Moon
The moon as a recurring image of femininity, lunar cycle, and the night sky's central body. The image carries the symbolic tradition of association with female deities (Selene, Astarte, Isis) and the phase-based ambiguity of waxing (growth, new birth, hope) against waning (decline, sadness, the portent of death). Distinct from Stars (dazzle held against distance) and Darkness (night as state and limit of seeing) in centring on the moon itself as the body whose phase determines meaning.
The moon carries the doubled charge of feminine archetype and temporal ambiguity: its meaning depends on whether it is growing or declining, and the song often refuses to fix which phase is in view. The image's force lies in this refusal, which leaves the addressee's relationship to renewal or decline deliberately open.
Appears in 3 songs
“But I howl like a wolf at the moon”
The moon here operates as both the tarot card (The Moon, a symbol of error, danger, and lurking unseen threats) and the celestial body the speaker howls at in desperation. The wolf howling at the moon marks the speaker's loss of composure and her alignment with wild, uncontrolled grief.
“Crescent moon, coast is clear”
The crescent moon operates as a triple symbol: femininity (associated with female gods like Astarte, Selene, Isis), new birth if waxing (growing toward fullness), or death/sadness if waning (going toward darkness). In the sapphic reading, the crescent moon as a symbol of womanhood 'works for both pairs of lovers.' Uncle Jerry cannot resolve which meaning applies.
“Half moonshine, a full eclipse”
The moon imagery operates on multiple levels: literal moonshine (alcohol, getting the crowd drunk), the moonlight/celestial-body register (Stevie Nicks's witchy persona, her moon-and-star costumes), and the eclipse as both a spectacle and a 'lights out' moment signaling the end of celebrity's glow.