The Ballad Of Ira Hayes
View chords used in this chart
Intro
C
[Refrão]
C
Call him drunken Ira Hayes
F
He won't answer anymore,
G
Not the whiskey-drinkin' Indian,
C
Or the Marine who went to war.
[Verso 1]
C F
Gather round me, people, there's a story I would tell,
G C
About the brave young Indian who you'd soon remember well;
C F
From the land of the Pima Indians, a proud and noble band,
G C
Who farmed the Phoenix Valley in Arizona land.
[Verso 2]
C F
Down their ditches for a thousand years the waters grew Ira's people's crops,
G C
Till the white man stole their water rights and the sparklin' water stopped.
C F
Now Ira's folks grew hungry, and their lands grew crops of weeds.
G C
Now when war came out, Ira volunteered and forgot the white man's greed.
[Refrão]
C
Call him drunken Ira Hayes
F
He won't answer anymore,
G
Not the whiskey-drinkin' Indian,
C
Or the Marine who went to war.
[Verso 3]
C F
They battled up Iwo Jima hill two hundred and fifty men,
G C
But only twenty-seven lived to walk back down again;
C F
When the fight was over and Old Glory raised
G C
Among the men who held it high was the Indian Ira Hayes.
[Refrão]
C
Call him drunken Ira Hayes
F
He won't answer anymore,
G
Not the whiskey-drinkin' Indian,
C
Or the Marine who went to war.
[Verso 4]
C F
Ira Hayes returned a hero, celebrated through the land,
G C
He was wined and speeched and honored, everybody shook his hand;
C F
But he was just a Pima Indian; no water, no land, no chance;
G C
Back home nobody cared what Ira done and when did the Indians dance?
[Refrão]
C
Call him drunken Ira Hayes
F
He won't answer anymore,
G
Not the whiskey-drinkin' Indian,
C
Or the Marine who went to war.
[Verso 5]
C F
Ira started drinkin' hard, jail was often his home;
G C
They let him raise the flag and lower it, like you'd throw a dog a bone;
C F
He died drunk early one morning alone in the land he'd fought to save;
G C
Two inches of water in a lonely ditch, was the grave for Ira Hayes.
[Refrão]
C
Call him drunken Ira Hayes
F
He won't answer anymore,
G
Not the whiskey-drinkin' Indian,
C
Or the Marine who went to war.
[Refrão]
C
Yea, call him drunken Ira Hayes,
F
But his land is just as dry,
G
And his ghost is lying thirsty
C
In the ditch where Ira died.
{Trumpet Instrumental}
N.C.
How to play The Ballad Of Ira Hayes
Use the controls above to change the key and text size. Follow the highlighted chords while listening, then practice each section slowly before playing at the original tempo.
What is the starting chord?
The first identified chord is C. You can transpose without leaving the page.
Can I play it on guitar or keyboard?
Yes. The chord progression works on acoustic guitar, electric guitar and keyboard. Adapt the voicings to your instrument and level.