We Both Know What Memories Can Bring

Joan Baez : Diamonds and Rust






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 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
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



--Joan Baez
diamonds and rust