Odes to Joy

Tarot · Track 69 · middle

Six of Pentacles

RWS: a merchant holding level scales in one hand while dropping coins into the hands of one kneeling beggar, a second kneeling beside him waiting. Keywords: charity, the power that sits in the giving hand, the scales, generosity that quietly keeps score.

No audio yet — generation pending.

Lyrics

I keep the brass weights resting in my left hand
The pavement's quiet, the morning's turning gray
You've got a blue patch sewn crooked on your collar
I’ve got a little extra cash today
You cup your palms, you settle in the dirt
I tilt the scale to see what you are worth

Oh, the balance is a quiet kind of cage
Level and steady and perfectly still
I drop the silver down to pay the wage
I am the water, and you are the mill
It's freely given, but we both know the score
The hand that opens is the hand that locks the door

There is another fellow waiting by the brick
Wrapped in a faded blanket, looking up at me
He hasn't spoken, but he watches how they tip
Four heavy coins into your fingers, one, two, three
I hold the iron measure in the cold
Deciding what is given, what is owed

The brain just loves a ledger it can read
A sudden pattern in the random spin
I buy a little quiet for my trouble
You buy a little fire for your skin
But don't stand up until I say we're done

Oh, the balance is a quiet kind of cage
Level and steady and perfectly still
I drop the silver down to pay the wage
I am the water, and you are the mill
It's freely given, but we both know the score
The hand that opens is the hand that locks the door

I tip the scale
The other man is waiting
The brass is heavy in the morning chill
I drop the coin
The ledger holds
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