"Paul's the writer. Yeah, I wrote a little of that stuff, but that's just technically true. In spirit, and in essence of the truth, it doesn't matter. So I don't know, maybe I'm being foolish for not being technical. Yeah, I wrote a certain portion of the things"
About this Quote
The key tell is the pivot from facts to “spirit” and “essence.” That’s not just philosophical; it’s strategic. In the Simon & Garfunkel mythology, Paul Simon is the auteur, the engine, the guy whose name anchors the songwriting canon. Garfunkel’s cultural role is different: interpreter, voice, halo. By conceding the official narrative, he preserves the brand story audiences already believe. Yet the repetition - “Yeah… Yeah…” - and the self-undercutting (“maybe I’m being foolish”) reveal a bruise. He’s negotiating the indignity of being reduced to “just the singer” in an era that treats authorship as the only real form of artistic power.
It also reads like a preemptive defense against pedantry: don’t come at me with credits and percentages, he suggests, because the emotional truth of the partnership can’t be itemized. That’s noble, and a little convenient. The subtext is a man trying to keep the duo’s romance intact while admitting the asymmetry that ended it.
Quote Details
| Topic | Writing |
|---|---|
| Source | Later attribution: The Paul Simon Companion (Stacey Luftig, 1997) modern compilationISBN: 9780711967205 · ID: 20ZOqI5gax8C
Evidence: ... Paul's the writer . Yeah , I wrote a little of that stuff , but that's just technically true . In spirit , and in essence of the truth , it doesn't matter . So I don't know , maybe I'm being foolish for not being technical . Yeah , I ... Other candidates (1) A CLOSED LETTER TO MYSELF ABOUT THIEVERY, HECKLING AND RA... (Patton Oswalt) primary60.0% Song: "A CLOSED LETTER TO MYSELF ABOUT THIEVERY, HECKLING AND RAPE JOKES" by Patton Oswalt |
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Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Garfunkel, Art. (2026, February 15). Paul's the writer. Yeah, I wrote a little of that stuff, but that's just technically true. In spirit, and in essence of the truth, it doesn't matter. So I don't know, maybe I'm being foolish for not being technical. Yeah, I wrote a certain portion of the things. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/pauls-the-writer-yeah-i-wrote-a-little-of-that-36957/
Chicago Style
Garfunkel, Art. "Paul's the writer. Yeah, I wrote a little of that stuff, but that's just technically true. In spirit, and in essence of the truth, it doesn't matter. So I don't know, maybe I'm being foolish for not being technical. Yeah, I wrote a certain portion of the things." FixQuotes. February 15, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/pauls-the-writer-yeah-i-wrote-a-little-of-that-36957/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"Paul's the writer. Yeah, I wrote a little of that stuff, but that's just technically true. In spirit, and in essence of the truth, it doesn't matter. So I don't know, maybe I'm being foolish for not being technical. Yeah, I wrote a certain portion of the things." FixQuotes, 15 Feb. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/pauls-the-writer-yeah-i-wrote-a-little-of-that-36957/. Accessed 8 Mar. 2026.





