A reference to the 1933 song “It’s Only A Paper Moon”.

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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

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I think the country music artist Gillian Welch in 1996, some sixty years later, wrote a very good reply to the above song, with her song, Paper Wings:

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Paper wings, all torn and bent
You made me feel that
They were heaven sent

Paper wings, not real at all
But they took me high
Enough to really fall

Your paper kisses faded too soon
Just like a paper rose
Beneath a paper moon

Paper wings, paper wings
Oh how could I expect
To fly with only paper wings?

Angels were singing, didn’t you hear
If only I’d listened close
When they whispered in my ear

Paper wings, paper wings
Oh how could I expect
To fly with only paper wings?
I tried to fly but found
That I had only paper wings