<P> Hearing the lyrics read to her by Dylan just after they had been written is thought to be the inspiration for the 1975 Joan Baez song "Diamonds & Rust", which is based on her and Dylan's own relationship ten years earlier . </P> <P> The song has a long list of characters . The inspiration behind several characters in the plot has been long disputed among fans . </P> <Ul> <Li> The main character in the song is "The Jack of Hearts", who has recently come into town as a leader of a gang of bank robbers . ("The boys finally made it through the wall and cleaned out the bank safe...but they couldn't go no further without the Jack of Hearts .") </Li> <Li> Major women in the song are Lily and Rosemary . Both are referred to in royal terms ("like a queen without a crown" and "Lily was a princess") though not royalty . Rosemary is Big Jim's long suffering wife, who ultimately is executed for his murder (though the song is very much nebulous about whether or not she was innocent and was framed by the Jack of Hearts). Lily is a dancer who is Big Jim's mistress (wearing a ring symbolizing this) and also a former lover of the Jack of Hearts . </Li> <Li> Big Jim is the wealthiest person in town: "he owned the town's only diamond mine". He is married to Rosemary and having a longstanding affair with Lily . He is killed at the climax of the song, though Dylan leaves it ambiguous who does the deed . The lyrics describe Big Jim as a greedy man who destroys all that he touches, which contrasts with his well groomed appearance . </Li> <Li> The Hanging Judge; a patron of the bar where the plot plays out . The character is referred to as a drunk and is intoxicated for the bulk of the song . However, he is sober the next day when he oversees Rosemary being executed for Big Jim's death . </Li> </Ul> <Li> The main character in the song is "The Jack of Hearts", who has recently come into town as a leader of a gang of bank robbers . ("The boys finally made it through the wall and cleaned out the bank safe...but they couldn't go no further without the Jack of Hearts .") </Li>

Dylan lyrics lily rosemary and the jack of hearts