diff --git a/permutation.h b/permutation.h
index 326e755..bc044cc 100644
--- a/permutation.h
+++ b/permutation.h
@@ -257,14 +257,6 @@ else for(int i=1; i<=n; ++i) r[p[i]-1] = v[i-1];
 return r;
 }
 
-template<typename T> 
-void NRVec<T>::permuteme(const NRPerm<int> &p, bool inverse)
-{
-NRVec<T> tmp=permuted(p,inverse);
-for(int i=0; i<size(); ++i) v[i] = tmp.v[i];
-}
-
-
 
 }//namespace
 #endif
diff --git a/vec.cc b/vec.cc
index 08c5109..2d30014 100644
--- a/vec.cc
+++ b/vec.cc
@@ -767,6 +767,10 @@ NRVec<std::complex<double> > complexify(const NRVec<double> &rhs) {
 #endif
 	return r;
 }
+
+
+
+
 template<typename T>
 void NRVec<T>::permuteme(const CyclePerm<int> &p)
 {
diff --git a/vec.h b/vec.h
index 489d29c..28ee8fe 100644
--- a/vec.h
+++ b/vec.h
@@ -358,7 +358,14 @@ public:
 	//! permute vector elements
 	const NRVec permuted(const NRPerm<int> &p, const bool inverse=false) const;
 	void permuteme(const CyclePerm<int> &p); //in place
-	void permuteme(const NRPerm<int> &p, const bool inverse=false); //formally in place, but allocates a copy
+	void permuteme(const NRPerm<int> &p, const bool inverse=false)
+			{
+			NRVec<T> tmp=permuted(p,inverse); 
+			copyonwrite();
+			for(int i=0; i<size(); ++i) v[i] = tmp.v[i];
+			}
+
+
 
 	//! compute the sum of the absolute values of the elements of this vector 
 	inline const typename LA_traits<T>::normtype asum() const;