Our nature does not change by will.
In the winter, ’round the ruined mill,
the creek is lying, flat and still;
it is water,
though it’s frozen.
Joanna Newsom, “On a Good Day” (Have One On Me, 2010)
Image Description
Seven golden coins decorated with crosses are arranged around a mill-wheel. The mill is covered in snow and the wheel is locked in a frozen river. Under the ice, an eighth coin is visible. Some blackened flowers poke up through the snow in the foreground.
Interpretation
In the suit of Coins, the balance of the number Eight manifests in the immutable facts of life on Earth. While brief, the song “On A Good Day” centers on the essential nature of both creatures and landscape. This snowy scene is quiet and calm. The mill is locked in ice, and while it is not currently functioning, there is still the hope that after a thaw it will be back to running again.