Johnny Cash - The Battle Of Ira Hayes guitar chord

The Ballad of Ira Hayes

by jeremy1234_5

recorded by Johnny Cash

(part of "Taps" is played on a flute, then:)

A D

Ira Hayes Ira Hayes

A

(CHORUS:) Call him drunken Ira Hayes

D

he wonFt answer anymore

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not the whiskey drinkinF Indian

A

nor the Marine that went to war

A D

Gather round me people thereFs a story I would tell

E A

about a brave young Indian you should remember well

>From the land of the Pima Indian a proud and noble band

who farmed the Phoenix valley in Arizona land

Down the ditches for a thousand years the water grew IraFs peoples crops

till the white man stole the water rights and the sparklin water stopped

Now IraFs folks were hungry and their land grew crops of weeds

When war came, Ira volunteered and forgot the white manFs greed

(CHORUS)

There they battled up Iwo JimaFs hill, Two hundred and fifty men

but only twenty-seven lived to walk back down again

and when the fight was over and when Old Glory raised

among the men who held it high was the Indian, Ira Hayes

(CHORUS:)

Ira returned a hero celebrated through the land

he was wined and speeched and honored; everybody shook his hand

but he was just a Pima Indian--no water, no crops, no chance

at home nobody cared what IraFd done and when did the Indians dance

(CHORUS:)

Then Ira started drinkinF hard; jail was often his home

theyFd let him raise the flag and lower it

like youFd throw a dog a bone!

He died drunk one morninF alone in the land he fought to save

two inches of water in a lonely ditch was a grave for Ira Hayes

(CHORUS:)

Yeah, call him drunken Ira Hayes but his land is just as dry

and his ghost is lyinF thirsty in the ditch where Ira died

turnarounds:

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