# Paul Simon's Kodachrome **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 22, 2004, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-simons-kodachrome/265482 "2004-09-22T14:11:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Turek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/turek/32/18782_2.png) [@Turek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turek)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2004, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-simons-kodachrome/265482/1 "2004-09-22T14:11:43Z")
Ok, something’s been bothering me literally for years, and I’ve come to you, my humble (ahem) fellow Dopers for an answer. From the second verse of Paul Simon’s Kodachrome… “If you took all the girls I knew when I was single And brought them all together for one night I know they’d never match my sweet …” WHAT is the word after “sweet”?? Every lyrics site I’ve ever found says “imagination”, but if you listen to it very carefully, I swear he says “remagination”. Now, I’ll grant you, there’s no such word as “remagination.” But as a snigglet, it’s nigh _perfect_: it perfectly conveys that myopic effect of memory mingled with imagining how things were back then. How your mind fills in the blanks caused by intervening years with details that are more made up then factual. The inherent “good-ole-days” syndrome of pleasant memories. So, please, Dopers, listen to it and tell me what YOU hear. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2004, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-simons-kodachrome/265482/2 "2004-09-22T14:14:44Z")
I’ve always heard it as “lil’”. As in _sweet lil’ imagination_. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Nonsuch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nonsuch/32/2922_2.png) [@Nonsuch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nonsuch)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2004, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-simons-kodachrome/265482/3 "2004-09-22T14:15:40Z")
Sorry, I always heard “imagination.” I like your exegesis of “remagination” though. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2004, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-simons-kodachrome/265482/4 "2004-09-22T14:17:50Z")
> [@Nonsuch](#): > > Sorry, I always heard “imagination.” I like your exegesis of “remagination” though. And _I_ like your use of the word “exegesis” - perfect placement… I have always heard it as “imagination,” with a big of songful slurring in his enunciation…fwiw ---
**Author:** ![MrO](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/50afbb/32.png) [@MrO](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrO)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2004, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-simons-kodachrome/265482/5 "2004-09-22T14:32:51Z")
> [@Nonsuch](#): > > Sorry, I always heard “imagination.” I like your exegesis of “remagination” though. I probably would have gone with “eisegesis,” but what the heck. I like both words. And I too always heard “imagination,” but I like the new word. I might add “remagine” to my vocabulary. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2004, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-simons-kodachrome/265482/6 "2004-09-22T15:31:19Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > I’ve always heard it as “lil’”. As in _sweet lil’ imagination_. 😃 I believe this is correct, having seen the sheet music. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Roboto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/76d3ee/32.png) [@Mr.Roboto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Roboto)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2004, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-simons-kodachrome/265482/7 "2004-09-22T15:43:54Z")
The Los Angeles airwave Police actually editted out “Crap” from the first verse. They also editted “Let’s Spend the Night Together” to “Let’s spend some Time Together” ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2004, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-simons-kodachrome/265482/8 "2004-09-22T15:50:36Z")
I always heard it as “dreamagination,” also a non-word. On the _Concert in Central Park_ album, it’s clearly “imagination.” ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2004, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-simons-kodachrome/265482/9 "2004-09-22T16:51:10Z")
I always heard it just as a drawn out first syllable: _sweet ee-magination._ ---
**Author:** ![lachesis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@lachesis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lachesis)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2004, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-simons-kodachrome/265482/10 "2004-09-22T18:45:29Z")
another vote for 'lil being the missing syllables i _thought_ i heard in there… but every site i’ve checked so far just shows “imagination.” collective aural hallucination? ---
**Author:** ![WolfpackJeep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpackjeep/32/2921_2.png) [@WolfpackJeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WolfpackJeep)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2004, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-simons-kodachrome/265482/11 "2004-09-22T20:16:37Z")
> [@Mr. Roboto](#): > > ``` > They also editted "Let's Spend the Night Together" to "Let's spend some Time > Together" > > ``` [hijack] That may not be edited. I’ve seen a clip (from the Ed Sullivan show, I think) of the Stones singing “Let’s spend _some time_ together,” accompanied by a great deal of eye-rolling from Mick Jagger. [/hijack] ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2004, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-simons-kodachrome/265482/12 "2004-09-22T20:34:45Z")
[http://www.classicbands.com/stones.html:](http://www.classicbands.com/stones.html:) > [@](#): > > In January of 1967, the Stones, whom Ed Sullivan swore would never return to his show, were back to perform the raunchy “Let’s Spend the Night Together”. Jagger was warned not to sing the title line or the band would be censored, so during the song, he mumbled something along the lines of “Let’s Spend Some Time Together.” ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2004, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-simons-kodachrome/265482/13 "2004-09-22T20:40:25Z")
He elides li’l (contraction for little) and imagination to give us lil 'magination; whether or not you hear the ‘i’ in i-magination is not something I can remember without digging out the CD. But it definitely sounds of: “never match my sweet li’l 'magination…”