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Good Times Theme: The most misheard lyrics that nobody seems to know

posted 9 years ago by Born_Tomorrow
17 replies | jump to latest

It's funny that nobody knows the lyrics to the part after...

Temporary Layoff (Good Times)
Easy credit ripoff (Good Times)
Scratching and surviving (Good Times)
???? ?? ?? ????? ???????? (Good Times)

Even the cast doesn't seem to know what they're saying. I've heard Janet Dubois say that its "hanging in a chow line...(Good Times)". They even had this question on a Dave Chappelle parody, where even they gave the correct answer as "Hanging in a chow line". I guess they got that from Janet DuBious, too. Then I heard Bernadette Stanis say that they were saying "Hanging and a jivin...(Good Times") but that's not what they're saying either. It doesn't even sound like that. To me, it sounds like they're saying "Hang on in there children...(Good Times)".

What do you think they're saying?

I woke up this way...

[–] McGannahanSkjellyfetti 9 years ago

I always thought that it was "Hanging and a jivin...(Good Times"), because jivin rhymes with surviving...

[–] Born_Tomorrow 9 years ago

I always thought that it was "Hanging and a jivin...(Good Times"), because jivin rhymes with surviving...

You know, when Bernadette Stanis said it was "Hangin and a jiving", I was like okay, now that makes more sense than "Hanging in a chow line". WTF is a chow line anyway and why would you be hanging in one? My guess would be something like a soup kitchen but I would think that in a soup kitchen, you get you soup and you bounce. You don't hang out there. I mean who hangs out in a soup kitchen? Now if they would have said "standing in a chowline" that would have made more sense. However, the Evans were poor but not so poor that they couldn't afford to buy food. I was all set to believe that it was "Hanging and a jiving" but then when the show came on and I started singing to the theme, it did not sound anything like "hanging and a jiving". I guess the only way we'll ever know for sure is if the actual singer, herself comes forward to clear it up . Otherwise it's anybody's guess.

I woke up this way...

[–] jayme_franklin 9 years ago

They are singing "hanging in a chow line." It's obvious to anyone with ears. Also, you can Google it since you obviously have the World Wide Web at your fingertips.

[–] Born_Tomorrow 9 years ago

They are singing "hanging in a chow line." It's obvious to anyone with ears. Also, you can Google it since you obviously have the World Wide Web at your fingertips.

Find something else to do and move your ass on.

I woke up this way...

[–] Tresix 9 years ago

At first, I thought it was "hangin' and a jivin'", then I thought it was "hangin' in a job line". If this was happening in The Depression, I could see "chow line".

Annoying the world since 1960!

[–] jayme_franklin 8 years ago

Don't hate me bc you're stupid.

[–] the_notorious_bid 9 years ago

Actually,

The World Wide Web is filled with inaccuracies. There are plenty of misquoted lyrics which were misquoted prior to the Internet.

At the end of The Beatles' Here, There and Everywhere, Paul CLEARLY says, "I will be there..." It has been published as "To be there..." Subsequently, Paul has even sang the lyrics (live) as "To be there..."

[–] jayme_franklin 8 years ago

You have to research it properly, or just use your ears. ?

[–] road_runner_outsmarts_the_coyote 8 years ago

According to the writers of the song, it is "Hangin' in and jivin'," but it was misquoted on Dave Chappelle's show and even on the box for the first season DVDs!

[–] McGannahanSkjellyfetti 9 years ago

Perhaps it's "Hangin' in a john" which would go along with the long running gag of Thelma taking forever in the bathroom... 

[–] SmokyBrownEyes 9 years ago

Ain't we lucky we got'em...Good Times!

[–] IcingOnTheCake 9 years ago

Some say "Hanging in a jury"

[–] james_age 9 years ago

I guess you can hear what you want to hear, but it's never been a question in my mind. It's "hangin' in a chow line".

The lyrics don't have to match what happens on the show verbatim. Take Friends for instance, "your life's a joke, you're broke, your love life's DOA". Really? They live in a Manhattan apartment and date people that look like super models. Must be rough.

[–] jackbnimbleharvardblue 8 years ago

I noticed during the early seasons of the show it sounds like their saying "Hanging In A Chow Line", than in the later season it sounds sometimes like Hangin and a Jivin"!

[–] MrBlondNYC 8 years ago

This is from an interview with the songwriters:

http://www.timeout.com/newyork/music/backstage-with-alan-and-marilyn-bergman

You wrote the lyrics to the Good Times theme. Have you seen the Chappelle's Show skit "I Know Black People"?
Both: No!
Chappelle played a quiz-show host, testing contestants' knowledge of black culture. The question that stumped them all involved a lyric from "Good Times," "hangin' in a chow line."
Marilyn: Well there's no such line!
Alan: It's "hanging out and jiving."
Marilyn: No, it's "hanging in and jiving."

George Carlin: It's all bullsh-t and it's bad for ya.

[–] hifijohn 8 years ago

hanging, enjoying and chow line are the most popular answers on the internet, i always thought they were singing-- jawing as in standing around talking about people.