No one has seen the Instrument of Joy. No one knows what it sounds like or where to look for it. Those who claim to have personal knowledge of it are liars. It is unclear whether there is such a thing as the Instrument of Joy, or whether its existence is even possible.

Our main evidence for it is in a song by the Newfoundland rock band Great Big Sea. It begins, I am a fountain of affection, an instrument of joy, and that’s as far as we can quote the lyrics before the lawyers darken our door. We may already have crossed the line.

If we are sued for using a portion of a copyrighted song lyric as the name of our website, we shall argue that “instrument of joy” is a natural phrase that anyone might put together with little effort. It is unlikely that Great Big Sea was the first to use those words in that order. If the words “instrument of joy” are the intellectual property of a songwriter, then so are “be my baby” and “teenager in love.”

Some will imagine the Instrument of Joy as a harp, others as a drum. We like to think of it as a wind instrument. Something in brass.