Diamonds and Rust by Joan Baez

Diamonds and Rust is quite the bittersweet love song, written and performed by Joan Baez about none other than Bob Dylan, as the two had quite the interesting relationship. It reminisces on the good times together while also simultaneously throwing in some really resentful lines in the mix. This song really gives off the vibe that Joan was very conflicted with her feelings about Dylan during their quite short, but famous love affair. This analysis will explain lines further, to add to this miniature summary of the song, as there a more than a few that mimic her emotions almost expertly.
            Joan Baez starts the song with the lines, "Well I'll be damned/Here comes your ghost again/But that's not unusual", then phrasing them a bit differently as "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". Both sets of lyrics talk about the memory of Dylan appearing in her mind, but this phenomenon is not out of the ordinary, indicating that by this time they had broken up, yet she still thinks of him a lot. The next verse starts with, "As I remember your eyes/Were bluer than robin's eggs/My poetry was lousy you said", these lines move the scene of her reminiscing this past lover, to her remembering a feature she loved most about him, as it is quite emphasized my a simile. Such a tactic in poetry, reminded her of how he had insulted hers in the past, therefore this songs starts to become resentful, as it is then followed by some retorts of hers thrown right back at Dylan. Such examples are, "I bought you some cufflinks/You brought me something/We both know what memories can bring/They bring diamonds and rust" noting that whilst she bought him a present, he had brought good memories in return, with some rust (or troubles) as well. Afterwards there's another insult in the next verse, "The Madonna was yours for free/Yes the girl on the half-shell/Could keep you unharmed", telling of how Dylan idolized Madonna in rather unsavory ways. To finish off the song, she summarizes what may be the fault, the biggest reason for their breakup, "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", Dylan having been extremely vague and uncaring as he doesn't quite care to remember their affair, while it seems Joan clearly remembers it as she put a lot more care than he offered into the relationship as a whole. 

                                                              Works Cited

Joan Baez Diamonds and Rust. 1975. Retrieved from https://genius.com/Joan-baez-                           diamonds-and-rust-lyrics 

Peele, Stanton. 2009, October 15th. The Great Baez-Dylan Love Affair. Retrieved                               from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/addiction-in-society/200910/the-                   great-baez-dylan-love-affair