About the song
Released in 1975 on her album Diamonds & Rust, Joan Baez’s “Diamonds & Rust” is one of the most personal, poignant, and enduring songs of her career. Unlike much of her earlier work, which often centered on traditional folk or political protest, this song is deeply autobiographical — a poetic and bittersweet reflection on her past relationship with Bob Dylan.
Written entirely by Baez, it’s a rare moment of vulnerability and clarity, capturing the ache of lost love and the haunting pull of memory. With its literary flair, wry observations, and emotional honesty, “Diamonds & Rust” became a late-career high point, showing that Baez’s voice — both literal and lyrical — could carry heartbreak just as powerfully as it had once carried revolution.
The story and style
At its heart, “Diamonds & Rust” is a conversation between past and present. Baez sings directly to a former lover (widely understood to be Dylan), revisiting scenes from their shared history with a mix of tenderness, sarcasm, and unresolved longing.
“Well, I’ll be damned / Here comes your ghost again…”
Her lyrics are full of vivid, tactile imagery: hotels in Washington Square, the moon through a cracked window, faded postcards from the past. The song doesn’t romanticize the relationship — it’s filled with sharp lines and emotional detachment — but it also acknowledges the beauty that once was:
Video
Lyrics
Well, I’ll be damnedHere comes your ghost againBut that’s not unusualIt’s just that the moon is fullAnd you happened to callAnd here I sitHand on the telephoneHearing a voice I’d knownA couple of light years agoHeading straight for a fallAs I remember your eyesWere bluer than robin’s eggsMy poetry was lousy you saidWhere are you calling from?A booth in the midwestTen years agoI bought you some cufflinksYou brought me somethingWe both know what memories can bringThey bring diamonds and rustWell, you burst on the sceneAlready a legendThe unwashed phenomenonThe original vagabondYou strayed into my armsAnd there you stayedTemporarily lost at seaThe Madonna was yours for freeYes, the girl on the half-shellCould keep you unharmedNow I see you standingWith brown leaves falling all aroundAnd snow in your hairNow you’re smiling out the windowOf that crummy hotelOver Washington SquareOur breath comes out white cloudsMingles and hangs in the airSpeaking strictly for meWe both could have died then and thereNow you’re telling meYou’re not nostalgicThen give me another word for itYou who are so good with wordsAnd at keeping things vague‘Cause I need some of that vagueness nowIt’s all come back too clearlyYes, I loved you dearlyAnd if you’re offering me diamonds and rustI’ve already paid