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Misheard Song Lyrics -> Stories -> Jimmy Cliff

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!).


Anthology album at Amazon.com
Jimmy Cliff's, "My Ancestors"
The Misheard Lyrics:
Hawaiian Sisters
Mayan Sisters
The Real Lyrics:
My Ancestors
The Story: Jimmy Cliff's work is rich in political and social commentary. When I first heard it on a Jimmy Cliff playlist, I thought it was an homage to Hawaiian Reggae but the date of the song and the popularity of reggae in Hawaii didn't line up.
Then I thought it might be in reference to and in solidarity with the independence movements in British Honduras (now Belize) where Mayan civilization was located. The independence movements in the British colonies throughout the Caribbean were happening around that time. But it didn't align with the rest of the song lyrics and was a really obtuse reference to New World pre-Columbiana culture. - Submitted by: Tom
Jimmy Cliff's, "Shelter of Your Love"
The Misheard Lyrics:
Run for the shelter up your nose
The Real Lyrics:
Run for the shelter of your love
The Story: I heard it while watching "Cocktail" with my then-fiancé. When I told him what I heard we proceeded to keep singing it that way. - Submitted by: Heather Snodgrass
Indexes: [#] [A] [B] [C] [D] [E] [F] [G] [H] [I] [J] [K] [L] [M] [N] [O] [P] [Q] [R] [S] [T] [U] [V] [W] [Y] [Z]

New entries in this section are currently reviewed by Brian Kelly. Previous editors (if any) are listed on the editors page.

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