Diamonds & Rust – English Lyrics

• By: Joan Baez
• Album: Diamonds & Rust

Lyrics & Translation

Learning a language through music is a powerful and immersive experience, and Joan Baez's 'Diamonds & Rust' offers a beautiful entry point into the world of English folk music. The song's rich, poetic lyrics provide a fantastic opportunity to explore nuanced vocabulary and metaphorical language. Its narrative structure, telling the story of a past love, allows learners to follow a clear and emotional storyline, making the language more memorable. What makes this song special is its raw honesty and the universal theme of looking back at a significant relationship, a sentiment that transcends language barriers.

[English]

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

...

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 cuff links

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 around

An' 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 alredy paid

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
ghost /ɡoʊst/ B1	noun - the spirit of a dead person
voice /vɔɪs/ A1	noun - the sound produced in a person's larynx and uttered through the mouth, as speech or song.
eyes /aɪz/ A1	noun - organs in the head of humans and animals that receive light and enable sight.
poetry /ˈpoʊətri/ B2	noun - literary work in which special intensity is given to the expression of feelings and ideas by the use of distinctive style and rhythm.
memories /ˈmeməriz/ B1	noun - something remembered from the past; a recollection.
diamonds /ˈdaɪəməndz/ B1	noun - a precious stone consisting of a clear and colorless crystalline form of pure carbon, the hardest naturally occurring substance.
rust /rʌst/ B1	noun - a reddish- or yellowish-brown flaking coating of iron oxide formed on iron or steel by oxidation, especially in the presence of moisture.
legend /ˈledʒənd/ B2	noun - a traditional story or myth
vagabond /ˈvæɡəbɒnd/ C1	noun - a person who wanders from place to place without a home or job.
sea /siː/ A1	noun - the expanse of salt water that covers most of the earth's surface and surrounds its landmasses.
leaves /liːvz/ A1	noun - a flattened structure of a higher plant, typically green and blade-like, that is attached to a stem directly or via a stalk.
snow /snoʊ/ A1	noun - atmospheric water vapor frozen into ice crystals and falling in light white flakes or lying on the ground as a white layer.
hotel /hoʊˈtel/ A1	noun - an establishment providing accommodation, meals, and other services for travelers and tourists.
clouds /klaʊdz/ A1	noun - a visible mass of condensed water vapor floating in the atmosphere, typically high above the ground.
breath /breθ/ A2	noun - the air inhaled or exhaled when breathing.
vague /veɪɡ/ B2	adjective - of uncertain, indefinite, or unclear character or meaning.

Key Grammar Structures

• Well I'll be damned

  ➔ Passive voice (truncated form)

  ➔ This is a shortened, somewhat archaic form of "I will be damned," used to express surprise or shock. It's a passive construction where "I" is the recipient of the action of being 'damned'.

• Hearing a voice I'd known

  ➔ Past Perfect (implied) in a Relative Clause

  ➔ The phrase "I'd known" is a shortened form of "I had known" (past perfect). The full sentence implies, "Hearing a voice that I had known."

• As I remember your eyes Were bluer than robin's eggs

  ➔ Comparative adjective with 'than'

  ➔ "Bluer than robin's eggs" is a comparative adjective. "Bluer" is the comparative form of "blue," and "than" is used to compare the color of the eyes to the color of robin's eggs.

• We both know what memories can bring

  ➔ Noun Clause as Direct Object

  ➔ "What memories can bring" is a noun clause acting as the direct object of the verb "know." It functions as a single noun phrase within the larger sentence.

• You strayed into my arms And there you stayed

  ➔ Intransitive verb

  ➔ The verb "stayed" is used intransitively here, meaning it doesn't take a direct object. It simply describes the state of remaining.

• The Madonna was yours for free

  ➔ Subject Complement

  ➔ The phrase "yours for free" acts as a subject complement, providing more information about the subject "The Madonna." Specifically, "yours" is a possessive pronoun, and "for free" is an adverbial phrase modifying it.

• We both could have died then and there

  ➔ Modal perfect (could have + past participle)

  ➔ "Could have died" expresses a possibility in the past that did not happen. It suggests that the situation was so intense that they might have died, but they did not.

• And if you're offering me diamonds and rust I've alredy paid

  ➔ Mixed Conditional Sentence (Type 3/Type 2)

  ➔ This is a mixed conditional sentence. The 'if' clause refers to a present condition ("if you're offering") using the present continuous. The main clause expresses a result in the present that is a consequence of a past action ("I've already paid"), using the present perfect. It implies that because the speaker already suffered, the offer is not relevant now.