It's Only A Paper Moon
Dion The Belmonts Lyrics

Say, it's only a paper moon
Let's acknowledge that what we are looking at is just an illusion

Sailing over a cardboard sea
The backdrop against which this illusion is taking place is insubstantial

But it wouldn't be make-believe
However, it's not a fantasy if there's mutual belief in the illusion

If you believed in me
If you trust me and are on the same page as me then we can create our own reality

Yes, it's only a canvas sky
The sky we're seeing is not real, but just part of the facade

Hanging over a muslin tree
The tree we're seeing is made of a cheap material

Without your love It's a honky tonk parade
Without your affection, life would be like a cheap show with poor music and tacky performers

Without your love It's a melody played in a penny arcade
Without your love, even our song would lose its significance and become background noise in a cheap arcade

It's a Barnum and Bailey world
The world we're living in is like a circus with all the smoke and mirrors

Just as phony as it can be
Everything around us is fake and contrived

But it wouldn't be make-believe
Yet it can still be meaningful and real, even if only in our imaginations

If you believed in me
As long as we have faith in each other, we are empowered to shape our own reality

Say, it's only a paper moon
Once again, let's remember that what we see is just an illusion

Sailing over a cardboard sea
The seas we're sailing on are not real oceans, but just fakes

But it wouldn't be make-believe
The reality we create through mutual belief is not fake even if it appears to be so

If you believed in me
As long as you trust me, we can make anything happen

Without your love It's a honky-tonk parade
Once more, without your affection, our lives would resemble a cheap circus

Without your love It's a melody played in a penny arcade
Again, without your love, our song would become meaningless and fade into the background

It's a Barnum and Bailey world
Our surroundings remain fake, no matter how much we wish they were real

Just as phony as it can be
All is artificial and contrived, but it can still be in line with our vision if we have faith

But it wouldn't be make-believe
In spite of the artifice, our world can be real and meaningful under the right conditions

If you believed in me
Once more, it's all about having trust and mutual belief in each other

It's phony it's plain to see
We are not blind to the artificial nature of things around us

How happy I would be
Despite the artifice, we can still be happy and content

If you believed in me
As long as there's trust and faith between us, we can shape our own reality and find happiness