It's Only A Paper Moon
E. Y. Harburg Lyrics

In E. Y. Harburg's song "It's Only A Paper Moon," the singer laments that reality feels unreal when they are away from their loved one. They suggest that without their love, the world becomes a temporary and phony place, a temporary parking space. But when they are with their loved one, everything changes. They liken their happiness to a bubble with a rainbow, a momentary but beautiful thing. They then point out the titular image of a paper moon sailing over a cardboard sea, followed by a canvas sky hanging over a muslin tree. The singer is clear that these images are not real, but rather make-believe, yet they claim that if their love believed in them, then it would not be make-believe after all. They return to the idea that without their love, their world is bleak and phony, like a honky-tonk or a penny arcade, both places of false representation. The song ends with the singer again stating that the world may be phony, like a "Barnum and Bailey" circus, but it would not be fake if their love was present.

Harburg's song beautifully captures the power of love to create meaning in the world. Just as a paper moon sailing over a cardboard sea is not "real," when one is in love, they see things anew, and the world suddenly has meaning that otherwise would not be there. Throughout the song, the singer contrasts the bleakness of the world without love to the vibrant, beautiful world that exists with their beloved. Ultimately, the song suggests that love creates meaning, even if it is all just make-believe.