...and on the eighth day God created the horse in perfect image to romp, graze, gallop, play and make manure wherever it darn well pleases, in divine grace.

Take the common oat, Avena Sativa. It is an annual plant grown in temperate climates that produces a grain with a wide variety of uses.

People and animals alike enjoy them for breakfast. We like rolled oats, oat meal or oat muffins with butter, while horses like them straight from the pod.

So how’d this happen?:

“Mairzy doats and dozy doats

and liddle lamzy divey,

Kiddley divey too,

wooden shoe?”

My late Grandfather, Jerome Staab, loved to sing that song, beer in hand, and he could be heard throughout the day at his summer cottage, singing the happy lyrics.

He’d raise his eyebrows in question before launching into a repeat.

This is actually known as a “Mondegreen,” or a misinterpretation, a mis-hearing, of a phrase or song as a result of similar-sounding words. The words all come together to form a new word with a new or similar meaning.

Often they are created by people listening to songs on the radio who can’t understand the lyrics. They substitute their own words into the song to make them fit.

The unintentional incorrect use of similar-sounding words is called “Malapropism.” If a person intentionally continues mis-using the words after having been corrected, they are known as “Mumpsimus.”

The song, “Mairzy Doats,” was written by Milton Drake, who said it was based on an English nursery rhyme. His little four-year old daughter came home one night singing:

“Cowzy tweet

and sowzy tweet

and liddle sharksy doisters...,” which turned out to be:

“Cows eat wheat

and sows eat wheat

and little sharks eat oysters.”

Drake then wrote his own words and got together with two friends, Al Hoffman and Jerry Livingston, who wrote the music. But no one would publish them because the song was too silly.

However, Al Trace and the Silly Symphonists took the song and it was first performed on WOR Radio, New York, in 1943, where it became a huge hit.

The song hit the pop charts several times and a version performed by The Merry Macs hit #1 in 1944.

What the gentlemen are trying to say is:

“Mares eat oats

and does eat oats

and little lambs eat ivy.

A kid’ll eat ivy, too,

wouldn’t you?’

This happens frequently in advertising and radio today, also.

Take the ad for a Kellogg’s cereal, Nut ‘n Honey Crunch, based on a person asking, “What’s for breakfast?” and is told, “Nut ‘n Honey,” which sounds like, “Nothing, honey.”

People protested the ad as anti-gay or making anti-gay humor, so Kellogg’s changed the name of the cereal to, “Honey Crunch Corn Flakes.”

We also have kids misunderstanding the Pledge of Allegiance to the American Flag:

“ I pledge a lesson to the frog

of the United States of ‘Merica

and to the wee puppet for the witches’ hands,

one Asian, Under Dog, in the vestibule, with little tea, and just rice for all.”

Everyone thought Credence Clear Water Revival was definitely saying, “There’s a bath room on the right...,” when what

they were really saying was, “ There’s a bad moon on the rise...”

Did Jimi Hendrix really say, “ ‘Scuse me while I kiss this guy.”?

No, he meant, “..’Scuse me while I kiss the sky,” from Purple Haze.

The Springstein song, “Blinded by the Light,” was never that popular when he sang it.

It was only when Manfred Mann’s Earth Band changed the lyrics to, “...revved-up like a deuce...,” referring to hot rod slang for a ‘32 Ford Coupe did it become the most misunderstood song lyric of all time.

Children fill in their own words when the real ones are too hard to understand.

“Our Father, who’s locked in Heaven,

how does he know my name?

My kingdom come, my will be done,

on Earth as it is in Heaven.

Give us this way our daily bread

and forgive us our trashbaskets,

as we forgive those who put trash in our baskets.

And lead us not into Penn Station,

but deliver us some E-mail.

For mine is the kingdom, the flowers and the jewelry...”

Now don’t write scalding letters to my Editor, condemning me to Hell. There is a website called Bible Blog, among others, who try to teach very small children how to pray; it is not parody or intentional re-phrasing.

Although one does wonder about the strange land where “We Three Kings of Orientar” may exist. Perhaps the same place that “Round John Virgin” is from.

Well I hope I’m not going to the Devil, just think, all this started with one little Avena Sativa.

Surely, Good Mrs. Humphrey will follow me all the days of my life...”

And I will hear the immortal words of Roy Rogers and Dale Evans forever, “Happy Trails to You.”

Ref: Internet/ Wikipedia/ Bible Blog