Joni – English Lyrics

• By: Brandi Carlile
• Album: Returning To Myself

Lyrics & Translation

Embark on a lyrical journey with Brandi Carlile's "Joni," a beautiful homage that opens a window into the rich language of admiration and friendship. Through this song, you can learn English vocabulary related to personal relationships, artistic inspiration, and expressing deep respect, all while experiencing Brandi Carlile's masterful storytelling and powerful vocals, which make this song a special celebration of a living legend.

[English]

I knew a wild woman, she threw a party on her grave

She went there tapping her cane and sipping champagne

She's a wild woman, and she makes me feel so tame

I can take her in a foot race, but I can't take her anywhere

She laughs at all the pop stars, and she doesn't even care if they hear her

She's a game of solitaire

Tell 'em that story one more time, Joan, I won't look away

Let me leave you in laughter, let me go get you a plate

When I tell you I love you, and you tell me, "Okay"

I know you believe me, and that's love in your way

The curse of a wild woman is that she doesn't suffer fools

She won't make cups of tea, and she doesn't bandage bruised egos

Or superficial wounds

But once I was sat beside her, when a fog rolled on the land

She spoke in sacred language every soul could understand

And with a broken body, many were healed by her hand

Let's go dancing, you can lean on me, Joan, I won't even sway

I'll find you a five-dollar blackjack table, make some dealer's day

And when I tell you I love you, and you tell me, "Okay"

I know you believe me, and that's love in your way

She's a wild woman

She's a wild, wild woman

I knew a wild woman

Touched by a wild woman

Believed by a wild woman

To be known, known by a wild woman

A wild, wild, wild woman

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
wild /waɪld/ B1	adjective - untamed, uncontrolled
woman /ˈwʊmən/ A1	noun - female adult human
love /lʌv/ A1	noun - deep affection or strong feeling of attachment verb - to feel deep affection for someone
curse /kɜːrs/ B2	noun - a spoken or written wish for harm verb - to invoke a curse on someone
heal /hiːl/ B2	verb - to make healthy; to recover
sacred /ˈseɪkrɪd/ B2	adjective - connected with the divine; holy
language /ˈlæŋɡwɪdʒ/ B1	noun - a system of communication used by a particular community
soul /soʊl/ B2	noun - the spiritual or immaterial part of a person
bruised /bruːzd/ B2	adjective - marked with a discoloration caused by a blow
ego /ˈiːɡoʊ/ B2	noun - a person's sense of self-esteem or self-importance
superficial /ˌsuːpərˈfɪʃəl/ C1	adjective - concerned only with what is on the surface; shallow
fog /fɔːɡ/ B1	noun - a thick cloud of tiny water droplets suspended in the atmosphere
hand /hænd/ A1	noun - the prehensile part of the arm
dance /dæns/ A2	verb - to move rhythmically to music noun - a series of rhythmic movements
lean /liːn/ B1	verb - to incline or bend from a vertical position
blackjack /ˈblækˌdʒæk/ C1	noun - a casino card game where the goal is to reach a total of 21
dealer /ˈdiːlər/ B2	noun - a person who deals cards in a game
solitaire /ˌsɒlɪˈtɛr/ C1	noun - a card game for one player; also a single gemstone

Key Grammar Structures

• I knew a wild woman, she threw a party on her grave

  ➔ Past Simple Tense

  ➔ This sentence uses Past Simple to describe completed actions in the past: "I knew" and "she threw" refer to events that happened and finished before now.

• She's a wild woman, and she makes me feel so tame

  ➔ Present Simple Tense

  ➔ Present Simple is used for "makes" to express a state or general truth about her influence on the speaker.

• She laughs at all the pop stars, and she doesn't even care if they hear her

  ➔ Modal Verb (doesn't)

  ➔ "Doesn't" is a contraction of "does not" used for negation in Present Simple, emphasizing indifference: "she doesn't even care" means she has no concern.

• Tell 'em that story one more time, Joan, I won't look away

  ➔ Imperative Mood with Contrained Won't

  ➔ "Tell" is an imperative command, while "won't" is a contraction of "will not" in future tense, promising action: "I won't look away" means the speaker will remain attentive.

• When I tell you I love you, and you tell me, "Okay"

  ➔ Adverbial Clause of Time

  ➔ "When" introduces a time adverbial clause, linking the condition (telling I love you) to the response ("Okay"), showing sequence in hypothetical or habitual situations.

• The curse of a wild woman is that she doesn't suffer fools

  ➔ Present Simple for General Truth

  ➔ "Is" uses Present Simple to state a timeless truth about the nature of a "wild woman": she inherently avoids dealing with foolish people.

• But once I was sat beside her, when a fog rolled on the land

  ➔ Past Perfect in Adverbial Clause

  ➔ "Was sat" (seated) uses Past Continuous or Perfect aspect implicitly for setup, but "rolled" in the "when" clause highlights the contrasting action; it's a narrative of past sequence.

• And with a broken body, many were healed by her hand

  ➔ Passive Voice

  ➔ "Were healed" uses Passive Voice, where "many" is the subject receiving the action, emphasizing the miraculous healing without specifying the healer explicitly beyond "by her hand".