Fay means a fairy or, if used as a verb, putting together things very
tightly, like fitting timbers together in shipbuilding.
The word fey, which is the word I think Joni meant or at least the word I
always thought she meant, means enchanted or under a spell or tending toward
the supernatural. In addition to those, and maybe developing from that
original meaning, a fey person is someone who's very whimsical and
imaginative, with the further connotation of being flighty, and not very
serious or focused on any one thing.
I imagine that the very serious Furry would think of Joni as fey and perhaps
be a little envious of such flexibility. He does seem to be a very
stuck-in-his-ways, grumpy guy.
The word is spelled "fay" on the album, so it's not just a typo in the
Lyrics book as I had thought. I think, though, that the word that she meant
is "fey". Or, then again, maybe Joni was saying she's fairylike.... could
be. (I hate arguing too strenuously with Joni when it comes to the way she
uses words.)
Debra Shea
P.S. Lloyd Cole, "Down on Mission Street"
