I Dug Up a Diamond

Producers

Knopfler has said that some songs on this album, for which he shares artist credit with Emmylou Harris, were originally written to be included on his second solo album… Read More

Apr. 24, 20061 viewer

I Dug Up a Diamond Lyrics

[Verse 1: Mark Knopfler & Emmylou Harris, Mark Knopfler]
I dug up a diamond
Rare and fine
I dug up a diamond
In a deep, dark mine
If I only I could cling to
My beautiful find
I dug up a diamond
In a deep, dark mine

[Verse 2: Mark Knopfler & Emmylou Harris, Mark Knopfler]
My gem is special
Beyond all worth
Strong as any metal
Or stone in the earth
Sharp as any razor
Or blade you can buy
Bright as any laser
Or any star in the sky

[Chorus: Mark Knopfler & Emmylou Harris]
Maybe once in a lifetime
You'll hold one in your hand
Once in a lifetime
In this land
Where the journey ends
In a worthless claim
Time and again
In the mining game

[Verse 3: Mark Knopfler & Emmylou Harris, Mark Knopfler]
I dug up a diamond
Rare and fine
I dug up, a diamond
In a deep dark mine
Down in the darkness
In the dirt and the grime
I dug up a diamond
In a deep, dark mine

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About

Knopfler has said that some songs on this album, for which he shares artist credit with Emmylou Harris, were originally written to be included on his second solo album, Sailing to Philadelphia.

One can suspect that this is one of those songs, as “I Dug Up a Diamond” is not structured as a duet, though Harris joins Knopfler in harmony.

Knopfler was born in Scotland and grew up in Northumberland, England, both of which are coal regions. The interpretation could be straightforward: a miner’s joy in finding a diamond. Alternatively it could be read as a metaphor for something extraordinary unexpectedly achieved through tireless, hopeless effort. In either case, Knopfler draws the mining imagery from his home country.