Vol. 07 · Misheard ·1600
"They have slain the Earl o' Murray, and Lady Mondegreen."
That isn't the lyric.
What you hear
"They have slain the Earl o' Murray, and Lady Mondegreen."
What's actually sung
"They have slain the Earl o' Murray, and laid him on the green." The Bonny Earl of Murray — traditional Scottish ballad (1600)
Why the ear defaults
Sylvia Wright's childhood mishearing that named the entire phenomenon. The pun "laid him on the green" compresses audibly to "Lady Mondegreen" — she assumed the lady had been named.
Hear another line wrong?
Play the misheard duel — pick the real lyric, round by round.