Working class enunciation

On the new benefit album, Instant Karma, Green Day does a cover of "Working Class Hero" which, to be honest, I find at best tolerable).

Green Day – Working Class Hero

Listening to it on the radio, I could swear Billie Joe was singing (during the chorus) "A working class hero is something to beer"—a distinct "eer" sound at the end of the line—even though I was reasonably certain the line should end with "something to be." I wasn't sure if he was putting some kind of spin on it, like mixing "be" and "fear," but I found it off-putting nonetheless.

Then in the review in Entertainment Weekly, the reviewer harped on the same thing. I'd be lying if I said there wasn't a moment of validation when I read that.

It's not that I need outside forces to justify my reactions to art, but sometimes it's nice to know I'm not hearing things that aren't there.