Learn Something New Every Day

I think it’s true that you learn something new every day.  Most of the time, we learn from our local newspaper or radio. We discover what restaurants are opening, what the covid numbers are, or who was arrested for some crime. Once in a while, I learn something that makes me realize that I’ve been wrong about some “fact” or other for years.  This week, I learned something that I not only haven’t known for decades but have been totally wrong about!

               I’ve always enjoyed music and love to sing along in the car (or shower) to my favorite songs. There are a few songs that defy accurate lyric singing, so for those I just “do-do” along until we get to parts I know.  I’m not sure anyone really knows the lyrics to Jumpin’ Jack Flash.  Other than “jumpin’ jack flash, it’s a gas, gas, gas,” of course.  So we just croon along, making up words to that one. I suppose I could look up the lyrics, but I’m not sure it would help me that much.

               I do have a friend who sang “there’s a bathroom on the right” for a long time to Bad Moon Rising.  That always tickled me, since the correct words are practically in the title!  Apparently, that’s a pretty common mistake.

               My husband had a friend in high school who happily sang along to the Supremes’ Stop! In the Name of Love.   But she sang, “Stop! In the Neighborhood,” which makes sense lyrically, but still.  It’s the title, for heaven’s sake! And it’s really not that hard to hear, is it?

               There was a song popular when I was in college that had a refrain that went, “I wanna know have you ever seen the rain?”  Many of my dorm-mates would sing along to this, but they sang, “I wanna know have you ever seen Lorraine?”  This didn’t make sense at all, considering the rest of the lyrics.  Again, the words being in the title made me think they might have been doing this on purpose.

               None of these gaffs are as embarrassing as mine last week, though.  I was babysitting my grandson and we were watching a popular babies’ video.  (I learned there are popular videos for babies, that day, too.  Who knew?) These animated and colorful folks sing all kinds of songs, with close captioning even. This is the one that has “Baby Shark Do Do Do Do Do.”  Maybe you’ve heard of this. It’s the Barney of this generation, I think.

               Anyway, I was happily singing along to the old standby “London Bridges.” I was belting it out to my little guy, making him giggle and coo and then it happened!  I glanced at the close captioning and did a triple take.  For over 50 years, I have been singing:  “London bridges, falling down.”  I thought that all the bridges in London were falling down. So that’s what I’ve been singing.  But it turns out that the correct lyric is “London Bridge is falling down.”

               My husband says that there is only the one “London Bridge,” and that’s the one bridge that’s falling down.  I guess I should have figured it out a long time ago. While I may learn something new every day, thank goodness, it’s not always embarrassing!