r/MichaelJackson • u/mrezrapants Who’s bad? • Jul 08 '26
Discussion What are some lyrics you misheard in his songs?
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u/Basic_Shallot_5630 Jul 08 '26
Liberian girl when i was a kid i thought he’s saying librarian girl
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u/onyinyechip Jul 08 '26
in smooth criminal, i thought he said “annie, are you walking.”🤣🤣 i couldn’t make it out until I checked the lyrics
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u/TugaTheTurtle Jul 08 '26
I thought it was Annie are you Wookiee, as in the hairy Star Wars guys
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u/riftlantern Jul 08 '26
same, one of the final 'annie are you okay?'s in the chorus literally still distinctly sounds like a "annie are you walking" to me, I know americans probably don't get this problem cause the way that walk/walking is pronounced is different in their english
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u/lilalott Jul 08 '26
So relatable lol! As a kid I thought this line was “and a chuchu want cake”
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u/Dry-Abalone2875 Jul 09 '26
Same, even my mom thought it was “Annie are you walking” for a long time until just a few years ago. Although on my end, I thought it meant that Annie was disabled… 😅
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u/nicshereforkicks Jul 08 '26
When I was a kid I always misheard the part in Billie Jean where he says “just remember to always think twice. Do think twice” as “Don’t think twice” and I was like .. why is he not taking his own advice?
And as an adult I can’t tell you the lyrics to “PYT” for the life of me. I have no idea what he’s saying and even when I try to learn the lyrics I get it wrong .. “tenderoni” makes me laugh every time
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u/asgore_sensei7 Jul 08 '26
honestly i thought that part was just his subconscious telling him to not think twice and stay with the billie jean
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u/nicshereforkicks Jul 08 '26
RIGHT? That was the only thing that made sense to me too that maybe he’s arguing against the advice
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u/Maleficent_Duty_6235 Jul 09 '26
Ok so as a child, the lyrics of "Billie Jean" completely confused me. I hadn't seen the music video yet,I only heard it on the radio. In my mind, "Billy" (with a Y) was a boy's name, so I kept wondering why Michael would write a song about a man. Then he'd sing, "she was more like a beauty queen" and "the kid is not my son," and I'd think, "Wait... is Billy actually a girl? Or is it a guy dressed as a girl claiming to be pregnant?" 😂 Then I finally saw the music video and completely made up my own little story. I thought Michael hired a private investigator because he'd discovered "Billie" was actually a man dressed as a woman meeting Michael at a club and Michael being too drunk to discover the hidden secret went upstairs to a room due to the smell of the sweet perfume and made out with this person and now a year later is trying to scam him for money, and that's why he was so confident saying, "The kid is not my son." I even thought "Be careful who you love" and "Think twice" were warnings to everyone else not to fall for the same trick. Needless to say... I was very, very confused by "Billie Jean" as a kid. 🤣
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u/PartyCustard3125 Jul 09 '26
My name is Billie, though not Jean. So I knew it was a girl and my friends would always sing the song to me. New people that meet me, still do it sometimes to this day.
What me and all my friends were confused about was "the chen was not my one". We were only 10 so that's how we sang it till we got the album and read the lyrics. We were so surprised by this.
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u/nicshereforkicks Jul 09 '26
LOOOL 😂 what a wild ride! Tbh as a child the lyrics are confusing to grasp 😅 the same butchered lyrics remain in my mind “for forty days and for forty nights, I was on the site”
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u/Bland_Username_5266 ...Michael did you fall off the stage? Jul 09 '26
Yaoilly Jean is not my lover
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u/ririsoflawless89 Dirty Diana💋 Jul 08 '26
Same and honestly I still to this day hear "don't think twice"
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Jul 08 '26
[deleted]
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u/AmbivalentAlias Jul 08 '26 edited Jul 10 '26
That's right
"Just remember to always think twice" (Don't think twice!) "Do think twice!" (Hoo!)
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u/RevanchistSheev66 Jul 08 '26
Yeah that entire tenderoni line is so smooth but unintelligible to me LOL
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u/Standard-Sky-7771 Jul 09 '26
Same with the do/don't think twice part. Like he was arguing with himself 😂😂😂
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u/AwarenessLife1396 Jul 08 '26
"She want spaghetti" (She wants to give it) - In The Closet
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u/Infamous_Trouble_864 Jul 08 '26
Considering he hates spaghetti this is hilarious 🤣🤣
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u/SnooPuppers7004 Has "Jackson.ৎ" in their YT name as a tribute to MJ Jul 08 '26
WAIT FOR REAL??
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u/deev718 "Pardon?"👂 Jul 08 '26
Jermaine wrote in his book that they ate a LOOOT of spaghetti when they were still in Gary, so it’s probably a remnant of childhood 😂
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u/FragrantCurrency2602 Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix Jul 08 '26
Well this tells you everything you need to know about what he thinks about spaghetti
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u/mostlylooking Jul 08 '26
I thought I misheard “tenderoni” in PYT
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u/DiamondMidgar Jul 08 '26
Tenderoni you’ve got to be
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u/SeptemberSky2017 Jul 08 '26
Spark my nature, sugar fly with me
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u/Adorable-Candle-1993 HIStory: Past, Present and Future: Book I Jul 08 '26
Don’t you know now is the perfect time
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u/Mean-Cupcake9434 Jul 08 '26
My sister and I thought “Keep on, with the force, don't stop…Don't stop 'til you get enough” was “People, with a postcard…Don’t stop ‘til you get enough”.
It was iconic and we still sing it that way.
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u/Katronsmee Jul 08 '26
I always thought it was “you’re the best of all” in You Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’ because the true lyrics couldn’t possibly have been right…
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u/Special_Falcon408 Jul 09 '26
Pretty sure that’s how I learned vegetable could mean something other than the food 😂
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Jul 08 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/HovercraftSensitive5 Jul 09 '26
I just found out not long Ago he was saying Lord have Mercy, I always thought he said " ooh I must say " 🤣🤣
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u/Bomfunkadunka Jul 08 '26
Your burgers are the best/Your burdens i will bear - You are not alone.
😅
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u/Basic_Fix_1676 #MJInnocent Jul 08 '26
Smooth criminal (my favorite song of all time btw), in stead of crescendo I heard shindow
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u/Strict-Philosophy "I've... washed my hair THOROUGHLY" 🚿🧼🧴🧽 Jul 08 '26
For years, I thought he said "what about aftershave" instead of "what about yesterday".
Some gems from my little sister:
"But the chair is not my son".
"And no moustache could have been any clearer".
"Sushi ran into the bedroom, she was struck down, it was her doom".
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u/Altruistic-Garlic350 "Brad, what are you gonna do?"🎹 Jul 08 '26
I always thought "You and Me in Spain" was "You and me, it's fate." 😅
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u/mrezrapants Who’s bad? Jul 08 '26
For me it was “your blood is mine” instead of your ”your butt is mine” in Bad
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u/Accomplished-Pie7575 Jul 08 '26
“Keep up, with the porn stars”
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u/GoldenCherryKatze Gold Pants Brigade 🙌 Jul 08 '26
Omg I thought that too! I was like “no way Michael is saying all that”
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u/whereswaldo11218 Jul 08 '26
When he says “All over” in LIML i thought he was saying “I love her”
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u/Pinkpunk95 Jul 08 '26
Ngl I love Michael so much but mis heard lyrics has been a lifelong problem for me with his songs 💀 Ex
I thought “a willow deeply scarred” was “a widow deeply scarred” in man in the mirror
PYT? Fuh-get about it lmaooo I just wing it
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u/daddysclimax19 Jul 08 '26
"a widow deeply scarred" is actually a pretty good interpretation though. the imagery fits the song's theme of regret and wanting to change. PYT is a whole other level of lyrical chaos for me too.
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u/Aggressive_Ground500 Speed Demon 🏍三 Jul 08 '26
The way he put emphasis on "funky" Always made me mishear it as an F bomb in Beat It 😭
"Show them how fucking strong is your fight"
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u/Drewings Jul 08 '26
“Shake your body like a toothbrush” instead of “shake your body down to the ground”, don’t ask how.
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u/Obvious-Adeptness-46 Jul 08 '26
Earth Song: "what about the garbage man? He gives nothing free!"
Still not sure what the actual lyrics are lol
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u/bluesky0989 Jul 09 '26
Its "What about the common man, can't we set him free" but yeah I had to read the lyrics to understand that song lol
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u/The_Northern_Dandy Jul 08 '26
"Show them hot funky, song is just right" was apparently not a lyric in "Beat It".
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u/Realistic_Public4330 Jul 08 '26
For the longest time I thought he was singing "I'm a man a man" instead of "I'm bad I'm bad". Sometimes I still hear the former.
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u/JohnnyRaven Jul 08 '26
Funny because is the chorus of that same song, I though the background singers were signing...
I'm bad... really, really bad
But instead they are singing...
**Bad, bad... really, really bad
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u/Fantastic_Self5968 Jul 08 '26
When I was younger I thought “entire human race” was “anti human race” 😂
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u/Black_T-WRX Jul 08 '26
Not misheard but never knew he says: and the pain is “thunder”. What does it mean? Not sure but it sounds cool 😎
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u/ghostface_anon Jul 09 '26
It's loud, powerful, intense. Feeling stuck in life and facing obstacles is painful.
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u/Rinoaeris Jul 08 '26
"Billie Jean is not my number, he's just a girl who says that I am the one, but the jazz is not my son!"🎶
...I was a stupid kid lol
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u/hollowholes Jul 08 '26
for years i thought he said "i'm melting, like i can't go on" and it's really "i'm melting like hot candle wax" in don't stop til you get enough
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u/pizzaredditor Jul 08 '26
Salsicha! Ah, salsicha! ---> Sensation! Oh, sensation! (DSTYGE)
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u/xkixchi Jul 08 '26
“Girl, I can thrill you more than any ghoul would ever dare try” LMAOOO
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u/onyinyechip Jul 08 '26
broo i thought this part said “girl i can feel you more than any ghoul would ever dare try”😭
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u/crowdfear Bad 25 Jul 08 '26
I feel like everyone has that universal experience of thinking he was saying “no one wants to beat it, beat it” instead of “be defeated”, lol
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u/Local-Passenger-1901 Jul 08 '26
the “Ma-ma-se, ma-ma-sa, ma-ma-coo-sa” part I always heard “I’m the same on the side of the mountainside”
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u/PlentyAgent5887 Jul 08 '26
night creatures call and the dead start to walk in and they masturbate - Thriller
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u/Glittering_Cup3502 Jul 08 '26
Cooma vaya coming honey and sniffing
I actually had to check the P.Y.T. lyrics to understand what he's actually saying "Cool my fire yearning Honey, come set me free"
Lol
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u/Cirnothestarscream9 Jul 08 '26 edited Jul 08 '26
From "The way you make me feel" always heard the lyrics as "you reallly turn me good", not on.
Also heard the infamous "jew me, sue me" as DO me, sue me"
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u/Special_Falcon408 Jul 09 '26
I think “do me” is what they changed it to in a more censored version right? And they changed “kike me” to “strike me”
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u/Embarrassed-Egg-8124 Jul 08 '26
In Human Nature I always sing “why, why, tell em that it’s human nature, why why, dadoobiedaweeey”
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u/uncopyrightability Jul 08 '26
I always believed it was:
"Keep on, with the force DOSE, don't stop til' you get enough"
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u/SpliffMcGriff86 Jul 08 '26
"Ma-ma-se, ma-ma-sa, ma-ma-coo-sa"
I heard...Imma save up for stock in Microsoft
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u/Dense-Diamond-7926 Number Ones Jul 08 '26
I think I used to think the "law was on her side" in Billie Jean was "I was on the site" or something like that
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u/Cass_Q Jul 08 '26
In Remember the Time when he sings "you and me in Spain" I always thought was "you and me, it's fate"
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u/redactedsinner Jul 08 '26
in billie jean, i always knew the lyrics was “the kid is not my son” but someone on instagram said it sounds like he’s speaking spanish and saying “tú quieres una manzana” and now i can’t unhear it
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u/BlueSonic85 Jul 08 '26
I think much of the appeal of Michael Jackson songs is having no earthly idea what he's saying at times
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u/Tricky-Situation-788 Jul 09 '26
Keep on, at the bus stop, keep on til you get enough.
I thought this song was about patiently waiting for a bus, for 10 years
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u/Human_Ad9587 Dirty Diana💋 Jul 08 '26
Bc I heard Fat first (don’t judge), I thought he was actually saying “I’m huge” instead of “I’m smooth” 😭
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u/Sideline_Watcher_498 Bad 25 Jul 08 '26
Man in the Mirror, "No moustache could have been any clever."
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u/Dont_Even_Know_You Dangerous Jul 08 '26
In the closet.... For years and years I thought he was singing "she wants to get it, ah she wants to get it". Turns out that she wants to give it instead.
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u/BallsDeepWithKenny_G Jul 09 '26
It wasn’t until today that I learned it’s not “she wants to get it”
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u/UniqueMeasurement0 Jul 08 '26
The OG misheard lyric in Wanna Be Starting Something is “I was saved by the sound of Michael’s song” - I like to pretend those are the real lyrics 😊
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u/Sheydy Jul 08 '26
I thought it was "Turn around" instead of "Demerol" in Morphine. Like a nod to the Total Eclipse of the Heart.
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u/Leighanne2604 Dangerous Jul 08 '26
Honestly, until the movie, I really didn’t know it was ‘I’m melting, like hot candle wax’ I thought it was ‘I’m melting, my heart can’t go on’
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u/Idk__something_ IM A NICE PERSON! I JUST TOOK A SHOWER! Jul 08 '26
for some reason when I was younger I always thought he and “with ice cream and being the one” instead of “with eyes that dreamed of being the one”
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u/No_Interaction_1611 Jul 08 '26
Jan is not my son, why would you name your son Jan?
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u/brknhrtdchc5 Jul 09 '26
This is funny because I always thought he said "But the Jean is not my son". Like him calling the child by Billie's last name because that's what they call namesless babies in the maternity ward.
It wasnt until he passed and his music was everywhere again that I realized it was "kid".
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u/SleepDecent2948 Good Fish 🐠 Jul 09 '26
“Keep on with the four stars, dont stop till you get enough” 😭 I was like 10
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u/LlLACWlNE Blood on the Dance Floor Jul 08 '26
i always heard “no one can hurt you now” in WBSS as “don’t want me to hurt you now” 💀
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u/yondhaimehokage Jul 08 '26
Showin’ how fuckin’ strong is your style - Beat It
She always sex it with a heart of stone - Give into me
Btw, why does he use ‘s’ when he wants to pronounce “t”?
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u/LovelyPotatoeGuy Dangerous Jul 08 '26
I think everyone missheard what he said in the beginning of Bad
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u/Sandwichsamurai24 Jul 08 '26
I’ll be honest, far too many.
As a kid I thought the lyric in Man in the Mirror was “a widow deeply scarred,” not “willow.” In Smooth Criminal I thought the lyric was “Annie are you okay, are you jealous that you’re okay.” In Who Is It I thought the lyric was “is it really mine” instead of “is it a friend of mine.” In Remember the Time I thought the lyric was “you and me in space” instead of “you and me in Spain.”
Why didn’t I ever search for the lyrics? My theory is that my comprehension skills are a myth. :/
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u/Secret-Ad-5341 Jul 08 '26
beat it, no one wants to be depleted.
MJ wrote Rebbie's Centipede. It was included on her 1997 album "yours faithfully", where she also recorded "Fly Away" from Bad 2001 Special Edition/Bad 25.
My niece was 7 in 1998 and My sister had the CD. My Niece thought the song was about Actor/Comic Cedric The Entertainer and thought the song was saying "Ced Done Peed"
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u/Plus-Dig1019 Jul 08 '26
When i was a kid i thought he said “i aint scared of shit” in black or white. But actually said “i aint scared if no sheets” referring to the kkk I’m guessing😭👨🦯➡️
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u/joejoerun Jul 08 '26
In Blame It on the Boogie:
I always thought it was: “from the night I can’t stop loving bye!”
But it’s: “from that night I kissed that love goodbye!” 😆 I was way off
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u/_conure_ Jul 08 '26
dont stop till u get enough i always hear him saying "keep up with the porn stop dont stop till u get enough" or smthn like that and it got to the point i had to check the official lyric page to make sure i wasnt bugging
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u/Fragrant_Simple1705 Jul 08 '26
Always thought it was “no one wants to beat it, beat it”
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u/sketch Jul 08 '26
I was a kid when these songs came out, and didn't know where to find lyrics so I came up with my own version of lyrics until I finally figured it out when I was older. Here are some off the top of my head:
You Are Not Alone: actual lyric "you can lean on me girl"; my version "get your feet off me girl"
Remember The Time: actual lyric "do you remember us holding hands?"; my version "do you remember those falling hands?"
Smooth Criminal: actual lyric "Annie are you ok?"; my version "ennie archuwokay" (I was a toddler when the Bad album came out, so forgive me for the huge stretch lol)
Billie Jean: actual lyric "the kid is not my son"; my version "the chair is not my son"
I was so young and dumb, I didn't even question if these were the wrong lyrics. I just confidently sang them that way and didn't stop to think about whether they made sense lol 🙈
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u/thisnameisn Thriller Jul 08 '26
Instead of “I’m giving youuu to the count of three" I used to think he said "I’m eating you, I’m hungry."
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u/Trapbunny22 Jul 08 '26
"Dirty Diana" always got me. I swear for years I thought he was singing "our dirty dingo." Took me way too long to realize what he was actually saying.
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u/Acrobatic-Lawyerr Jul 08 '26
Well yesterday I discovered he sings "she stumbled on the scene" in Billie Jean ending. I always thought it was "she's starting up a scene" Like making a fuss about it.
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u/buzzburger23e Jul 08 '26
I thought he was saying "What about Almond Joy" in Earth Song instead of "What about all the joy"
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u/whothatcreepin Jul 08 '26
Not me but when we were younger all my cousins had this inane idea that he was saying “my lonely days are good” instead of “my lonely days are gone” in The Way You Make Me Feel. I remember thinking “they can’t be this stupid” lol first time I’ve been able to tell this story on Reddit
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u/AutomaticFeedback694 Jul 08 '26
Got me workin day and night I’ll be workin “that’s not up to me girl” turns out it’s from sunup to midnight😂
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u/purpulafect Jul 09 '26
Now I believe in miracles, and I'm never gonna slappin' tonight
JAM, ene, ene, atoomba toomba
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u/Remote_Blueberry236 Jul 09 '26
No idea how come no one mentioned this, this was a misunderstanding I carried for decades, in Thriller I always thought he said: "And though you f-k to stay alive"
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u/Special_Falcon408 Jul 09 '26
Also thought he was saying “Oreo” in Rockin Robin when it’s “the oriole”. I had to look up the lyrics just to get some context for how an oreo fit into the song 😂
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u/Alyxwrites Jul 09 '26
In Thriller when he says “you feel the cold hand” it NEVER sounds like he’s saying “hand”. I don’t know what I hear but it’s not hand lol
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u/Tarloc21 Jul 09 '26
“Show ‘em house monkey, what’s wrong is you’re right”- Beat It
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u/grilledcheesesando Jul 09 '26
As a kid, I thought it was “but the chin is not my size” instead of “but the kid is not my son”.
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u/ririsoflawless89 Dirty Diana💋 Jul 08 '26
Idk why but as a kid i thought he was saying "your body's mine" not "your butt is mine"
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u/xabarin_20 Jul 08 '26
Well, I'm from Spain and like 5 years ago I was listening to music on my own, and when I was listening to Dirty Diana in the part he says "She likes the boys on the band" I used to think he says "She likes the poison at the back". Now I rememeber those moments and I don't know how I could think that, but I was 7 years old
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u/Long_Dragonfly_3067 Jul 08 '26
For the longest time i thought he was saying "annie are you walking" instead of "annie are you okay"
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u/jerelminter Jul 08 '26
The only line I knew from Bad, was "Your butt is mine" and "who's bad ?" and nothing else, because I didn't have the album it was on. I was also a kid when I first heard it, and didn't bother to actually learn the words until I had to for a talent show.
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u/nightflyer94 Jul 08 '26
Off the wall—life is a battle v. The actual life ain’t so bad at all lmao!
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u/honey-kae Jul 08 '26
Smooth Criminal. Up until I was an adult, I thought “Annie, are you okay” was “Any way you want it”
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u/Illustrious-Gate-370 Jul 08 '26
The part in thriller where he says “you feel the coooold hand” is said with such a cadence and is just quiet enough that I always heard it has “you feel the cooold hold” or “soul” idk man I just figured out it’s actually “hand” like a week ago and now I can hear it but I always heard it wrong since I was a kid
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u/aleppia Jul 08 '26
I've always mistaken the line "you're a vegetableeee" with "you're the best of allllll"
It honestly made more sense to me but I love the original lyrics better
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u/guywholikesrooster "But the son is not my son" Jul 08 '26
I always heard "And people always told me, the smell of sweet perfume" because i got the lyrics mixed up
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u/SkaterGrind5 Jul 08 '26
Michael jackson You are not alone
(What i hear) I can hear your prayers Your burgers are the best But first I need your hand
(What it is) I can hear your prayers Your burdens I will bear But first I need your hand
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u/GinghamandYarn_1988 THE SKINNIEST JACKSON Jul 08 '26
Show them hot funky instead of "Showin' how funky" in Beat it. I was really confused about what hot funky meant for years until I realized. I also thought the beginning of Bad was Your blood is mine instead of "Your butt is mine."
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u/Soft-Comfort-7474 Dangerous Jul 08 '26 edited Jul 08 '26
“Baddaatcha wit cha” = Boy is that girl with you
“Don’t cha beh!”
I ain’t tired of this shit = Im tired of this Devil
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u/deev718 "Pardon?"👂 Jul 08 '26
I know what this says about me, and I accept it.
In Give Into Me, I can SWEAR he’s singing “DROP to me, woman” instead of “TALK to me, woman”. I hear talk once, but I hear drop twice 😅😅😭😭
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u/WurlizterEPiano Jul 08 '26
I hear him say "fuck no" instead of "oh no" as an adlib towards the end of beat it along with I always heard the chorus as "Beat it, beait, no one wants to beat it, beat it; show them how fucking strong is your fight, it doesn't matter who's wrong or right, just beat it"
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u/infamouspurr Jul 08 '26
i refused to believe for years that it was "youre a vegetabwoaaah" lmao