the ballad of ira hayes
Singer:bob dylan
gather round you people and a story i will tell
about a brave young indian you should remember well
from the tribe of pima indians
a proud and a peaceful band
they farmed the phoenix valley in arizona land
down their ditches for a thousand years the sparkling water rushed
till their white man stole their water rights and the running water hushed
now ira's folks were hungry and their farms wene crops of weeds
but when war came he volunteers and forgot
not the whiskey-drinking indian or the marine who went to war
not the whiskey-drinking indian or the marine who went to war. they started up iwo jima hill
but only 27 lived to walk back down that hill again
and when the fight was over and the old glory raised
one of the men who held it high was the indian ira hayes
not the whiskey-drinking indian or the marine who went to war
not the whiskey-drinking indian or the marine who went to war. now ira returned a hero
celebrated throughout the land
he was wined and speeched and honored
but he was just a pima indian
and at home nobody cared what ira had done and the wind did the indian's dance
not the whiskey-drinking indian or the marine who went to war
not the whiskey-drinking indian or the marine who went to war. and ira started drinking hard
they let him raise the flag there and lower it like you'd throw a dog a bone
he died drunk early one morning
alone in the land he had fought to save
two inches of water in a lonely ditch was the grave for ira hayes
not the whiskey-drinking indian or the marine who went to war
not the whiskey-drinking indian or the marine who went to war. yes
but his land is still as dry
and his ghost is lying thirsty in the ditch where ira died
not the whiskey-drinking indian or the marine who went to war
not the whiskey-drinking indian or the marine who went to war.