Well I'll be damned Here comes your ghost again But that's not unusual It's just that the moon is full And you happened to call And here I sit Hand on the telephone Hearing a voice I'd known A couple of light years ago Heading straight for a fall As I remember your eyes Were bluer than robin's eggs My poetry was lousy you said Where are you calling from? A booth in the midwest Ten years ago I bought you some cufflinks You brought me something We both know what memories can bring They bring diamonds and rust Well you burst on the scene Already a legend The unwashed phenomenon The original vagabond You strayed into my arms And there you stayed Temporarily lost at sea The Madonna was yours for free Yes the girl on the half-shell Could keep you unharmed Now I see you standing With brown leaves falling all around And snow in your hair Now you're smiling out the window Of that crummy hotel Over Washington Square Our breath comes out white clouds Mingles and hangs in the air Speaking strictly for me We both could have died then and there Now you're telling me You're not nostalgic Then give me another word for it You who are so good with words And at keeping things vague 'Cause I need some of that vagueness now It's all come back too clearly Yes I loved you dearly And if you're offering me diamonds and rust I've already paid
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This classic of Joan Baez is a bittersweet tribute to their love affair. In 1974, while Baez was writing a song she received an unexpected phone call from Dylan. He had just finished a triumphant tour marking his return to live performance, following an eight-year drought that stemmed from a debilitating 1966 motorcycle accident. Perhaps he was feeling nostalgic for the days when he and the “Queen of Folk” were on top of the world? He didn’t say, and she didn’t ask.
This call, laden with nostalgia, prompted a flood of memories and emotions. Joan Baez masterfully translated into a prose, replacing whatever song she was writing. The lyrics are a vivid tapestry of their time together, from the shining moments of their connection ("diamonds") to the painful realization of its end ("rust").
Diamonds are the sparkling moments, when you met someone with eyes "bluer than robin's eggs". As time passes, shiny metal turns to rust.
"Diamonds and Rust" became a significant hit for Baez, reaching top 40 on the U.S. pop singles chart. It also served as the title track for her gold-selling album released the same year. The song's enduring appeal lies in its raw honesty and the universal experience of revisiting past love, a theme that resonates with listeners even decades later.
Joan Baez 這首經典之作，是對這段苦樂交織戀情的的致敬。1974年，正當 Baez 創作歌曲時，意外地接到 Dylan 打來的電話。他剛結束一場巡迴演唱，十分成功，標誌著他重返現場表演。之前，他因為 1966年 一場電單車事故，經歷了八年的沉寂。Dylan 突然來電，是否緬懷過去自己和「民謠女神」的輝煌日子？他未有談及，她也沒有過問。
這個電話，充滿懷舊之情，喚起大量感情回憶。Joan Baez 巧妙地把所有記憶和情感，轉化成散文，取代她正在寫的歌曲。歌詞生動描繪一起共渡的時光，從一開始的閃亮時刻（“鑽石”），到結束時的痛苦醒覺（“鐵銹”）。
當你遇見一個人，眼睛比“知更鳥蛋更藍”的一刻，是閃閃發光的「鑽石」。隨著時間的流逝，閃亮的金屬，會黯然變成「鐵銹」。
《Diamonds and Rust》成為 Baez 的熱門單曲，在美國流行單曲榜上，進入前 40名。同年她發行專輯，以此歌曲作主打，成為金唱片。這首歌曲持久吸引，在於其原始真誠的敘述、和重溫逝去愛情的體驗，即使幾十年後，主題仍能引起共鳴。