So it’s been cold enough now that I’ve been listening to my little portable radio on my runs (I use my super cheap $5 on-ear headphones to keep my ears warm). Today, the radio station I listen to played Shaggy’s “It Wasn’t Me,” which immediately transported me mentally back to junior high and whatever volume of “Now That’s What I Call Music” had that song on it.

(I want to say…Now That’s What I Call Music 6? *checks* Hell yeah, I’m right.)

Anyway.

Because the only things that my brain stores as concrete, irremovable memories are song lyrics and voice cadences, I noticed a difference in the chorus between the lyrics on the radio and the lyrics from the CD version I had way back when (and still have on my iPod). Because I was out running, though, and dealing with traffic noises, the best I could do is notice there was a difference; I couldn’t tell exactly what the difference was.

So once I got back to my office, I decided to look the lyrics up. Which, honestly, was something that I should have done a long time ago, because Shaggy’s verses were like 96% incomprehensible to me every time I heard this song and left me just saying “what?”

So I looked up the lyrics. Here is one said verse:

Mek she know say that she really no have right fi vex
A never you she see yah make the gigolo flex
A smaddy else weh favor you inna di complex
Seein’ is believin’, so you better change your specs
You know she a go bring a whole heap a things up from the past
All the likkle evidence, you betta know fi mask
Quick ‘pon yuh answer, know how fi talk
But if she pack a gun, you know you betta run fast

…What?

Anyway, the original chorus thingy I noticed was the following: in the CD version, it’s

Picture this: we were both caught making love on the bathroom floor

But on the radio version, it’s

Picture this: we were both butt-naked banging on the bathroom floor

So yeah. I know nobody cares, but I do.

I DO!