"Diamonds & Rust" is a song written and performed by Joan Baez. Released in 1975, it had actually been written and composed the previous November,the song was later covered with edited lyrics by Judas Priest for the album Sin After Sin(1977). It was originally recorded a year earlier for Sad Wings of Destiny(1976) but not included on the album- and this early version appears on The Best of Judas Priest(recorded 1974/1975 released 1978), Hero, Hero(recorded 1974/1977 released 1981), and some remasters of their first album, Rocka Rolla. A live version of the song is on Unleashed in the East. The song remains a staple of Judas Priest live concert performances. In recent years, Priest have been performing a mostly-acoustic version of the song that is more similar to the original than the rock version on their recorded albums.

Baez commented on the Judas Priest version:

I love that! I was so stunned when I first heard it. I thought it was wonderful. It's very rare for people to cover my songs. I think there are a couple of reasons. One is they're personal -- they don't have a universal quality to them. And I think maybe it's because I've already sung them, and who wants to compete with that? But it's always flattering when somebody does.