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Misheard Song Lyrics -> Stories -> Procol Harum

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!).


Broken Barricades album at Amazon.com
Procol Harum's, "A Whiter Shade Of Pale"
The Misheard Lyrics:
One if six teen vestal virgins
The Real Lyrics:
One of sixteen vestal virgins
The Story: In ancient Rome, the Vestal Virgins or Vestals (Latin: Vestālēs, singular Vestālis [wɛsˈtaːlɪs]) were priestesses of Vesta, virgin goddess of Rome's sacred hearth and its flame. The Vestals were unlike any other public priesthood. They were chosen before puberty from a number of suitable candidates, freed from any legal ties and obligations to their birth family, and enrolled in Vesta's priestly college of six priestesses. They were supervised by a senior vestal but chosen and governed by Rome's leading male priest, the Pontifex maximus; in the Imperial era, this meant the emperor. Vesta's acolytes vowed to serve her for at least thirty years, to study and practise her rites in service of the Roman State, and to maintain their chastity throughout. As well as their obligations on behalf of Rome, Vestals had extraordinary rights and privileges, some of which were granted to no others, male or female. The Vestals took it in turns to supervise Vesta's hearth, so that at least one Vestal was stationed there at all times. Vestals who allowed the sacred fire to go out were punished with whipping. Vestals who lost their chastity were guilty of incestum, and were sentenced to living burial, a bloodless death that must seem voluntary. Their sexual partners, if known, were publicly beaten to death. These were very rare events; most vestals retired with a generous pension and universal respect. They were then free to marry, though few of them did. Some appear to have renewed their vows. In 382 AD, the Christian emperor Gratian confiscated the public revenues assigned to the cult of Vesta in Rome, and the Vestals vanish from historical record soon after. - Submitted by: Bill
Procol Harum's, "A Whiter Shade Of Pale"
The Misheard Lyrics:
That the face of Alice Ghostley
The Real Lyrics:
That her face, at first just ghostly,
The Story: I grew up watching Bewitched. Alice Ghostley was a regular guest-star on the program (she played the nervous witch, Esmeralda, who was always screwing up spells). I was still just a tot when Procol Harum released "Whiter Shade of Pale" in '67, but I paid attention to music and things like actors' names, so I knew who Alice Ghostley was. I was absolutely convinced Procol Harum was singing about the actress in that song. I STILL hear the lyric as "The face of Alice Ghostley" even though I know better. I kind of like it that way! - Submitted by: polly flinders
Procol Harum's, "A Whiter Shade Of Pale"
The Misheard Lyrics:
Turn to Wyatt Earp, Sheriff Pal. or (Sheriff Friend)
The Real Lyrics:
Turned a whiter shade of pale.
The Story: I sang the wrong lyrics for years up until high school, when a musician friend of mine started laughing at me when we discussed Whiter Shade of Pale as a song we were to play in our band, as I read the Lyrics I started laughing too, when I told him what I thought the lyrics were about Wyatt Earp! - Submitted by: Gabriel Borchsenius
Procol Harum's, "A Whiter Shade Of Pale"
The Misheard Lyrics:
We skipped a life and Dango
The Real Lyrics:
We skipped the light Fandango.
The Story: It was only forty years later that I discovered the true lyrics. - Submitted by: Bill Hayles
Procol Harum's, "A Whiter Shade Of Pale"
The Misheard Lyrics:
We skipped our lives and dangled
The Real Lyrics:
We skipped the light Fandango.
The Story: First heard this song on an oldies station around 1990 whilst in my teens,thought 'skipped our lives and dangled' meant being irresponsible or avoiding reality. - Submitted by: ShatteredVinyl
Procol Harum's, "A Whiter Shade of Pale"
The Misheard Lyrics:
And snowy was the maiden
The Real Lyrics:
And so it was that later
The Story: I just figured that the girl had a very pale complexion to begin with. - Submitted by: Gene Rzeczkowski
Procol Harum's, "A Whiter Shade of Pale"
The Misheard Lyrics:
One of sixteen vestal virgins was leaving for the coast, and although my eyes were opened, they might just as well been toast.
The Real Lyrics:
One of sixteen vestal virgins was leaving for the coast, and although my eyes were opened, they might just as well been closed.
The Story: I never knew the true words, until I heard the song covered by another group, as backup music in the closing credits of Sandra Bullock's film "The Net." - Submitted by: TIM MELLIN
Procol Harum's, "A Whiter Shade of Pale"
The Misheard Lyrics:
Then the face of Alice Ghostly
Turned a whiter shade of pale.
The Real Lyrics:
That her face, at first just ghostly
Turned a whiter shade of pale.
The Story: As a kid, I could never figure out why one of the many aunts on Bewitched was mentioned in this song. - Submitted by: Missy Jinks
Procol Harum's, "A Whiter Shade of Pale"
The Misheard Lyrics:
Turn to Wyatt Earp. Shake a pail.
The Real Lyrics:
Turned a whiter shade of pale
The Story: I thought these were the lyrics until my sophomore year of high school. My family was walking through the airport and this song came on and my dad said 'Whiter Shade of Pale - great song!' Suddenly it clicked and I said 'ohhhhh! Now it makes sense!' I had to explain myself and everyone laughed. - Submitted by: Holly
Procol Harum's, "Whiter Shade Of Pale"
The Misheard Lyrics:
That her face will burst your skull, Steve.
The Real Lyrics:
That her face, at first just ghostly.
The Story: In the car, CD player, heard the *weird* lyrics, and said 'This song's kind of surreal'. I was asked for an explanation, and so I asked about this crazy lyric. Everyone laughed, car swerved, hit another car. No one was hurt. Really funny though. - Submitted by: Bill Deal
Procol Harum's, "Whiter Shade Of Pale"
The Misheard Lyrics:
The groon was tubbing harder.
The Real Lyrics:
The room was humming harder.
The Story: Beleive it or not, this is genuine. It was my friend's sister who insisted those were the lyrics. - Submitted by: Peter Royle
Procol Harum's, "Whiter Shade Of Pale"
The Misheard Lyrics:
When we called out for a latrine
The waiter brought a tray.
The Real Lyrics:
When we called out for another drink
The waiter brought the tray.
The Story: I actually saw these misheard lyrics printed in a rock song book in the seventies. - Submitted by: Greg Benner
Procol Harum's, "Whiter Shade of Pale"
The Misheard Lyrics:
And so it was that later
As the melodrama's tale
That her face, at first just ghostly
Turned a whiter shade of pale
The Real Lyrics:
And so it was that later
As the miller told his tale
That her face, at first just ghostly
Turned a whiter shade of pale.
The Story: All through my life, listening to oldies stations, I thought it was "As the melodrama's tale" instead of "As the miller told his tale". That's what I thought it was when I was in high school and college. I really didn't find out the real lyrics until a few years ago (I'm 41 now). Actually though, I suppose melodrama's tale does make sense though, because "Whiter Shade Of Pale" is a sort of melodrama. (Note: definition of melodrama: a play interspersed with songs and orchestral music accompanying the action). "Leader Of The Pack" and "I Never Can Go Home Anymore" by the Shangri-Las, for instance, is considered to be a melodrama, as an oldies song. Haha. - Submitted by: Codi Preston D.
Procol Harum's, "Whiter Shade of Pale"
The Misheard Lyrics:
Skip a line and angle.
The Real Lyrics:
We skipped the light fandango.
The Story: It is like a geometry ballad with lines and angles. - Submitted by: Jade
Procol Harum's, "Whiter Shade of Pale"
The Misheard Lyrics:
When at 16, they're still virgins
The Real Lyrics:
One of 16 vestal virgins
The Story: Another song I've been singing my way for years, heard it live many times, and finally got a chance glimpse at the lyrics recently and learned that not only was I singing the wrong lyrics, Id been spelling the band name wrong for years, too, as 'Procul Harem' - Submitted by: Rhiannon Stone

There are more Procol Harum misheard lyrics available.

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