The Ballad Of Ira Hayes Tab by Johnny Cash

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Intro 1

Ira Hayes

Call him

Chorus 1

drunken Ira Hayes He won't

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answer anymore Not the

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whiskey drinking Indian Nor the Ma

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rine that went to war

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Verse 1
A 
A 
A 
 (A major)     (A major)     (A major) Gather round me people
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   1       2       3       4          1       2       3       4
D 
there's a  (D major) story I would tell
E 
 (E major) About a brave young Indian
A 
 (A major) you should remember well
From the land of the Pima Indian
D 
 (D major) A proud and noble band
E 
 (E major) Who farmed the Phoenix valley
A 
 (A major) in Arizona land
Down the ditches for a thousand years
D 
The  (D major) water grew Ira's peoples' crops
E 
Until the  (E major) white man stole the water rights
A 
And the  (A major) sparkling water stopped
Now Ira's folks were hungry
D 
 (D major) And their land grew crops of weeds
E 
 (E major) When war came, Ira volunteered
A 
 (A major) And forgot the white man's greed

Chorus 2

Call him drunken Ira Hayes

He won't answer anymore

Not the whiskey drinking Indian

Nor the Marine that went to war

Verse 2
A 
There they  (A major) battled up Iwo Jima's hill
D 
 (D major) Two hundred and fifty men
E 
 (E major) But only twenty-seven lived
A 
to  (A major) walk back down again
And when the fight was over
D 
 (D major) And Old Glory raised
E 
A (E major) mong the men who held it high
A 
Was the  (A major) Indian, Ira Hayes
A 
E 
A 
 (A major)  (E major)  (A major) 

Chorus 3

Call him drunken Ira Hayes

He won't answer anymore

Not the whiskey drinking Indian

Nor the Marine that went to war

Verse 3
A 
Ira  (A major) Hayes returned a hero
D 
 (D major) Celebrated through the land
E 
He was  (E major) wined and speeched and honored
A 
 (A major) Everybody shook his hand
But he was just a Pima Indian
D 
 (D major) No water, no home, no chance
E 
At  (E major) home nobody cared what Ira'd done
A 
And  (A major) when did the Indians dance?

Chorus 4

Call him drunken Ira Hayes

He won't answer anymore

Not the whiskey drinking Indian

Nor the Marine that went to war

Verse 4
A 
Then I (A major) ra started drinking hard
D 
 (D major) Jail was often his home
E 
They'd  (E major) let him raise the flag and lower it
A 
Like  (A major) you'd throw a dog a bone!
He died drunk early one morning
D 
 (D major) Alone in the land he fought to save
E 
 (E major) Two inches of water in a lonely ditch
A 
Was a  (A major) grave for Ira Hayes

Chorus 5

Call him drunken Ira Hayes

He won't answer anymore

Not the whiskey drinking Indian

Nor the Marine that went to war

Outro 1
A 
Yeah, call him  (A major) drunken Ira Hayes
D 
 (D major) But his land is just as dry
E 
 (E major) And his ghost is lying thirsty
A 
 (A major) In the ditch where Ira died
A 
E 
A 
 (A major)  (E major)  (A major) 