<P> In the song , Baez recounts an out - of - the - blue phone call from an old lover , which sends her a decade back in time , to a `` crummy '' hotel in Greenwich Village circa 1964 or 1965 ; she recalls giving him a pair of cuff - links , and summarizes that memories bring `` diamonds and rust '' . Baez has stated that the lyrics refer to her relationship with Bob Dylan . </P>
who is the song diamonds and rust about
Bob Dylan