It's Only A Paper Moon
Sammy Kaye & His Orchestra Lyrics
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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
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
The song ‘It’s Only a Paper Moon’ by Sammy Kaye & His Orchestra is a classic love song with a bittersweet twist to it. The lyrics speak about a world that is make-believe, something that is not real and only exists in imagination. The singer of the song talks about how everything around them is phony and fake, from the cardboard sea to the canvas sky. They state that without the love of their beloved, life is nothing but a honky-tonk parade or a melody played in a penny arcade. However, the singer also indicates that everything could be real and believable if the person they love believed in them.
The use of metaphor in the lyrics is quite significant. The cardboard sea and the canvas sky represent the illusions and false beliefs that people can develop. The singer acknowledges this by saying that the world is phony, but they also suggest that it has the potential to be real if their love is reciprocated. The mention of Barnum and Bailey, the famous circus and entertainment promoter of the early 20th century, also adds to the metaphorical description of a world that is not entirely what it appears to be.
Overall, the song talks about the power of love and how it can transform a world that is make-believe into something that is real and believable. The message conveyed is that if someone believes in love, it has the power to make everything else more meaningful and authentic.
Line by Line Meaning
Say, it's only a paper moon
Let me tell you, what you're looking at is merely a paper moon
Sailing over a cardboard sea
It's a fictitious moon floating in a fabricated sea of cardboard
But it wouldn't be make-believe
However, it would become real and not just an illusion
If you believed in me
If you put your trust in me and had faith in my assurance
Yes, it's only a canvas sky
Acknowledging that the sky is nothing but a painted canvas
Hanging over a muslin tree
Appearing to be draped over a phony muslin tree
Without your love
In the absence of your love
It's a honky tonk parade
Everything looks and feels like a cheap, gaudy parade
It's a melody played in a penny arcade
It's akin to hearing a tune being played in a dime-store house of amusements
It's a Barnum and Bailey world
This place is like a circus, a performance that is all flash and showmanship
Just as phony as it can be
As fake and false as it can get
But it wouldn't be make-believe
Nevertheless, it has the potential to be authentic and genuine
If you believed in me
As long as you have confidence in me
It's phony it's plain to see
The whole thing is bogus, clearly evident to anybody's eyes
How happy I would be
Expressing Joy and bliss, that one could get if things were real
If you believed in me
As long as you have faith in me, things could be different
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, S.A. MUSIC, 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