It's Only a Paper Moon
Art Blakey Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Say, it's only a paper moon
Sailing over a cardboard sea
But it wouldn't be make-believe
If you believed in me

Yes, it's only a canvas sky
Hanging over a muslin tree
But it wouldn't be make-believe
If you believed in me

Without your love
It's a honky tonk parade
Without your love
It's a melody played in a penny arcade

It's a Barnum and Bailey world
Just as phony as it can be
But it wouldn't be make-believe
If you believed in me

Say, it's only a paper moon
Sailing over a cardboard sea
But it wouldn't be make-believe
If you believed in me

Yes, it's only a canvas sky
Hanging over a muslin tree
But it wouldn't be make-believe
If you believed in me

Without your love
It's a honky-tonk parade
Without your love
It's a melody played in a penny arcade

It's a Barnum and Bailey world
Just as phony as it can be
But it wouldn't be make-believe
If you believed in me

It's phony it's plain to see




How happy I would be
If you believed in me

Overall Meaning

"It's Only a Paper Moon" is a song that emphasizes the importance of belief and imagination. The use of phrases such as “only a paper moon,” “cardboard sea,” “canvas sky,” and “muslin tree” make clear that the world around us is temporary and can be easily manipulated. Yet, the song stresses that it's not make-believe if you truly believe in the people you love.


The lyrics also point out that without love, the world is like a "honky-tonk parade" or a "melody played in a penny arcade," which implies that everything can be perceived as nothing without the presence of love in our lives. The reference to the Barnum and Bailey circus reinforces the idea of the world being a show or an illusion that needs the participants’ belief in it to work.


Ultimately, the message of the song is to appreciate the power of love and imagination in making our lives more meaningful and magical. The song reminds us not to give up on our dreams and to have faith in ourselves and the ones we love.


Line by Line Meaning

Say, it's only a paper moon
Let me point out that the object present here is simply a paper moon


Sailing over a cardboard sea
Metaphorically, it is floating on a sea made of cardboard


But it wouldn't be make-believe
This scenario would no longer be fiction or make-believe


If you believed in me
As long as you trust my words and intentions


Yes, it's only a canvas sky
The portrayed sky is also artificial or not real


Hanging over a muslin tree
The tree incorporated in the image is made of muslin material


Without your love
Lacking your affection


It's a honky tonk parade
This would be a distastefully noisy and garish event


It's a melody played in a penny arcade
It would be a tacky and cheap song played in a low-quality establishment


It's a Barnum and Bailey world
Comparatively, the world seems to be as fake and showy as a circus


Just as phony as it can be
Everything is incredibly fake and unauthentic


But it wouldn't be make-believe
Nevertheless, if you would believe in me


If you believed in me
If you would just have faith in me


It's phony it's plain to see
It is very evident that this is a pretend or an insincere situation


How happy I would be
The measure of my happiness would greatly increase


If you believed in me
If only you would just have faith in me




Lyrics © S.A. MUSIC, BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Downtown Music Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Billy Rose, E. Y. Harburg, Harold Arlen

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found
Comments from YouTube:

@billding7073

Quite simply, a perfect arrangement (Wayne Shorter) to an awesome performance by both Art Blakey and Le Morgan. I bought this album right after I graduated from High School in 1960. It was the beginning of a lifelong passion for great music called jazz

@rogergough2636

Difficult to find adequate words to describe how awe inspiring this rendition is. 5 masters on top form and killing what is probably the most imaginative reinterpretation of any tune from the great American song book ever. Still as new-paint fresh as the day it was laid down, the balance achieved here by Rudy Van Gelder - who else - is as near perfection as possible. Breathtaking all round.

@soulfunktionphotos5763

Absolute stonker of a tune which kicks ass all the way through. The guys are firing on all cylinders on this one, amazing sound.

@joancorr447

Lee Morgan, Art, Wayne, Billy with a brilliantly unique arrangement of a classic song.❤️

@sohooded

Lee Morgan was amazing...Wayne, Art💖💖💖

@Tubulous123

Yes!!! Thank you!!! 1Nation4Life <3 (y)!!!

@Tubulous123

Yes!!!! Thank you!!!

@tigreadroit

Longtemps indicatif de l'émission " Pour ceux qui aiment le jazz" de Tenot et Filipachi,fin 1960 début 1961, après le célebre Blues March. L'apogée du Hard -Bop et/ou l'émergence du Jazz-Soul(ou funk?). Grande époque ; nostalgie quand tu nous tiens.

@terrylack9365

I was fortunate enough to have met and listened to Art Blakey in NYC around 1979...
Art Blakey was Mr. Jazz in my eyes and ears.
If you want to know what real American jazz is, this is it.
What makes this great is his perfect time keeping with that cymbal... that cymbal is like anything I've ever heard. It has a wide dynamic range of 'colors' to it. It's unique among unique. And being unique among unique, only Blakey could have found a cymbal like that! -That's American jazz!

@SuyogSng

2:31

More Comments

More Versions