Diamonds and Rust

Diamonds and Rust

Joan Baez

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