Diamonds and Rust

"You gonna sing that song about robin's eggs and diamonds?" Bob had asked me on the first day of rehearsals.

"Which one?"

"You know, that one about blue eyes and diamonds..."

"Oh", I said, "you must mean 'Diamonds And Rust', the song I wrote for my husband, David. I wrote it while he was in prison."

"For your husband?" Bob said.

"Yeah. Who did you think it was about?" I stonewalled.

"Oh, hey, what the fuck do I know?"

"Never mind. Yeah, I'll sing it, if you like."

• Joan Baez, AND A VOICE TO SING WITH, 1987

People people, it's just not that complicated! The title simply is stating from Joan's point of view the inequity of the relationship. Joan clearly is saying that she was there for him emotionally during a period in his life when he was "temporarily lost at sea" meaning a vulnerable scary place, maybe even going through an identity crisis, which isn't unusual with such successful artists and with as much fame as Dylan. It's obvious she cared for him during this time as a mother would for a wounded child. But it wasn't an adult to adult relationship emotionally. He just wasn't capable of returning the favor and she got nada from him for emotional support when it came to her life and hard times. She brought diamonds to the relationship and all she got from him was rust. It's supurb symbolism. And given that he thought her poetry was lousy I think she more than makes up for it with these lyrics. I put these lyrics in my top ten because of the raw sadness and pain that they are able to drudge up but also because it's that raw truth that comes through and her strength to say no to being in that position again. I've already paid.

No question this is about Bob Dylan. She has said so and so has he.

"...we both know what memories can bring They bring diamonds and rust"

Memories can bring feelings that are beautiful and bright, or corrosive and destructive...bittersweet.

I think the line about "I've already paid" means that she has nothing left to give him; the bitter outweighs the sweet and she doesn't want to dredge up their memories.

Baez has said before what "Diamonds and Rust" are: Memories. "Time turns ugly charcoal into diamonds and shiny metal into rust."

I don't think Diamonds and Rust reveals 'tears and then dried.' What I think it means is, as in all wonderful, set apart relationships, there is 'diamonds'..the closeness..the good times. And 'rust'..the end. Joan sings 'I've already paid'..her heart has already broken once and one more telephone call will not change that.
There is another song that Joan sings for Bob.. titled: 'Winds Of The Old Days' What really is the core issue is: Did Bob really love Joan or was she just a 'deviation' for him when he broke up with Suze. Bob and Joan were together romantically for such a short time - after the breakup with Suze - and just before his relationship with his future wife, Sarah.

"A booth in the Midwest" seems like a Bob answer to "Where are you calling from?"

I adore this song. "You who are so good with words and at keeping things vague, and i need some of that vagueness now...". This song doesn't have lines, it just has these concepts flow on to take you to different parts of her memories/ emotions. Brilliant. Her talent is a real blessing

"What really is the core issue is: Did Bob really love Joan or was she just a 'deviation' for him when he broke up with Suze."

In response to this, I think Dylan absolutely loved Joan Baez, he was just unable to express it in a way that was adequate for either of them. In "No Direction Home", when he's talking about her and how careless he was with her, Dylan says "It's hard to be wise and in love at the same time." For Dylan, that's such a vulnerable statement, and I think a very telling one.

"hearing a voice I'd known a couple of light years ago Heading straight for a fall" Considering the song was written in 1975, it is my reading of it, that Bob rang her up one day looking for sympathy when he realised his marriage to Sara Lownds was on the rocks. According to a Wikipedia entry "Their marriage first became strained around April 1974 when he began taking art classes from Norman Raeben, a 73-year-old Russian immigrant... Raeban's teaching methods radically changed the musician's way of thinking, and he would later tell an interviewer, "I went home after that first day and my wife never did understand me ever since that day. That's when our marriage started breaking up. She never knew what I was talking about, what I was thinking about, and I couldn't possibly explain it." His marriage ended in 1977, which is the fall that is referred to. Would it be too much of a stretch that Baez was the charcoal and Lownds was the shiny metal (Dylan refers to Sara's silver cross in "Sad Eyed lady of the lowlands"). Time has brought decay (rust) in his relationship with Sara and Baez is pointing out he could have had a diamond instead, Baez. There is a strong feeling of "I told you so" to the song.

I think it's about Joan's relationship with Bob Dylan.