The Ballad of Ira Hayes
Johnny Cash
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published by
rafah
[Verse]A DIra Hayes, Ira Hayes.A DCall him drunken Ira Hayes, he won't answer anymore;E Anot the whiskey drinkin' Indian, nor the marine that went to war.A DGather 'round me, people. There's a story I would tellE A'bout a brave young Indian you should remember well,Dfrom the land of the Pima Indians, a proud and nobel band,E Awho farmed the Phoenix Valley in Arizona land.A DDown their ditches a thousand years, the waters grew Ira's people's cropsE Atill the white man stole their water rights and the sparklin' water stopped.DNow, Ira's folks were hungry and their land grew crops of weeds.E AWhen the war came, Ira volunteered and forgot the white man's greed.A DCall him drunken Ira Hayes, he won't answer anymore;E Anot the whiskey drinkin' Indian, nor the marine that went to war.A DThere they battled up Iwo Jima Hill; 250 men,E Abut only 27 lived to walk back down again.DAnd when the fight was over, and Old Glory raised,E Aamong the men who held it high was the Indian, Ira Hayes.A DCall him drunken Ira Hayes, he won't answer anymore;E Anot the whiskey drinkin' Indian, nor the marine that went to war.A DIra Hayes returned a hero, celebrated through the land.E AHe was wined and speeched and honored, ev'rybody shook his hand.DBut he was just a Pima Indian; no water, no home, no chance.EAt home nobody cared what Ira had done.AAnd when do the Indians dance?A DCall him drunken Ira Hayes, he won't answer anymore;E Anot the whiskey drinkin' Indian, nor the marine that went to war.A DThen Ira started drinkin' hard; jail was often his home.E AThey let him raise the flag and lower it like you'd throw a dog a bone.DHe died drunk early one morning, alone in the land he fought to save.E ATwo inches of water in a lonely ditch was a grave for Ira Hayes.A DCall him drunken Ira Hayes, he won't answer anymore;E Anot the whiskey drinkin' Indian, nor the marine that went to war.A DYeah, call him drunken Ira Hayes, but his land is just as dry,E Aand his ghost is lyin' thirsty in the ditch were Ira died.