Farewell to the lights of Madera
I'm leaving with the wind at my back 
Tell all of my friends in Dos Palos
I'm gone but I'll be circling back
Now I'm crossing the Chowchilia River
By the light of a ragged moonbeam
And I'll miss
the Rose
of San Joaquin 
I'll miss the sun on the Sierra Nevada
adobe moon on the rise
Shining down on my love in Madera,
shining into her dark Spanish eyes
Oh she taught me those Mexican love songs
"Volver, Volver" in my dreams
And I miss
the Rose 
of San Joaquin
Caught somewhere between
The road
and the Rose
of San Joaquin
now her black hair fell on the blanket 
in the tall grass wet with the dew
Making love through the night by the river
Oh Magdalene how my heart cries for you 
Alone on this highway of darkness
You are the light of my dreams
And I miss
the Rose 
of San Joaquin
Caught somewhere between
The road
and the Rose 
of San Joaquin