up a f***ing love.
The Real Lyrics:
They paved paradise, and put up a parking lot.
The Story: I was in the car with a friend and her mother. Her mother was going on about how much she loved the song and how great it was. I was very puzzled because I could not imagine any reason why a mother would enjoy listening to a song with (misheard) lyrics like this! - Submitted by: Sophie
Counting Crows', "Big Yellow Taxi"
The Misheard Lyrics:
Pink paradise put on a parking lot
The Real Lyrics:
They paved paradise and put up a parkin' lot
The Story: I heard this song played in a movie of Hugh Grant and Sandra Bullock a long time ago...I like the beat so I always sing it never bothering to check the lyrics until now hehe... - Submitted by: Nat
Counting Crows', "Big Yellow Taxi"
The Misheard Lyrics:
The pink paradise and put out a f***ing lie.
The Real Lyrics:
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot.
The Story: When I first heard this version of the song, I knew they couldn't be saying what I heard (no radio would play a song with lyrics like that), so I had to find out what the lyrics really were. - Submitted by: Wade
Counting Crows', "Big Yellow Taxi"
The Misheard Lyrics:
They came out at night and put up a parking lot.
The Real Lyrics:
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot.
The Story: It was actually my father, who was singing it to my mother, then she started laughing. Ironically, the song was mentioned the next morning in the newspaper, with that particular line included. - Submitted by: Samm Lutes
Counting Crows', "Big Yellow Taxi"
The Misheard Lyrics:
They paved paradise, put up the funkin' lights.
The Real Lyrics:
They paved paradise, and put up a parking lot.
The Story: I heard this song on the radio and I was wondering what song this was so I kept on searching for funkin' lights and looking for the resulting lyrics. I didn't get the correct song title and artist until I came to this website by accident. - Submitted by: Tristan
Counting Crows', "Big Yellow Taxi"
The Misheard Lyrics:
To reach paradise, put up a f***ing life.
The Real Lyrics:
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot.
The Story: I was listening to this song on the radio, and then I was surprised that they let cuss words so freely in songs now. - Submitted by: Sean
Counting Crows', "Mr Jones"
The Misheard Lyrics:
Mr. Jones let me
The Real Lyrics:
Mr. Jones and me
The Story: I always wondered what he wanted Mr. Jones to let him do, until I finally asked my friends after years. They couldn't stop laughing. Now I wonder who Mr. Jones really is!? - Submitted by: Melissa
Counting Crows', "Mr Jones"
The Misheard Lyrics:
She dances rockets for the place
She's suddenly beautiful.
She's suddenly beautiful.
The Real Lyrics:
She dances while his father plays guitar
She's suddenly beautiful.
She's suddenly beautiful.
The Story: I thought maybe 'dances rockets' was a neat euphemism for being a stripper. - Submitted by: KPJ
Counting Crows', "Mr. Jones"
The Misheard Lyrics:
Mr.'s trollin' me
The Real Lyrics:
Mr. Jones and me
The Story: This was a legitimate mishear; I hadn't heard of Jimmy Fallon's performance yet.
Nonetheless, I may or may not do a full parody anyway (about trolliNG though, not dolls)
[Editor's note to the submitter: The text entered in the miscellaneous field does get published, but perhaps you weren't looking in the right place. The text entered in the "miscellaneous" field appears only below the original lyrics in the archive by artist, archive by song, and archive by category. It may take a few days for a misheard lyric to get added to the archives, even after it appears on the new misheard lyrics page.] - Submitted by: Macaroni Man
Nonetheless, I may or may not do a full parody anyway (about trolliNG though, not dolls)
[Editor's note to the submitter: The text entered in the miscellaneous field does get published, but perhaps you weren't looking in the right place. The text entered in the "miscellaneous" field appears only below the original lyrics in the archive by artist, archive by song, and archive by category. It may take a few days for a misheard lyric to get added to the archives, even after it appears on the new misheard lyrics page.] - Submitted by: Macaroni Man
There are more Counting Crows misheard lyrics available.
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