Misheard Lyrics or Rewriting a Cliché
Misheard Lyrics or Rewriting a Cliché
Twisting the Familiar
Twisting the Familiar
Choose one of the following poetic experiments:
Take a misheard song lyric and use it as the foundation for your poem. The poem doesn’t have to be about the original meaning—it should explore whatever strange, unexpected world the misheard lyric creates.
"You look like God tonight" (instead of "You're all I got tonight") → A poem about someone glowing in divine light, unaware.
"Hold me closer, Tony Danza" (instead of "Tiny Dancer") → A tragic love story between a lounge singer and a washed-up 80s sitcom star.
"Oh Lunchy Box" (instead of "All that she wants") → An ode to the perfect, forgotten school lunch.
The goal is to take a silly mistake and turn it into poetry. It can be humorous, surreal, heartfelt, or completely absurd.
Take a common cliché and rewrite it into something fresh, unexpected, or subversive.
"Time heals all wounds" → "Time bandages wounds, but the stitches never hold."
"A penny for your thoughts" → "The economy has collapsed. Thoughts cost two-fifty now."
"Don’t cry over spilled milk" → "We are drowning in dairy. We will never recover."
The goal is to flip, twist, or explode the meaning of the phrase in a way that surprises the reader.
If choosing Misheard Lyrics, the misheard lyric must inspire the poem’s content in some way.
If choosing Rewriting a Cliché, the cliché must be transformed in meaning, tone, or language.
The poem should **explore an idea beyond the joke—**what deeper meaning emerges?
The poem can be serious, surreal, playful, or absurd—whatever fits your style.
Let the mistake guide you. The best poems lean into the weirdness of the misheard lyric or twisted cliché.
Use strong imagery. If the lyric or phrase doesn’t make literal sense, describe it anyway—see where it takes you.
Emphasize tone. A misheard lyric might sound funny, but what if the poem makes it sad instead?
Experiment with structure. A poem about a misheard lyric might echo a song’s rhythm; a rewritten cliché poem might use fragmented thoughts to break apart the phrase’s meaning.
Danez Smith (playful yet profound language twists)
Terrance Hayes (American Sonnets—reinventing traditional form with unexpected meaning)
Eve L. Ewing (humor, nostalgia, and pop culture mixed with deep themes)
You Look Like God Tonight
We sang it loud, top-down, hands to the sky,
rolling through town like prophets of the radio,
belting the chorus, voices drunk on neon,
shouting—You look like God tonight!
I meant it. You did.
Backlit by streetlamps, golden as divinity,
the parking lot your cathedral, the pavement your throne.
Even the wind seemed to kneel before you.
But then—why did everyone stop?
Why did the laughter crash like cymbals in the night?
Why was Tyler wheezing into his hoodie?
Why was Jess recording?
Oh no.
Oh no.
I blink. They grin.
“What did you just sing?”
Panic. My brain rewinds.
The lyrics? The real lyrics?
The Cars, 1978, Bye Bye Love—
oh sweet merciful God.
You’re all I got tonight.
Not God.
Not even close.
Oh no.
Laughter erupts like the second coming.
I clutch my chest. I beg for exile.
Jess will tell everyone. Tyler will never let it go.
I will be known as the idiot who worshipped his best friend.
But—
as I sit there, head in hands, shame crackling like a holy fire,
you lean against the hood, smirking, still golden in the streetlights,
and say,
"Not gonna lie, I kinda liked yours better."
And suddenly, I do too.
“You look like God tonight” (You're all I got tonight – The Cars, Bye Bye Love)
“Oh Lunchy Box” (All that she wants is another baby – Ace of Base, All That She Wants)
“Hold me closer, Tony Danza” (Hold me closer, tiny dancer – Elton John, Tiny Dancer)
“I can see clearly now, Lorraine is gone” (I can see clearly now, the rain is gone – Johnny Nash, I Can See Clearly Now)
“Sweet dreams are made of cheese” (Sweet dreams are made of this – Eurythmics, Sweet Dreams)
“Kicking your cat all over the place” (Kicking your can all over the place – Queen, We Will Rock You)
“There’s a bathroom on the right” (There’s a bad moon on the rise – Creedence Clearwater Revival, Bad Moon Rising)
“Don’t go, Jason Waterfalls” (Don’t go chasing waterfalls – TLC, Waterfalls)
“Every time you go away, you take a piece of meat with you” (Every time you go away, you take a piece of me with you – Paul Young, Every Time You Go Away)
“Saving his life from this warm sausage tea” (Spare him his life from this monstrosity – Queen, Bohemian Rhapsody)
“Excuse me while I kiss this guy” (Excuse me while I kiss the sky – Jimi Hendrix, Purple Haze)
“We built this city on sausage rolls” (We built this city on rock and roll – Starship, We Built This City)
“Hit me with your pet shark” (Hit me with your best shot – Pat Benatar, Hit Me With Your Best Shot)
“I’m farting carrots” (I’m falling, can’t you see it? – Coldplay, Paradise)
“Dancing queen, feel the beat from the tangerine” (Dancing queen, feel the beat from the tambourine – ABBA, Dancing Queen)
“I’m a pool hall ace” (I’m a fool for you – Toto, Hold the Line)
“I want a burrito” (I want to break free – Queen, I Want to Break Free)
“I’m not talking ‘bout the linen” (I’m not talking ‘bout moving in – England Dan & John Ford Coley, I’d Really Love to See You Tonight)
“See that girl, watch her scream, kicking the dancing queen” (See that girl, watch that scene, digging the dancing queen – ABBA, Dancing Queen)
“The ants are my friends, they’re blowing in the wind” (The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind – Bob Dylan, Blowin' in the Wind)
"A penny for your thoughts."
"Actions speak louder than words."
"All's fair in love and war."
"Beggars can't be choosers."
"Better late than never."
"Don't count your chickens before they hatch."
"Don't judge a book by its cover."
"Every cloud has a silver lining."
"Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me."
"Haste makes waste."
"Honesty is the best policy."
"Ignorance is bliss."
"It's a piece of cake."
"It's raining cats and dogs."
"Kill two birds with one stone."
"Let the cat out of the bag."
"Like a bull in a china shop."
"Practice makes perfect."
"The early bird catches the worm."
"The writing is on the wall."
"There's no smoke without fire."
"Time flies when you're having fun."
"You can't make an omelette without breaking eggs."
"You can't teach an old dog new tricks."
"You reap what you sow."
"A watched pot never boils."
"Actions speak louder than words."
"All that glitters is not gold."
"Bite the bullet."
"Don't cry over spilled milk."
"Don't put all your eggs in one basket."
"Every dog has its day."
"Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime."
"In the blink of an eye."
"It's the tip of the iceberg."
"Keep your friends close and your enemies closer."
"Let sleeping dogs lie."
"Like two peas in a pod."
"Necessity is the mother of invention."
"The apple doesn't fall far from the tree."
"The ball is in your court."
"The calm before the storm."
"The devil is in the details."
"The early bird gets the worm."
"The pot calling the kettle black."
"There's no smoke without fire."
"You can't have your cake and eat it too."
"You can't judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree."
"You can't put the toothpaste back in the tube."
"You're a broken record."