Diamonds and Rust

Joan Baez
Diamonds and Rust


Original		Translation of Slang
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		I'll be damned I'm surprised Here comes your ghost again And here I sit Hand on the telephone Hearing a voice I'd known light years ago a really long time ago Heading straight for a fall going directly to failure
As I remember your eyes Were bluer than robins' 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		robin's eggs (not slang) robins are large black birds with red chests which symbolize spring for Americans. Their eggs are a strong light blue-green color. lousy poor quality booth (not slang) public telephone (they used to be in booths, like in Superman) Midwest (not slang) the middle of the US, from to Ohio to Iowa and including states to the north. The song is about Baez's ex-boyfriend Bob Dylan, who is from Minnesota, a part of the Midwest. burst on the scene appeared suddenly on the music scene vagabond (not slang) wanderer
And there you stayed Temporarily lost at sea The Madonna was yours for free Yes the girl on the half-shell Would keep you unharmed Now I see you standing With brown leaves falling 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 Because 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 girl on the half-shell (not slang) reference to the Renaissance painting "The Birth of Venus" by Sandro Botticelli crummy low quality

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