Joan Baez’s ‘Diamonds and Rust’

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When The Past Comes Back to Life Memories are a collection of emotions, senses and feelings that subconsciously reside in the back of one’s mind. Whether pleasant or unpleasant, these are types of information locked deep inside an individual. In Joan Baez’s ‘Diamonds and Rust’, structural techniques, repetition and juxtaposition are incorporated to reveal the melancholy behind a treasured yet no longer existent relationship. Though it is very likely that ‘Diamonds and Rust’ depicts Baez’s personal experiences, the piece is a perfect example of many people’s thoughts when going through similar nostalgic situations. Firstly, Baez purposely organizes the lines of the song in a way that creates a literal illustration of the plot. It begins at present-day as the speaker heeds the voice of a former lover on other side of the phone, following a long break between their last encounter. The stinging accumulation of images of their dear past causes the speaker to “[head] straight for a fall” as the verse ends. From shock and disbelief, that they are once again conversing, the speaker transitions to the second verse where she experiences a number of amorous flashbacks. The following verses are written in the past tense as it is accompanied by phrases such as “as I remember, “ten years ago” and “ I bought you…” These allow the reader to look behind and experience the same nostalgic trance as the speaker. The shift in tense transports both the speaker and the reader to a different realm that is blurry and separate from real time—a daydream. The sandwiching of this memory by verses written in the present tense even more so isolates the speaker’s visions and disconnects them from reality. Baez’s ability to artistically arrange the text creates chronological flow and positioning that contributes to the overall effect and message of the story. Repetition is used to

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