In the late '60s and early '70s, Baez came into her songwriting own, penning many songs (most notably "Diamonds & Rust," a nostalgic piece about her ill-fated romance with Bob Dylan, and "Sweet Sir Galahad," a song about sister Mimi Fariña's ( of Richard & Mimi Fariña fame) second marriage, and continued to meld her songcraft with topical issues. She was outspoken in her disapproval of the Vietnam war and later the CIA-backed coups in many Latin American countries.
She was also instrumental in the Civil Rights movement, marching with Dr. Martin Luther King on many occassions and being jailed for her beliefs. In 1963, her performance of "We Shall Overcome" at the Lincoln Memorial just prior to Dr. King's famous "I Have A Dream..." speech helped confirm the song as the Civil Rights anthem.
In December 1972, she traveled to Hanoi, North Vietnam, and was caught in that country's "Christmas Campaign," in which the U.S. bombed the city more times than any other during the entire war. While pregnant with her only son, Gabriel, she performed a handful of songs in the middle of the night on day one of the 1969 Woodstock festival. She is considered the "Queen of Folk" for being at the forefront of the 1960s folk revival and inspiring generations of female folksingers that followed. Over fifty years after she first began singing publicly in 1958, Joan Baez continues to tour, demonstrate in favor of human rights and nonviolence, and release albums for a world of devoted fans.
1959
Diamonds And Rust
Joan Baez Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
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
The song "Diamonds And Rust" by Joan Baez is a reflection of her past relationship with Bob Dylan, who was a famous folk artist in the 1960s. The song tells the story of their relationship, starting with her receiving a phone call from Dylan after ten years of not hearing from him. The fact that the moon is full is used as a metaphor for the emotional intensity of the moment. Baez recalls how Dylan had criticized her poetry in the past, and how their relationship had ended with him straying away from her into the arms of other lovers. The chorus repeats the phrase "diamonds and rust" which symbolizes the bitterness and nostalgia that comes with memories of lost love.
The bridge of the song is a reflection of the present moment. Baez is reminded of the passage of time as she sees Dylan years later, looking older and with "snow in his hair". Despite the love they shared in the past, Baez is no longer interested in rekindling their romance, asking Dylan to remember her "sweetheart" while acknowledging that their time has passed.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, I'll be damned
I'm surprised to see you again
Here comes your ghost again
You're a representation of my past that keeps haunting me
But that's not unusual
It's not unexpected for me to feel this way
It's just that the moon is full
The current situation is amplifying my emotions
And you happened to call
Your presence makes the situation even more intense
And here I sit
I'm currently in this emotional state
Hand on the telephone
I'm holding the phone you just called me on
Hearing a voice I'd known
Your voice is familiar to me
A couple of light years ago
It feels like it's been an incredibly long time since we were together
Heading straight for a fall
This conversation will lead to heartbreak
As I remember your eyes
I recall how your eyes looked
Were bluer than robin's eggs
Your eyes were a stunning shade of blue
My poetry was lousy you said
You criticized my poems
Where are you calling from?
I'm curious about your current location
A booth in the midwest
You're calling me from a phone booth in the Midwest
Ten years ago
It's been a full decade since we last spoke
I bought you some cufflinks
I purchased cufflinks for you as a gift
You brought me something
You also gave me a gift
We both know what memories can bring
Memories can bring up strong emotions
They bring diamonds and rust
Memories can bring both joy and pain
Well, you burst on the scene
You appeared suddenly and made an impact
Already a legend
You were already well-known and famous
The unwashed phenomenon
You were a countercultural figure
The original vagabond
You were a wanderer at heart
You strayed into my arms
You came into my life
And there you stayed
You remained in my life for a while
Temporarily lost at sea
You were going through a difficult time
The Madonna was yours for free
You could have anyone you wanted
Yes, the girl on the half-shell
You found someone special
Could keep you unharmed
You felt safe with that person
Now I see you standing
I see you in my mind's eye
With brown leaves falling all around
It's autumn in my memory
And snow in your hair
You're getting older, and your hair is turning white
Now you're smiling out the window
You're happy, looking out at the world
Of that crummy hotel
You're not in the best place
Over Washington Square
You're looking at a famous landmark
Our breath comes out white clouds
It's cold out
Mingles and hangs in the air
Our breath is a visual representation of our conversation
Speaking strictly for me
This is my personal opinion
We both could have died then and there
We were so in love, we could have died happily in that moment
Now you're telling me
You're currently informing me
You're not nostalgic
You don't feel a longing for the past
Then give me another word for it
But there must be another word for how you're feeling
You who are so good with words
You're eloquent and articulate
And at keeping things vague
But you're also skilled at avoiding a direct answer
'Cause I need some of that vagueness now
I need you to be vague because I can't handle the truth
It's all come back too clearly
My memories of you are very vivid
Yes, I loved you dearly
I loved you very much
And if you're offering me diamonds and rust
If you're trying to make a grand gesture, it's too late
I've already paid
I've already moved on and let go of the past
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Joan Baez
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Katharine Y BAez Katharina Scharlowski Katharine C. Y BAez Scharlowski InAOLoves
on The Rose
Joan Baez , my Fairest Hope my Love who signed into our Way
We are unite
We will not fall without our Foreverlasting
Love
In Failing Light
You See in myselfve your Love your Lesbian Wifve
You share your Lightful and your Darkest
side
In Which our Embraces
Our Words
Our Visions
Will rejoice
I see the Sunlight of a setting
Evening
Rise into Grace each Coming Morning
The amours we live is our Love
The mourns we felt
Do not impact
The do not seperate us My Joan C Baez You and I
The scared moments
We leave behind
We’ll belong twogather twogether
And three times we will cross
The Distance of an ocean between us
And then we ‘ll stay twogather in Your Home your place
Is given here and there
Is given home in our hearts and Soul
Our minds and bodies Longing Love
We are whole
The scars we carry
Did not made us blind
we will feel every emotion
As our Lifvelong foreverlasting Love
We share a secret
In which we Both have
Signed we are in Soul in heart in Bodies Longing and fulfillment in Mind now and
Eternally Unite
DeineKatharine Y BAez Katharina Scharlowski Katharine C. Y BAez Scharlowski InAOLoves
KatharinA KAtharine C. Y Baez Scharlowski
on The Rose
Und selbst wenn
alle Dunkelheit
Der Nächte
In den Tagen läge
Und selbst Erwachen
Schwer
ich fände doch
Zu Dir
Es führen Wege
Selbst wenn
kein Ausweg
durch die Tür
We burnt Each Other
everlastingly
Our Sign
Of truest Love that
Overcomes
The loneliness
And wildest
cry
When we embrace
and kiss our
Wounds
The Smile remaining
When we caress us
Will be
What lets us
deeply , sad
and of most
tenderness
Acknowledging
and
In our Minds
Forever
Found and
Not to destroyed
And we will
Feel that
We are Unite
The Ring i had lost
I‘ve found again
It’s prayer and Your Love
You Sent
A Turquoise of Arizonas Depth
Your heart in myne
And at The Turquoise
Coast beneath your Hill
We‘ll make Love
We‘ll follow our destined
And guiding
Will
Ich bin Dein Du Mein
MyLady JoanC BAez, My JoanChandosBaez, JoanBaez my Dove
Love And Wife
Katharine~~ C.~~ Y Baez KAtharinA Scharlowski InAO~•~Love~•~s the Answer~ I Love You, Joan and as Light begins to fail You reappear in my Body Heart and Soul my Mind to stayDeine KAtharinA KAtharine ich liebe Dich Forever!Joan C BAez
KatharinA KAtharine C. Y Baez Scharlowski
on The Rose
For a moment
in a Night Times Blessing
I left You in my Loves Embrace
as like a Flower
~ a Rose ~
and Purity her name
in darkness,
that was to bloom
in Heaven’s place.
as for the Love
in me
was not Disgraced,
A Lasting Kiss ,
A smile
a Light
A heart
that burns
throughly Memories
Forever Living
As Nighttime fell
As Nighttime falls
I‘ came, l’ll come and be
The One You‘ll see
The Love you feel
Just like a wild dog
Runs
Through Bushes
Of fences
And calamities
I passed my way to You
Through even
Greatest adversarities
The Rose of Sharon
Schmückt meinen Mund
~trotz Ausgebissen Zähne
In des Lebens Leid~
Wir Küssen uns
in purest Love
That went through
To and fro
And come and go
And I came back to You
Forever and Forevermore
Für JoanC. BAez von KAtharine C. Y Baez Scharlowski KAtharinA Ino
Katharine c; Y Baez
on The Rose
If a Love is felt as failing it is but Love the helps her Rise, it is a the moments quiet whispering : As i was torn you were by my side, in your Love i see my true and darkeyed Light, there it is Forever Joan Chandos Baez Katharine C; Y Baez Katharina sc harlowski
kATHARINE C. YBAEZ I
on The Rose
AS ON tHE WHITE hORSE MY HAND WAS GIVEN IN THE NOON TO yOU TODAY AS I ASKED YOU FOR YOURS ,WAS THAN WHEN EVERY MOON HAD TRIED TO fAIL AND hONEYMOON WAS THE ONLY LIGHT IN WHICH MY wORDS WERE LAID. iT WAS THE fAILURE ON THE iNTERNET AND NON BUT SCRIPTURE cOULD AND A LOVING HEART COULD STAY THE WIDE
iN THIS dARK MOMENT OF THE pRESENTS SIMPLE SIDE , THE fAIR cARD OF yOUR STALION wHITE THE wHITE hORSE IN tHE bLOSSOM OF THE mAY dAYS tIDE, I SENT TO YOUR wOODEN hILLS TO YOUR UNVENTURED sIDE, mY WRITTEN wORD : wILL yOU PLEASE mARRY ME MY bRIDE? i'LL STAY FOREVER BY YOUR sIDE FROM tHAN oN, sO gOODBYE IN OUR gOOD NiGHT, mY loVE jOAN C. bAEZ, yOUR KATHARINE C. Y BAEZ kATHARINA SCHARLOWSKI 21. MAY 2022
KatharineC. Y Baez Katharina Scharlowski
on The Rose
Thank You dearloved Joan C.Baez, you accorded me the answer in an unknown Light, through all darkness not alone as there was Love for you in me,- as in thought, in words a visioned melodie - that is not gone - far beyond the borders shores and the oceans sea, doves Flight as is Loves they fly By two By Four By Three, i send Goodbye to them I send GoodBye - and hope it once will be - I sent GoodBye my Joan C Baez stay You'll never fail in my Heart There is your place to be i send Goodbye my Love to Thee , Joan Chandos Baez, Katharine C. Y Baez Katharina Scharlowski It is for You that i was meant to feel was meant to be.
Katharine C. Y Baez, K.S.
on Wings
I 'll stay with you cause I think it's time to say Thank you for having stayed with me in my Time of Need. I love You Joan (KC) CHandos Baez, Your Katharine C. Y Baez name of Love and Hope and American Native Indian Marriage, born Katharina Scharlowski , A little Rain is a gonna come, And I am at Home when I cry, but I learned to be at home in your Love too, As we stay in The Hearts of The One Loves we are. Deine Katharine