When Ella Fitzgerald sang the hit single, "It's Only a Paper Moon," she never expected it to go as far as it did. It is metaphorically rich & full of symbolism. It has meaning to all that have lost the love, or never actually felt the warmth of true love in a lifetime. It shows the listener how one relationship can stretch beyond our human capability to keep in steady control. The debut even made the way & entwined itself in the bindings of drama "A streetcar named desire.".
"Say, it's only paper moons,.
Sailing over a card board sea.
But it wouldn't be make believe in me.".
The winter conveys the fall love as a paper moon. Using the qualifies of paper; copies, false, & using the representation of the moon; unreachable, far off. Light in time of dark, he shows the true essence of desire is instability based on the failure of paper, yet there is still hope in the first stanza, presented by the verb "sailing." It is still afloat a "cardboard" relationship.
In the last two lines, the singer shows a desperate quality, yearning for more then an appeared physical attraction. As this poems do relationship started, it was based on lust but, one person progressed, desiring more than lost, asking for love, for one to "believe in me.".
"Yes its only canvas stay,.
Hanging over a muslin tree,.
But it wouldn't be make believe,.
If you believed in me.".
The hope of reaching one's destination is fading now. A canvas stay is the picture, the fantasy of what could be, the hope of achieving true love. Yet, it is only how hanging. It is hanging over a muslin tree, desire. The hope is over desire, any minute it could break & fall crushing the relationship, the hope, the chance that love will be reached. For when the desire for love is lost, hope is also unrecognizable in the two's eyes.
"Without your love,.
It's a honkey tonk perade,.
Without your love,.
It's a melody played a penny arcade.
