I just realized that Rod Stewart was singing about playing pool - not frying food

[SamAdams76]

For years and years since about 1971, I've been listening to "Maggie May" by Rod Stewart. Well, not every minute of these past 49 years but at least 500 times I've heard that song either on the radio or from my music collection.

Not even my favorite Rod Stewart song but I've heard it probably the most out of the Rod Stewart songs on account of it being so popular and all. ("In A Broken Dream" is my favorite Rod Stewart song and he recorded it with a band that called themselves Python Lee Jackson).

So anyway, I've heard the song a bunch of times. And there is a verse in that song that I always heard like this:

I suppose I could collect my books and get on back to school
Or steal my daddy's cue and make a living out of frying food
Or find myself a rock and roll band that needs a helpin' hand

At least, that's the way I always heard it. But thanks to the Internet, I happened to look at the lyrics tonight and saw that the lyrics referred to "playing pool" and not "frying food"

Then I go to listen to the song again and I still hear "frying food" instead of "playing pool."

You should give it a listen for yourselves. I'm sticking with frying food - I don't care what the lyrics say. I think they call that a mondegreen.

Besides, Rod Stewart looks a little like Gordon Ramsay. I think they call that a doppelganger. So I say frying food - not playing pool.

[rlmorel]

Hahaha...shows how out of touch with pop culture I am, I didn’t know who that other guy in the side by side was...I thought it was a comparison...:)

It doesn’t really look like him, but with all the plastic surgery these people do, who knows these days!

[rlmorel]

I just spit my drink...

[mac_truck]

Here’s an acoustic version with Rod on vocals in case you still have doubts.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2CQ0FvAZuw

[UnwashedPeasant]

"Back when I was growing up, 'taking a cue' had a different meaning."

I think there is a double meaning intended for this song.

[John Milner]

I always thought the Monkees theme they said. “Went to Betsy singing, to put anybody down.” I didn’t know who Betsy was but there seemed to be a lot of popular songs where they threw in some random girls name.

Like “Just Give Me Some Calasandra” (Some kind of sign girl).

Those tinny transistor radios weren’t known for their high fidelity sound.

Lastly. On John Lennon’s version of Stand By Me, I SWEAR he sings, “The Moon is the only flying pussy.” I’ve told several people about that and now they say they can’t hear it any other way.

[John Milner]

When the Go Go’s song came out I heard it on the radio several times. Was talking to my buddy on the phone and he said “I really like that GoGo’s song, Our Lips are Sealed.”

I said, “I don’t know that one. I like Honest I See You.” Which he didn’t recognize.

It was Our Lips Are Sealed, but that’s how I heard it coming out of the radio.

[pepsi_junkie]

"'Scuse me while I kiss this guy..."

[higgmeister]

You should remember that the song "Mandolin Wind" was on the same album.   A Classic disc before they were compact.

[higgmeister]

Vivaldi : Concerto per mandolini RV558 (allegro molto)

You'll be pleased to notice the Zaftig mandolin player.   This piece moves me!

[precisionshootist]

That’s classic! lol

[21twelve]

Rush used a Mellotron on a few songs.

With regard to lyrics, in the Rush song “Bastille Day”,
those who don’t know their history hear Geddy Lee sing about “lemony cake”.

[MAAG]

How about Or steal my daddy’s q and make a living out of playing fool. Q as in IQ

[JohnnyP]

Hot legs, bring your mother, too!

[lefty-lie-spy]

>> It always sounded like “playing pool” to me, but I never liked his music.
I second this opinion. I never heard anything other than “playing pool’. And I don’t think I can name any other Rod Stewart song except Maggie May without hearing it again first.

[Tired of Taxes]

I don’t think I can name any other Rod Stewart song

Neither can I, but another freeper above posted a song I'd forgotten about - Stay With Me - which is good EXCEPT for the parts when Rod Stewart is singing. lol

[Fresh Wind]

You can bet they don’t play “Every Picture Tells a Story” on the radio anymore.

A song about donuts?

[Yaelle]

We Swifties have our own favorite misheards:

Starbucks lovers, I’m a Barbie on the boardwalk, 100 donut speeches I never said to you.

[sourcery]

I’ve always heard the words as “playing pool.”

[DeplorableGirl]

Dunno how you got frying food. First time I heard the song I heard it as playing pool. What do you fry with a cue?

[ronniesgal]

when my kids were little they heard “all your CoCo Puffs” (Santana) and “Broken Arms” instead of Steve Perry singing “open arms” So now i come to you, with broooken arms!