hold onto sixteen as long as you can
changes come around real soon
make us swimming again

The story:

I didn't actually mishear this, it was my friend. We were both around sixteen at the time and she loved this song so she decided to write down all the words and she gave me a copy that had these lyrics in it. I was fairly certain she was wrong but since John doesn't ennunciate clearly I gave her the benefit of the doubt. A few years later I heard the song again and figured it out.