She was a raven-haired restless drunkard's daughter
With skinny legs so long and dark and brown
And she believed all the things the Bible taught her
'Til she changed her mind and busted outta town

Sailed down the black mountain trail to meet her lover
A no-good gambler the law called "One-Eyed Jack"
From that cruel summer he never will recover
'Cause he don't reckon she's ever coming back

She hitched her life to a rusty El Dorado
And let the warm wind blow across her bones
And in the night you can hear someone cryin'
Joanna won't you please come home

She was a raven-haired restless drunkard's daughter
The knid of hero you need at seventeen
A wild rose that went searching for some water
And the kind of light the shadows never see