Diamonds and Rust

Diamonds and Rust

Joan Baez

Well, I'll be damnedHere comes your ghost againBut that's not unusualIt's just that the moon is fullAnd you happened to call

And here I sitHand on the telephoneHearing a voice I'd knownA couple of light years agoHeading straight for a fall

As I remember your eyesWere bluer than robin's eggsMy poetry was lousy you saidWhere are you calling from?A booth in the midwest

Ten years agoI bought you some cufflinksYou brought me somethingWe both know what memories can bringThey bring diamonds and rust

Well, you burst on the sceneAlready a legendThe unwashed phenomenonThe original vagabondYou strayed into my arms

And there you stayedTemporarily lost at seaThe Madonna was yours for freeYes, the girl on the half-shellCould keep you unharmed

Now I see you standingWith brown leaves falling all aroundAnd snow in your hair

Now you're smiling out the windowOf that crummy hotelOver Washington Square

Our breath comes out white cloudsMingles and hangs in the airSpeaking strictly for meWe both could have died then and there

Now 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