It's always amazing to me when I find myself listening to a song that I've heard a "million times" and the lyrics finally creep into my brain.  It's funny how I can hear a song over and over and the words might not make it through.  Then one day I'll realize he said that?

As an example, I was driving down the street the other day and Shaggy's It Wasn't Me burst out of my speakers. I found myself singing along with Rikrok and Shaggy.  (This isn't unusual for me.) The funny part is that it was the first time I heard the story in the song. 

I knew the lyrics.  I was perfectly able to sing along.  Why is it that I never caught the story?  There has to be some psychological or neurological explanation. What's it called when you can retain information, but you never process it?  I've found that I will often realize that there's language that's not okay for the kids right before it comes up in the song but I don't remember the bad words before the song starts.  I think that is related somehow.