Diamond and rust

from The Very Best of Joan Baez 1998

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 were 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 diamond and rust

Well, you burst on the scene were already a legend
The unwatched 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 all around
Snow in your hair
Now you're smiling out the window of that crummy hotel over Washington Square
Our breath comes out white cloud mingles and hangs in the air
Speaking strictly for me
We both could've died then and there

Now you're telling me you're not nostalgic
Then give me another word for it
You who're so good with words and at keeping thing vague
Cause I need some of that vagueness now
It's all come back too clearly
Yes , I love you dearly
And if you're offering me diamonds and rust
I've already paid


多年前看的《親愛的老婆》裡面，侯文詠提到回憶就像鑽石與鐵鏽
那時的我還年輕，一點也不懂
前陣子突然發覺了這首歌

在一次夜晚從高雄回到家的途中
一個人騎在民族路上
靜靜的將歌完整聽過
發覺自己已經可以體會
是的
回憶帶給我們的就像鑽石與鐵銹