Making fun of music, one song at a time. Since the year 2000.
Check out the two amIright misheard lyrics books including one book devoted to misheard lyrics of the 1980s.
(Toggle Right Side Navigation)

Misheard Song Lyrics -> Stories -> Donovan

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!).


A Gift from a Flower to a Garden album at Amazon.com
Donovan's, "Catch The Wind"
The Misheard Lyrics:
Ah, but amazed, I'll try and catch the wind.
The Real Lyrics:
Ah, but I may as well try and catch the wind.
The Story: Nothing particularly humorous other than the incongruity of this song in the service of selling Volvos. I'd actually never heard it, to my recollection, until the recent ad. I originally thought a cover by Dylan was used, but it appears he never did it. I'm not sure who's singing in the ad, but doesn't sound like Donovan to me. - Submitted by: D Latimer
Donovan's, "Catch The Wind"
The Misheard Lyrics:
Ah, but amis I'll try and cache the wind.
The Real Lyrics:
Ah, but I may as well try and catch the wind.
The Story: I merrily sang the lyrics ' a la Marseillese' for more than 30 years without correction from any quarter or 'quartier' for that matter. Only when taking up the guitar late in life did I realise my mistake. 'Quelle horreure!'. - Submitted by: Gerry Burns
Donovan's, "Catch the Wind"
The Misheard Lyrics:
Ah, but I may as well try and catch the wind.
The Real Lyrics:
How could I miss, well try and catch the wind
The Story: Online lyrics sites seem to universally report as misheard. but they don't sound correct to me. These sites all seem to copy from each other. - Submitted by: DC
Donovan's, "Catch the Wind"
The Misheard Lyrics:
Ah, but I mereswell try and catch the wind.
The Real Lyrics:
Ah, but I may as well try and catch the wind.
The Story: I'm a diehard Donovan fan. Before we were married, my husband used this quote on a little love note to me. I couldn't help but giggle and ask him what the heck he thought THAT was supposed to mean and that he better get his Donovan lyrics right before he starts quoting them to me! We've been married 12 years and still giggle at this silly thing. - Submitted by: Toni S
Donovan's, "Hurdy Gurdy Man"
The Misheard Lyrics:
Thrown like a star in my vast sleep
I opened my eyes to take a pee
The Real Lyrics:
Thrown like a star in my vast sleep
I opened my eyes to take a PEEK
The Story: Summer of 69, Belmar Hotel, Belmar, N.J. - Submitted by: John Barbito
Donovan's, "Jennifer Juniper"
The Misheard Lyrics:
Geneva, je n'ai pas
The Real Lyrics:
Jennifer Juniper
The Story: It was used for a commercial in my country years ago, and - thanks to my then not so good understanding of spoken, or sung, English - I thought it was a song dedicated to a certain Geneva, with a French verse to follow. - Submitted by: Galerius
Donovan's, "Jennifer Juniper"
The Misheard Lyrics:
Lives on Putnam Hill
The Real Lyrics:
Lives upon the hill
The Story: Always thought it was 'Putnam Hill', so as an occasional visitor to London was overjoyed when I finally passed that way. Refrain became an earworm after that. Mild embarrassment once I read the lyrics just now. Still think 'Putnam Hill' is better - would have become a London classic like Waterloo Sunset. - Submitted by: Justin Goode
Donovan's, "Jennifer Juniper"
The Misheard Lyrics:
Yes verillo
The Real Lyrics:
Yes very low
The Story: The above was the subject of a heated but humorous debate between myself and my partner, resulting in much rummaging in dusty old cupboards & calls to equally ancient friends. I was determined to prove that 'Old hippies like Donovan used the word 'verillo''in the above context. Wrong after all as it turns out - in fact one could almost say VeriNo! or even 'EggOnFaceO' - Submitted by: D Pryde
Donovan's, "Mellow Yellow"
The Misheard Lyrics:
E-lec-a-tric-al banana
The Real Lyrics:
I like treacle banana
The Story: See above interview with Donovan 2015 He told us it was "I like treacle banana" And look up Country Joe and the Fish street theatre action, S.F. Cal 1967 - Submitted by: R.H.Pace
Donovan's, "Mellow Yellow"
The Misheard Lyrics:
Gonna have forever to fly
Wind check velocity nil
Gonna have forever to fly
If you watch Kung Power Phil.
The Real Lyrics:
Born-a high forever to fly
Wind-a velocity nil
Born-a high forever to fly
If you want your cup, I will fill.
The Story: I have a friend named Phil, and I always wondered if Donovan did too! - Submitted by: Demonpreyer
Donovan's, "Mellow Yellow"
The Misheard Lyrics:
Hello, they call me Mel O'Yellow
The Real Lyrics:
Yellow, they call me mellow yellow.
The Story: Someone told me he was Irish or Scottish. - Submitted by: craig erickson
Donovan's, "Mellow Yellow"
The Misheard Lyrics:
If you want your cow pie, Phil
The Real Lyrics:
If you want your cup, I'll fill.
The Story: I was a kid growing up in the country. What did I know? - Submitted by: craig erickson
Donovan's, "Mellow Yellow"
The Misheard Lyrics:
They call me Hello Bello
The Real Lyrics:
They call me Mellow Yellow
The Story: I heard this in a Hello Bello commercial that spoofs this song. - Submitted by: Cody Finke
Donovan's, "Mellow Yellow"
The Misheard Lyrics:
They call me Mellow Yellow (I can't breathe)
The Real Lyrics:
They call me Mellow Yellow (quite rightly)
The Story: The way I heard that whispery lyric, it was hard to tell what he actually said. - Submitted by: Cody Finke
Donovan's, "Mellow Yellow"
The Misheard Lyrics:
They call me man, oh yeah now.
The Real Lyrics:
They call me Mellow Yellow.
The Story: When this song came out, my daughter's aunt was a teenager. Being Chinese, this was the way Aunt Claudia heard the lyric. - Submitted by: John Groves
Donovan's, "Sunshine Superman"
The Misheard Lyrics:
Through the meadow green land Turningcott, you never know me.
The Real Lyrics:
Superman or Green Lantern ain't got nothin' on me.
The Story: I already submitted the lyrics once but didn't leave a story. So here's my story. I was about 7 when this song came out. I always wondered where the green meadows of Turningcott were. When I turned 55 I looked up the lyrics to Sunshine Superman. I laughed so hard. I also submitted to you what I thought "I can make like a turtle and dive for all the pearls in the sea" was. I thought the last half was "dive for the popular scene". I pictured some big undersea party. Hey, I was just a little girl. We have big imaginations. - Submitted by: Theresa
Donovan's, "There Is a Mountain"
The Misheard Lyrics:
The lark up on my garden eats a snail, that's what it is
The Real Lyrics:
The lock upon my garden gate's a snail, that's what it is
The Story: For years I was picturing a lark (a bird that does eat snails) eating a snail in this guy's garden. Then I realized it was a garden gate, but just the other day looked up the lyrics and it wasn't a lark at all! At least my original lyrics made some kind of sense! The real lyrics I don't get at all. - Submitted by: Joyce Calderone

There are more Donovan misheard lyrics available.

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.

Submissions!

Would you like to Submit some Misheard Lyrics for a song We're always looking for more entries.

Disclaimer

Disclaimer: amIright.com makes no claims to the accuracy of the correct lyrics. All correct lyrics are copyrighted, amIright.com does not claim ownership of the original lyrics.