The name existed before the band. Deidre Rodman, pianist and composer mentioned it in passing one fine spring day to her friend Amanda Monaco, guitarist and jazz fiend. "I've always wanted to be in a band called The Lascivious Biddies." The girls were high in the mountains, participating in an intensive jazz workshop near Banff, Canada.
Upon her return to New York, where all the Biddies live still, Amanda repeated Deidres words to the notoriously proactive jazz and swing singer, Lee Ann Westover. The two had been seriously considering the formation of a Go-Gos cover band that needed a name. "That's it. That's the name and we are that band." stated Lee Ann, simply yet full of resolve. "Who's this 'Deidre?'" The rest is history. Add Juilliard-educated Saskia Sunshine Lane (Amanda's upstairs neighbor) on the upright bass -- as well as 4+ years worth of rehearsing and good luck, minus most of the 80's cover tunes -- and there you have The Lascivious Biddies as reality: equal parts pluck, innovation, talent and fun.
Members:
AMANDA MONACO
guitar, vox
DEIDRE RODMAN
keys, vox, melodica etc...
LEE ANN WESTOVER
lead vox, happy apple, triangle, vibro-slap
SASKIA SUNSHINE LANE
Bass, Fire, Wagon, Vox
Paper Moon
The Lascivious Biddies Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
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 Lascivious Biddies' song Paper Moon is a beautifully poignant and evocative tune that explores the idea of make-believe and the power of belief in a relationship. The song's opening lines, "Say, it's only a paper moon, sailing over a cardboard sea, but it wouldn't be make-believe, if you believed in me," suggest that while the world might be nothing but a facade or an illusion, the love between two people can make everything real and meaningful.
The lyrics are grounded in the concept of belief and how important it can be in a relationship. The singer seems to be telling their lover that even though the world might be phony, their love can make everything real and worthwhile. The chorus emphasizes this idea, "Without your love, it's a honky-tonk parade, 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." The lyrics suggest that love can be the anchor that gives meaning to an otherwise meaningless world.
The song's final lines, "It's phony, it's plain to see, how happy I would be, if you believed in me," encapsulate the idea of the song. The singer is pleading with their lover to believe in them and in their love so that they can both find happiness and purpose.
Line by Line Meaning
Say, it's only a paper moon
The singer acknowledges that the moon is not real but simply an illusion on a piece of paper.
Sailing over a cardboard sea
The moon is sailing in a an imaginary world made of cardboard, confirming again the artificiality of its existence.
But it wouldn't be make-believe
While everything about the moon is fake, it can become a reality with the belief and faith of someone.
If you believed in me
The artist is addressing a specific person and inviting them to share their dream and make the paper moon come alive.
Yes, it's only a canvas sky
Once again, the artist emphasizes the difference between reality and imagination, recognizing that the sky is just canvas used to create an illusion.
Hanging over a muslin tree
The canvas sky's only anchor or support is a muslin tree, indicating the precariousness of this imaginary world.
Without your love
The singer highlights the fact that without the love, support, and shared vision of the person addressed earlier, the illusion would be empty and meaningless.
It's a honky tonk parade
The imaginary, fake world is reduced to something cheap and tawdry without the support of a loving partner.
It's a melody played in a penny arcade
The artist uses an analogy of a cheap music being played in a penny arcade to indicate that life without love is as hollow and cheap as the prop world created by the paper moon and the canvas sky.
It's a Barnum and Bailey world
The artist refers to a circus world, where everything is staged and rehearsed but nevertheless, pleases the audience.
Just as phony as it can be
The world of the singer is decorative, feigned and unreal, but is made real by the support and belief given by the loved ones.
But it wouldn't be make-believe
The artist reiterates that the imaginative world can truthfully become a reality with the faith and belief of the loved one.
If you believed in me
The song concludes by restating the importance of a partner with faith in the dream of the singer, who will make everything on this paper world come to life.
It's phony it's plain to see
The singer acknowledges the artificiality of their world, and how it is just a utopia not realized, and such frustrating.
How happy I would be
The singer expresses how happiness can only be realized if the loved one shares the same dream in their phony world.
If you believed in me
The song ends by returning to the central theme of the need for the belief and shared dream of the person addressed for the dream on this paper world to become real.
Lyrics © S.A. MUSIC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Billy Rose, E. Y. Harburg, Harold Arlen
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind