The Suit of Cups deals with public and private life. Cups suggest nourishment and feasts, where people come together. As delicate vessels, they are also emblematic of the heart, symbolic containers for deeply-held emotions and dreams. The theme of society is similar to the suit of Swords, but in Cups the focus is more on living up to family ties and community responsibilities.

The sunken city of Ys, for which this album was named, was once surrounded by the sea and shielded on all sides by great walls. Its people, and most specifically the king’s daughter Dahut, are accused of all manner of immoralities in different versions of the tale. In all, the city falls when Dahut gets hold of the key which opens the gates and lets the water in.

The five songs of Ys are dense, decadent, and interlacing. As a result, the images of this suit are mosaic, each drawing on lyrics from a few different places. The numbered cards have a mirrored structure like the suit of Swords.