Page type: lyric reference
Artist: June Carter and Carl Smith
Canonical path: /june-carter-and-carl-smith/ballad-of-ira-hayes
Related lyric paths: 6
Lyric guide
Ballad Of Ira Hayes
Read Ballad Of Ira Hayes lyrics by June Carter and Carl Smith on LyroVerse, with linked artist context and related song paths.
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Lyrics
Ballad Of Ira Hayes
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Ira Hayes,
Ira Hayes
CHORUS:
Call him drunken Ira Hayes
He won't answer anymore
Not the whiskey drinkin' Indian
Nor the Marine that went to war
Gather round me people there's a story I would tell
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 Ira's peoples' crops
'Till the white man stole the water rights
And the sparklin' water stopped
Now Ira's folks were hungry
And their land grew crops of weeds
When war came, Ira volunteered
And forgot the white man's greed
CHORUS:
Call him drunken Ira Hayes
He won't answer anymore
Not the whiskey drinkin' Indian
Nor the Marine that went to war
There they battled up Iwo Jima's 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:
Call him drunken Ira Hayes
He won't answer anymore
Not the whiskey drinkin' Indian
Nor the Marine that went to war
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 Ira'd done
And when did the Indians dance
CHORUS:
Call him drunken Ira Hayes
He won't answer anymore
Not the whiskey drinkin' Indian
Nor the Marine that went to war
Then Ira started drinkin' hard;
Jail was often his home
They'd let him raise the flag and lower it
like you'd throw a dog a bone!
He died drunk one mornin'
Alone in the land he fought to save
Two inches of water in a lonely ditch
Was a grave for Ira Hayes
CHORUS:
Call him drunken Ira Hayes
He won't answer anymore
Not the whiskey drinkin' Indian
Nor the Marine that went to war
Yeah, call him drunken Ira Hayes
But his land is just as dry
And his ghost is lyin' thirsty
In the ditch where Ira died
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Who performs "Ballad Of Ira Hayes"?
June Carter and Carl Smith performs "Ballad Of Ira Hayes", and this lyric page sits inside the June Carter and Carl Smith catalog on LyroVerse.
Are there related songs to explore after "Ballad Of Ira Hayes"?
Yes. The related section below points to Flesh And Blood and I Guess Things Happen That Way with a short reason for opening each page next.
Where can I find more songs by June Carter and Carl Smith?
Use the artist link near the top of the page or the related paths section below to keep moving through June Carter and Carl Smith's lyric pages.
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