IMAGINATION
Gino Vannelli Lyrics


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I look at photographs of you
Sweat and shame till the sun comes through
I think of things I ought not to

I've hung your memory on the wall
A life-size portrait ten feet tall
I feel my skin begin to crawl
Suddenly I see you take a breath
And out of the cameras you come through
Is it you

Must be my imagination
Must be my imagination

Must be the shock waves of the moon
The entertainment of a lonely room
The devil playing that same old tune

'cause something strange is happening to me
Feel in the land of make believe
Please look me up and swallow the key

'cause I feel your fingers running through my hair
I feel the human touch of you





Must be my imagination
Must be my imagination

Overall Meaning

The song "Imagination" by Gino Vannelli is a haunting and introspective ballad that explores the dangerous and obsessive nature of memories and how they can be distorted by time and emotion. The lyrics speak of a man who is haunted by the memories of a former lover and cannot seem to escape them, even though he knows that they are dangerous and destructive.


The first verse speaks of the man looking at photographs of the woman, and feeling intense shame and sweat as he remembers their time together. He admits that he thinks of things he should not, acknowledging that his memories are not entirely healthy or beneficial. He has even hung a life-size portrait of the woman on his wall, ten feet tall, where he can continue to stare at her and remember her.


The second verse speaks of the same memories, but here the emotional stakes are higher. The man feels as though some strange force is taking over him, as if he is trapped in a world of make-believe where his memories are more real than the present. He pleads for the woman to "look him up and swallow the key" - he wants to forget her, but cannot, and he knows that he is dangerously close to losing himself in his own imagination.


Line by Line Meaning

I look at photographs of you
I carefully observe pictures of you


Sweat and shame till the sun comes through
I feel anxious and regretful until the morning sun enters


I think of things I ought not to
I imagine things that I shouldn't be thinking about


I've hung your memory on the wall
I've put a huge image of you on my wall to remember you by


A life-size portrait ten feet tall
A portrait of you that is life-size and ten feet tall


I feel my skin begin to crawl
I feel really uncomfortable and nervous


Suddenly I see you take a breath
Suddenly I start hallucinating that you're taking a breath


And out of the cameras you come through
You appear to be coming out of the cameras


Is it you
Am I seeing you for real


Must be my imagination
It must be just my mind playing tricks on me


Must be the shock waves of the moon
It must be the weird effects of the moon's gravitational pull


The entertainment of a lonely room
The result of being bored and lonely in a room


The devil playing that same old tune
The devil could be behind what I'm experiencing


'cause something strange is happening to me
Something unusual is happening to me


Feel in the land of make believe
I feel like I'm in a fantasy world


Please look me up and swallow the key
Please come and rescue me and make this stop


'cause I feel your fingers running through my hair
I sense that you're touching my hair


I feel the human touch of you
I feel like you're physically near me


Must be my imagination
It must be just my mind playing tricks on me




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