"It's Only a Paper Moon", words and music by Billy Rose, Yip Harburg, and Harold Arlen in 1933, was one of the many Earth songs that Vic Fontaine frequently performed for the citizens and crew of Deep Space Nine. The song was popular with Vic's friends known as the Rat Pack, including Frank Sinatra, who recorded it in 1950 and again in 1960. In a Shakespearean twist, the song refers to the necessary suspension of disbelief by visitors to Vic's_Las_Vegas_Lounge as well as the TV audience.
- Additionally, the song's lyrics served as the inspiration for the title of the episode in which it was featured. The episode begins with Vic finishing the song. (DS9: "It's Only a Paper Moon")
Lyrics
I never feel a thing is real
When I'm away from you
Out of your embrace
The world's a temporary parking place
Mmm, mm, mm, mm
A bubble for a minute
Mmm, mm, mm, mm
You smile, the bubble has a rainbow in it
Say, its 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