Chords for Johnny Cash - The Ballad of Ira Hayes (Official Video)
Tempo:
88 bpm
Chords used:
A
E
D
Bb
Am
Tuning:Standard Tuning (EADGBE)Capo:+0fret
Start Jamming...
[A]
[E] [A]
Ira Hayes, [D] Ira Hayes, call him [Am]
Drunken Ira [Dbm] Hayes, [D] he won't answer anymore.
[E] Not the whiskey drinking Indian, [A] or the Marine that went to war.
[Am] [A]
Gather round me people, [D] there's a story I would tell,
[E]
About a brave young Indian, [A] you should remember well.
From the land of the Pima [Db] Indian, [D] a proud and noble [Bb] band,
[E] Who farmed the Phoenix [Bb] Valley, [A] in Arizona land.
Down the ditches a [Dbm] thousand [D] years, the waters grew Ira's people's [Ebm] crops,
[E] Till the white men stole their [Bb] water rights, [A] and the sparkling waters stopped.
Now Ira's folks were [Db] hungry, [D] and their land grew crops of [Bb] weeds.
[E] When war came Ira [Bbm] volunteered, [A] and forgot the white man's greed.
Call him Drunken Ira [E] [D] Hayes, he won't answer anymore.
[Bb] [E] Not the whiskey drinking [A] Indian, or the Marine that went to war.
[Am] [A] There they battled up Iwo Jima [D] Hill, 250 [Bb] men,
[E] But only 27 lived [A] to walk back down again.
And when the fight was over, [D] and old glory [Gb] raised,
[E] Among the men who held [A] it high, were Ira Hayes.
[E]
[A] Call him Drunken Ira [Bm] Hayes, he won't answer [D] anymore.
[E] Not the whiskey drinking Indian, [A] or the Marine that went to war.
[A] Ira Hayes returned the hero, [Db] [D] celebrated through the land,
[Bb] [E] He was wined and speeched an honor, [A] everybody shook his hand.
But he was just a Pima [C] Indian, [Db] [D] no water, no home, no [B] chance.
[E] At home nobody cared what Ira'd [A] done, and when did the Indians dance.
Call him Drunken Ira Hayes, [D] he won't answer anymore.
[E] Not the whiskey drinking [A] Indian, or the Marine that
[Am] [A] went to war.
Then Ira started drinking [Db] hard, [D]
jail was often his [Bb] home.
[E] They let him raise a flag in Loris, [A] like you'd throw a dog a bone.
He died drunk early one [D] morning, alone in the land he fought to [E] save.
Two inches of water in a lonely ditch was [A] a grave for Ira Hayes.
Call him Drunken Ira [Dbm] Hayes, [D] he won't answer anymore.
[Gb]
[E] Not the whiskey drinking Indian, or [A] the Marine that went to
[Am] war.
[E] Yeah, call him [A] Drunken Ira Hayes.
[D]
But his land is just as [Bb] dry, [E] and his ghost is [A] lying thirsty,
In the ditch where Ira died.
[E] [A]
[E] [A]
Ira Hayes, [D] Ira Hayes, call him [Am]
Drunken Ira [Dbm] Hayes, [D] he won't answer anymore.
[E] Not the whiskey drinking Indian, [A] or the Marine that went to war.
[Am] [A]
Gather round me people, [D] there's a story I would tell,
[E]
About a brave young Indian, [A] you should remember well.
From the land of the Pima [Db] Indian, [D] a proud and noble [Bb] band,
[E] Who farmed the Phoenix [Bb] Valley, [A] in Arizona land.
Down the ditches a [Dbm] thousand [D] years, the waters grew Ira's people's [Ebm] crops,
[E] Till the white men stole their [Bb] water rights, [A] and the sparkling waters stopped.
Now Ira's folks were [Db] hungry, [D] and their land grew crops of [Bb] weeds.
[E] When war came Ira [Bbm] volunteered, [A] and forgot the white man's greed.
Call him Drunken Ira [E] [D] Hayes, he won't answer anymore.
[Bb] [E] Not the whiskey drinking [A] Indian, or the Marine that went to war.
[Am] [A] There they battled up Iwo Jima [D] Hill, 250 [Bb] men,
[E] But only 27 lived [A] to walk back down again.
And when the fight was over, [D] and old glory [Gb] raised,
[E] Among the men who held [A] it high, were Ira Hayes.
[E]
[A] Call him Drunken Ira [Bm] Hayes, he won't answer [D] anymore.
[E] Not the whiskey drinking Indian, [A] or the Marine that went to war.
[A] Ira Hayes returned the hero, [Db] [D] celebrated through the land,
[Bb] [E] He was wined and speeched an honor, [A] everybody shook his hand.
But he was just a Pima [C] Indian, [Db] [D] no water, no home, no [B] chance.
[E] At home nobody cared what Ira'd [A] done, and when did the Indians dance.
Call him Drunken Ira Hayes, [D] he won't answer anymore.
[E] Not the whiskey drinking [A] Indian, or the Marine that
[Am] [A] went to war.
Then Ira started drinking [Db] hard, [D]
jail was often his [Bb] home.
[E] They let him raise a flag in Loris, [A] like you'd throw a dog a bone.
He died drunk early one [D] morning, alone in the land he fought to [E] save.
Two inches of water in a lonely ditch was [A] a grave for Ira Hayes.
Call him Drunken Ira [Dbm] Hayes, [D] he won't answer anymore.
[Gb]
[E] Not the whiskey drinking Indian, or [A] the Marine that went to
[Am] war.
[E] Yeah, call him [A] Drunken Ira Hayes.
[D]
But his land is just as [Bb] dry, [E] and his ghost is [A] lying thirsty,
In the ditch where Ira died.
[E] [A]
Key:
A
E
D
Bb
Am
A
E
D
[A] _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ [E] _ _ _ _ _ _ [A] _
_ _ _ Ira Hayes, _ _ [D] Ira Hayes, call him [Am]
Drunken Ira [Dbm] Hayes, [D] he won't answer anymore.
[E] Not the whiskey drinking Indian, [A] or the Marine that went to war. _
_ _ _ _ [Am] _ [A] _ _
Gather round me people, [D] there's a story I would tell,
[E]
About a brave young Indian, [A] you should remember well.
From the land of the Pima [Db] Indian, [D] a proud and noble [Bb] band,
[E] Who farmed the Phoenix [Bb] Valley, [A] in Arizona land. _
Down the ditches a [Dbm] thousand [D] years, the waters grew Ira's people's [Ebm] crops,
[E] Till the white men stole their [Bb] water rights, [A] and the sparkling waters stopped. _
Now Ira's folks were [Db] hungry, [D] and their land grew crops of [Bb] weeds.
[E] When war came Ira [Bbm] volunteered, [A] and forgot the white man's greed.
Call him Drunken Ira [E] [D] Hayes, he won't answer anymore.
[Bb] [E] Not the whiskey drinking [A] Indian, or the Marine that went to war.
_ _ [Am] [A] There they battled up Iwo Jima [D] Hill, 250 [Bb] men,
[E] But only 27 lived [A] to walk back down again.
And when the fight was over, [D] and old glory [Gb] raised,
[E] Among the men who held [A] it high, were Ira Hayes.
_ _ _ [E] _
_ _ _ [A] _ _ _ Call him Drunken Ira [Bm] Hayes, he won't answer [D] anymore.
[E] Not the whiskey drinking Indian, [A] or the Marine that went to war. _
[A] _ _ _ _ _ _ Ira Hayes returned the hero, [Db] _ [D] celebrated through the land,
[Bb] [E] He was wined and speeched an honor, [A] everybody shook his hand.
But he was just a Pima [C] Indian, [Db] [D] no water, no home, no [B] chance.
[E] At home nobody cared what Ira'd [A] done, and when did the Indians dance. _
Call him Drunken Ira Hayes, [D] he won't answer anymore.
[E] Not the whiskey drinking [A] Indian, or the Marine that _ _
_ _ [Am] [A] went to war.
Then Ira started drinking [Db] hard, [D]
jail was often his [Bb] home.
[E] They let him raise a flag in Loris, [A] like you'd throw a dog a bone.
_ _ He died drunk early one [D] morning, alone in the land he fought to [E] save.
Two inches of water in a lonely ditch was [A] a grave for Ira Hayes. _
Call him Drunken Ira [Dbm] Hayes, [D] he won't answer anymore.
[Gb]
[E] Not the whiskey drinking Indian, or [A] the Marine that went to _ _
[Am] war.
[E] Yeah, call him [A] Drunken Ira Hayes.
[D]
But his land is just as [Bb] dry, [E] and his ghost is [A] lying thirsty,
In the ditch where Ira died. _ _ _ _
[E] _ _ _ _ _ _ _ [A] _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ [E] _ _ _ _ _ _ [A] _
_ _ _ Ira Hayes, _ _ [D] Ira Hayes, call him [Am]
Drunken Ira [Dbm] Hayes, [D] he won't answer anymore.
[E] Not the whiskey drinking Indian, [A] or the Marine that went to war. _
_ _ _ _ [Am] _ [A] _ _
Gather round me people, [D] there's a story I would tell,
[E]
About a brave young Indian, [A] you should remember well.
From the land of the Pima [Db] Indian, [D] a proud and noble [Bb] band,
[E] Who farmed the Phoenix [Bb] Valley, [A] in Arizona land. _
Down the ditches a [Dbm] thousand [D] years, the waters grew Ira's people's [Ebm] crops,
[E] Till the white men stole their [Bb] water rights, [A] and the sparkling waters stopped. _
Now Ira's folks were [Db] hungry, [D] and their land grew crops of [Bb] weeds.
[E] When war came Ira [Bbm] volunteered, [A] and forgot the white man's greed.
Call him Drunken Ira [E] [D] Hayes, he won't answer anymore.
[Bb] [E] Not the whiskey drinking [A] Indian, or the Marine that went to war.
_ _ [Am] [A] There they battled up Iwo Jima [D] Hill, 250 [Bb] men,
[E] But only 27 lived [A] to walk back down again.
And when the fight was over, [D] and old glory [Gb] raised,
[E] Among the men who held [A] it high, were Ira Hayes.
_ _ _ [E] _
_ _ _ [A] _ _ _ Call him Drunken Ira [Bm] Hayes, he won't answer [D] anymore.
[E] Not the whiskey drinking Indian, [A] or the Marine that went to war. _
[A] _ _ _ _ _ _ Ira Hayes returned the hero, [Db] _ [D] celebrated through the land,
[Bb] [E] He was wined and speeched an honor, [A] everybody shook his hand.
But he was just a Pima [C] Indian, [Db] [D] no water, no home, no [B] chance.
[E] At home nobody cared what Ira'd [A] done, and when did the Indians dance. _
Call him Drunken Ira Hayes, [D] he won't answer anymore.
[E] Not the whiskey drinking [A] Indian, or the Marine that _ _
_ _ [Am] [A] went to war.
Then Ira started drinking [Db] hard, [D]
jail was often his [Bb] home.
[E] They let him raise a flag in Loris, [A] like you'd throw a dog a bone.
_ _ He died drunk early one [D] morning, alone in the land he fought to [E] save.
Two inches of water in a lonely ditch was [A] a grave for Ira Hayes. _
Call him Drunken Ira [Dbm] Hayes, [D] he won't answer anymore.
[Gb]
[E] Not the whiskey drinking Indian, or [A] the Marine that went to _ _
[Am] war.
[E] Yeah, call him [A] Drunken Ira Hayes.
[D]
But his land is just as [Bb] dry, [E] and his ghost is [A] lying thirsty,
In the ditch where Ira died. _ _ _ _
[E] _ _ _ _ _ _ _ [A] _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Facts about this song