Mondegreens

A mondegreen is the mishearing (usually accidental) of a phrase in such a way that it acquires a new meaning.

 

The American writer Sylvia Wright coined it in an essay "The Death of Lady Mondegreen", which was published in Harper's Magazine in Nov. 1954.

She wrote:

 

    When I was a child, my mother used to read aloud to me from Percy's Reliques.  One of my favorite poems began, as I remember:

 

        Ye Highlands and ye Lowlands,
        Oh, where hae ye been?
        They hae slain the Earl Amurray, [sic]
        And Lady Mondegreen.

 

The last line is actually "Laid him on the green."

 

The Archive of Misheard Lyrics has many misheard popular song lyrics at: http://kissthisguy.com/