I was listening to the radio when an old Beatles tune came on – “Day Tripper.”  I’d always thought the song was about a girl who liked to take trips to the sea, the beach or shopping for the day.

But then, 50 years later, it hit me – this song was about a girl taking an LSD trip. It took me a long time “to find out, but I found out.”

Why it didn’t occur to me that this song was about drugs makes me embarrassed. Most of the songs from the 60’s were about drugs.

“White Rabbit” by Jefferson Airplane was the most obvious. “One pill makes you bigger, one makes you smaller.” Even someone as dumb as me could figure that one out.

With Paul McCartney’s “Michelle,” I didn’t feel so dumb because some of the words were in French. Besides, most of us just mumbled the lines after “Michelle, ma belle.”

The theater was packed when I saw the movie “Hard Day’s Night.” I can blame all those girls in the audience for not knowing what line comes after “’cause when I’m lectured at home…” because everyone was screaming so loud.

I still get a smile on my face whenever I hear the song “Tiny Dancer” because someone in my family innocently sang “Hold me closer Tony Danza” instead of “Hold me closer Tiny Dancer.” I had to leave the room before busting into laughter.

Some 1980’s songs are still hard for me to figure out. Steppenwolf’s “Magic Carpet Ride” is one of those. So is Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ On A Prayer.”

After reading the lyrics online and slapping my head for not being smart enough to figure out what the singers were saying, I’ve got a solution to not knowing the lyrics.

No, it’s not looking them up on your phone and then using the phone as a microphone so you can look at the words.

It’s mumbling.

Let’s face it – a lot of musicians are hard to understand so mumbling is quite all right. If the person with you is under the age of 40, they have no idea what the lyrics are about anyway.

Doubt that? Ask them what place in pop culture the phrases “dy-no-mite” and “good night, John Boy” hold.

Years ago, I took my teenage son to see “City Slickers.” When Billy Crystal, Bruno Kirby and Daniel Stern rode out at the end of the cattle on their horses drive humming the theme song from “Bonanza,” the entire audience erupted in laughter. My son leaned over and asked what was so funny.

The lyrics to kids songs are sometimes hard to remember. Maybe it’s because we’re sleep deprived. So forgive young moms if they can’t remember the third stanza to “Frosty the Snowman” or what foot comes first in “The Hokey Pokey.”

But, just like we can do with songs we can’t remember, all you young moms and grandparents have to do is mumble along or repeat the stanzas you know with a smile on your face. The toddlers will think you’re absolutely magical.

Don’t worry about knowing the lyrics to current pop songs. If those of us over the age of 30 knew the lyrics, the kids would drop those songs like we ran away from bell-bottom pants in the 80s.

So, if you don’t know all the words to “Bohemian Rhapsody,” just play the air guitar. Your kids will think you’re a rock star.

This column was originally published in The Fort Bend Herald.