Ballad Of Ira Hayes by Johnny Cash Artist: Johnny Cash Song: (The)Ballad of Ira Hayes **Please Rate And Comment** A D Ira Hayes, Ira Hayes. A D Call him drunken Ira Hayes, he won't answer anymore; E A not the whiskey drinkin' Indian, nor the marine that went to war. A D Gather 'round me, people. There's a story I would tell E A 'bout a brave young Indian you should remember well, D from the land of the Pima Indians, a proud and nobel band, E A who farmed the Phoenix Valley in Arizona land. A D Down their ditches a thousand years, the waters grew Ira's people's crops E A till the white man stole their water rights and the sparklin' water stopped. D Now, Ira's folks were hungry and their land grew crops of weeds. E A When the war came, Ira volunteered and forgot the white man's greed. A D Call him drunken Ira Hayes, he won't answer anymore; E A not the whiskey drinkin' Indian, nor the marine that went to war. A D There they battled up Iwo Jima Hill; 250 men, E A but only 27 lived to walk back down again. D And when the fight was over, and Old Glory raised, E A among the men who held it high was the Indian, Ira Hayes. A D Call him drunken Ira Hayes, he won't answer anymore; E A not the whiskey drinkin' Indian, nor the marine that went to war. A D Ira Hayes returned a hero, celebrated through the land. E A He was wined and speeched and honored, ev'rybody shook his hand. D But he was just a Pima Indian; no water, no home, no chance. E At home nobody cared what Ira had done. A And when do the Indians dance? A D Call him drunken Ira Hayes, he won't answer anymore; E A not the whiskey drinkin' Indian, nor the marine that went to war. A D Then Ira started drinkin' hard; jail was often his home. E A They let him raise the flag and lower it like you'd throw a dog a bone. D He died drunk early one morning, alone in the land he fought to save. E A Two inches of water in a lonely ditch was a grave for Ira Hayes. A D Call him drunken Ira Hayes, he won't answer anymore; E A not the whiskey drinkin' Indian, nor the marine that went to war. A D Yeah, call him drunken Ira Hayes, but his land is just as dry, E A and his ghost is lyin' thirsty in the ditch were Ira died. www.TAB6.com