<P> A mondegreen / ˈmɒndɪɡriːn / is a mishearing or misinterpretation of a phrase as a result of near - homophony , in a way that gives it a new meaning . Mondegreens are most often created by a person listening to a poem or a song ; the listener , being unable to clearly hear a lyric , substitutes words that sound similar and make some kind of sense . American writer Sylvia Wright coined the term in 1954 , writing about how as a girl she had misheard the lyric `` ... and laid him on the green '' in a Scottish ballad as `` ... and Lady Mondegreen '' . </P>
<P> A mondegreen / ˈmɒndɪɡriːn / is a mishearing or misinterpretation of a phrase as a result of near - homophony , in a way that gives it a new meaning . Mondegreens are most often created by a person listening to a poem or a song ; the listener , being unable to clearly hear a lyric , substitutes words that sound similar and make some kind of sense . American writer Sylvia Wright coined the term in 1954 , writing about how as a girl she had misheard the lyric `` ... and laid him on the green '' in a Scottish ballad as `` ... and Lady Mondegreen '' . </P>
what 's it called when you change the lyrics of a song
what 's it called when you change the lyrics of a song
A mondegreen
A mondegreen