It's Only A Paper Moon

Words & Music by Billy Rose, E.Y Harburg & Harold Arlen
Recorded by Ella Fitzgerald, 1938


G        E7    Am7   D7
Say, it's only a paper moon,

 D       D9     G    D7   G    D9
Sailing over a cardboard sea,

G       E7          Am7     D7
But it wouldn't be make believe,

   Am7    D7       G    D7
If you believed in me.


G         E7      Am7     D7
Yes, it's only a canvas sky,

  D      D9    G  D7   G     D9
Hanging over a muslin tree,

G       E7         Am7     D7
But it wouldn't be make believe,

   Am7     D7      G   G7
If you believed in me.



Bridge:

    Am7 Gdim Bm    Bm7
Without your love,

        Am7   D7     G     G7
It's a honky tonk parade,

    Am7 Gdim  Bm   Bm7
Without your love,

       G       E7	  A9     D7+5
It's a melody played at a penny arcade.



G       E7         Am7     D7
It's a Barnum and Bailey world,

  D      D9      G   D7 G    D9
Just as phony as it can be,

G       E7         Am7     D7
But it wouldn't be make believe,

   Am7    D7       G
If you believed in me.

The lyric and guitar chord transcriptions on this site are the work of The Guitarguy and are intended for private study, research, or educational purposes only. Individual transcriptions are inspired by and and based upon the recorded versions cited, but are not necessarily exact replications of those recorded versions.