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Diamond in Your Mind Lyrics

I shook hands with the president and the pope in Rome
I've been to parties where I had to be flown
This told me everything is sacred, nothing is profane
And money is something that you throw off of the back of a train

Always keep a diamond in your mind
Always keep a diamond in your mind
Wherever you may wander, wherever you may roam
Always keep a diamond in your mind

Steamer of gravy and the little fried pearls
Floating like a necklace on a beautiful girl
And Chalmers said "thanks" for the food and the land
And something about God that I just don't understand

Always keep a diamond in your mind
Always keep a diamond in your mind
Wherever you may wander, wherever you may roam
Always keep a diamond in your mind

She's got the milk of human kindness and the fat of the lamb
Skin like a baby, but she drives like a man
She lives in Natchez where she operates a crane
She's like a wrecking ball that's no longer connected to the chain

Zerelda Samuel said she ain't never prayed
Since her right arm was blown off in the Pinkerton raid
They lashed her to a windmill with '3-fingered Dave'
Now she's 102, drinking juleps in the shade

Always keep a diamond in your mind
Always keep a diamond in your mind
Wherever you may wander, wherever you may roam
Always keep a diamond in your mind

Always keep a diamond in your mind
Always keep a diamond in your mind
Wherever you may wander, wherever you may roam
Always keep a diamond in your mind

Always keep a diamond in your mind
Always keep a diamond in your mind
Wherever you may wander, wherever you may roam
Always keep a diamond in your mind

Always keep a diamond in your mind
Always keep a diamond in your mind
4 Meanings

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Cover art for Diamond in Your Mind lyrics by Tom Waits

This is obvious to a practitioner of Tibetan buddhism. Waits even mentions the Dali Lama in the current top youtube video for this song. In TB, we have a "Diamond Mind" meditation. Diamond Mind is an aspect of an "enlightened" "buddha" or mind. The "three-figured Dave" is a reference to statues showing mudras with are finger positions used during deep meditations. There are references to Tara - the female buddhas in TB. Often females sit with male aspects in statues. Waits says she's lashed to a windmill. He's obviously describing a statue of a male and female union forms. Chalmers is a famous author of a book about the mind - whom I don't doubt mentioned Tibetan monks deep knowledge of the mind through billions of repeitions of mantras and other practices. She's got the milk of human kindness. Many statues show a buddha with a bowl in front. Like half. This bowl contains nectar of compassion. There is no doubt here folks.

Song Meaning

@weekendsammy Waits likely went to a lecture by Chalmers and the Dali Lama talking about the mind. East meets west. These were very popular many years ago.

Cover art for Diamond in Your Mind lyrics by Tom Waits

"Zerelda Samuels said she aint never prayed Since her right arm was blown off in a Pinkerton raid"

In 1875, Allan Pinkerton led a raid on the farmhouse owned by the mother of Frank and Jesse James. A firebomb was thrown into the home, killing the James' half-brother and blowing off the right arm of Zerelda Samuels, the mother of Frank and Jesse.

Cover art for Diamond in Your Mind lyrics by Tom Waits

The very religious Solomon Burke took a few liberties with the lyrics in his (superb) recording. "Zerelda Samuels said she almost never prays" in his version, because, he reasoned, if you got your arm blown off, you must have called on the Lord a few times (I paraphrase).

Also, the line "something about God that I just don't understand" is changed to "and all so ever grateful for God's almighty hand."

@TokedDingo That is just...terrible. No one should be allowed to cover songs if they're going to bastardize the lyrics that way. Thats missing the point of the song, and would be offensive to Tom, its even offending me, im pretty sure if he's heard it he hates it, the man has spent a career that spans four decades making fun of religion and wondering what kind of god, if there was one, would be such a dick.

Cover art for Diamond in Your Mind lyrics by Tom Waits

Is it 'scared like a baby' or 'skin like a baby'? I say the latter!

And maybe not "Joan", but "Chalmers"? Either way, "and" is missing, and it should be the land. At least in the version I heard (on the Healing the Divide CD).

 
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