The moon is dependent on the sun for light, because it’s unable to produce light of its own. The sun and moon are used often as a relationship dynamic, especially in the world of music. For instance, The Crane Wives frequently use archetypes of celestial bodies in their songs. The Crane Wives are an indie band that was founded in 2010. This band consists of four members: Emilee Petersmark, Kate Pillsbury, Dan Rickabus and Ben Zito. They are well known for their sorrowful lyrics against upbeat and catchy tunes. In 2015, they released “The Moon Will Sing” as the second track on their Coyote Stories album. The Crane Wives uses metaphors and symbolism, particularly through celestial objects such as the sun and the moon. The band explores the idea that one person can lose their own self and shine only through the reflection of another. The song depicts themes of unrequited love, emotional neglect and dependency in a relationship.
“The Moon Will Sing” explores the theme of one-sided love and emotional neglect. The song illustrates a relationship where the singer, Petersmark, gives her love and trust excessively, yet is overshadowed and receives little back from others. The Crane Wives uses lyrics like, “Ten years worth of dust and neglect // We made our peace with weariness and let it be,” to point out that there was a long period of distance and lack of care from the partner. The lyrics suggest a relationship where Petersmark was neglected while her partner continues on living their life. The second part of these lines, “We made our peace with weariness and let it be,” implies an acceptance of the toxic dynamic between the relationship and describes the emotional impact it made on both people, but especially the neglected partner.
The song also depicts a theme of losing identity and weakening self worth. It reflects on a past relationship where her world had revolved around one person, establishing a bittersweet dependence even after falling apart. As shown with the lines, “I could have been anyone, anyone else // Before you made the choice for me // My feet knew the path // We walked in the dark, in the dark // I never gave a single thought to where it might lead.” Petersmark expresses an idea that her potential and individual self were hoarded by the relationship, leading to the repeated idea of “I could have been anyone, anyone else” before her partner’s choices defined their path. She questions her own value when she’s with another person, feeling as though she’s only seen as “valuable” when she can reflect someone else’s light, which is shown with the lyrics, “Bore the shadows that you made // With no light of my own.” She believes she doesn’t have her own “light.”
The central metaphor and symbol of this song is the moon. The moon represents Petersmark, who is dependent on others for her own “light,” as shown in the line, “I shine only with the light you gave me.” These lines are repeated several times throughout the song, establishing the idea that dependence can lead to losing yourself. It especially shows that Petersmark only feels valued when she can “shine,” but the only way she can shine is through others’ light. The moon also symbolizes emptiness, suggesting that without her “sun,” Petersmark’s “moon” has no innate light of its own. Overall, the song alludes to astronomy and celestial bodies, applying the principle that the moon reflects the light from the sun, establishing a central metaphor for the relationship dynamic between Petersmark and her partner.
Using metaphors of the sun and the moon, “The Moon Will Sing” explores themes of one-sided love, emotional neglect and dependency that comes with an unhealthy relationship. The Crane Wives use the fact that the moon needs the sun to spread its “light,” resulting in Petersmark losing her sense of self. The song conveys a sense of dependence on someone else’s light for one to shine. Petersmark describes herself as a moon, not a sun. She had no light of her own, only what she borrowed from her sun.
