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 power of music influences many aspects of history and humanity, reaching even to interact with literature and art across the decades. Harold Arlen’s “It’s Only a Paper Moon” is a prime example of recurring interaction with literature in Tennessee Williams’ play, “A Streetcar Named Desire.” Blanche’s singing of the song, and its juxtaposition to Stanley and Stella’s conversation about her give a deeper level of irony to the song and the character of Blanche. The comparison of the song and her character reveal that the persona she created for herself is the actual paper moon.

The song “It’s Only a Paper Moon,” originally titled “If You Believed in Me,” was written by E.Y. Yip Harburg and Billy Rose for the failed Broadway musical The Great Magoo in 1932. The play was meant to be about a barker on Coney Island that falls in love; Arlen’s intent was for the song was to reflect on the feelings of falling in love while having a disillusioned view of the world around him. Inspired by jazz music, the song was made famous by covers, including those by Ella Fitzgerald, the Nat King Cole Trio, Miles Davis, and Frank Sinatra (Jazz Standards; Great American Songbook).

Blanche sings while she bathes in Scene Seven, while Stanley and Stella discuss the rumors Stanley has heard about Blanche. Stanley begins to explain to Stella that he has heard rumors that Blanche is lying about what happened to Belle Reve. The first lie he claims Blanche has proposed is that she recently was living at a hotel named the Flamingo and not at Belle Reve as she claimed. At this time, she is heard singing the following lines from the song: “Say, it’s only a paper moon, Sailing over a cardboard sea--But it wouldn’t be make-believe If you believed in me” (1160). The juxtaposition of the lie and the line of the song is that both are introductions to the lines and conversation to follow. Stanley exposes the lie with a layer of irony, saying that the staff of the hotel is “impressed” with Blanche, to the point that “they was so impressed by Dame Blanche that they requested her to turn in her room key--for permanently” (1160). The facade she produces is an attempt to produce a positive image but instead gives ironic perceptions of who she is in the hotel’s community. When paired with the song’s lyrics of the paper moon becoming real if it is believed in, the same applies to Blanche: If those around her would simply believe the persona she produces, it would become real. The love song is one where she is the object of affection and is who the song is about, but the audience--or those who must believe for her to become “real”--are those around her such as the community, Stanley, Mitch, or Stella. Her singing is a cry for the couple and all those listening to believe the persona she fabricated and presented.

The second stanza and set of lines from the song that Blanche sings are in conjunction with Stanley’s phrase, “She pulled the wool over your eyes as much as Mitch’s” (1160). The reference in the song to “a Barnum and Bailey world” in juxtaposition to the description of Blanche’s lie produces a layer of irony. The line in the song is meant to allude to the circus, which is generally associated with circus troupes working to fool the audience into believing certain acts in their shows when in reality they have simple tricks or explanations. The way a circus fools its audience mirrors the way Blanche attempts to fool Stella and Mitch about what has become of her, with simple tricks and easy lies.

Blanche’s next stanza references cheap experiences with “a honky-tonk parade….[and] a melody played in a penny arcade” (1160). The irony then continues when Stanley continues to argue with Stella, saying Blanche “has[d] been washed up like poison” and “That’s why she’s here for this summer, visiting royalty, putting on all this act” (1160). The combination of the cheap values in these lines of the song and Blanche’s actual lack of money both represent the attempt to create magic out of trinkets. A honky-tonk is a bar known for cheap entertainment and a penny arcade would also be a choice of inexpensive amusement. A honky-tonk parade and a song being played in a penny arcade are two examples of expanding entertainment further than the cost of enjoyment. Blanche does the same with the persona she creates, the act of putting on royalty that Stanley references. She works to represent herself past her financial means.

The song “It’s Only a Paper Moon” is representative of Blanche’s character, which becomes obvious through Stanley’s exposition of her lies. As the scene unfolds, each stanza portrays a different layer of the fabricated persona. As she sings, Blanche pleads with the listeners to believe in the version of herself she presents. The caveat is the song warns that without belief, the things described will cease to exist. Blanch is aware that her entire existence and personality is hinged on others accepting the facade. As Stanley begins to strip the counterfeit away, she begs through the song that the beauty of the false is only attainable through the lies. The beauty of the paper moon, the beauty of who Blanche believes herself to be, only holds power when others view her in the same way. She is the paper moon, left to hang in the balance of existence based on others’ belief in her lies.

Works Cited: 

“It's Only a Paper Moon.” "It's Only a Paper Moon": Song History, Commentary, Discography, Performances on Video, greatamericansongbook.net/pages/songs/i/its_only_a_paper_moon_m.html. 

“‘It's Only a Paper Moon’ .” Jazz Standards, www.jazzstandards.com/compositions-1/itsonlyapapermoon.htm.

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