Johnny Cash – The Ballad of Ira Hayes

About the song:

“The Ballad of Ira Hayes” is a song written by Peter La Farge and recorded by Johnny Cash. It was released in 1964 as the second single from Cash’s album Bitter Tears: Ballads of the American Indian. The song tells the story of Ira Hayes, one of the six Marines who raised the flag on Iwo Jima during World War II. Hayes was a Pima Indian from Arizona. After the war, he struggled with alcoholism and depression and died at the age of 32.

The song is a powerful ballad that tells the story of Hayes’s life and death. It begins with a description of the flag-raising on Iwo Jima, and then goes on to describe Hayes’s struggles with alcohol and depression. The song ends with a moving tribute to Hayes, who is described as a “true American hero.”

“The Ballad of Ira Hayes” was a commercial success, reaching number three on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart. It was also a critical success, with critics praising Cash’s powerful vocals and La Farge’s moving lyrics. The song has been covered by many artists, including Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, and Joan Baez.

The song is a reminder of the sacrifices made by Native Americans in the United States military. It is also a powerful ballad about the struggles of alcoholism and depression. “The Ballad of Ira Hayes” is a classic song that continues to be relevant today.

Here are some additional details about the song:

• The song was written by Peter La Farge, a folk singer who was known for his social activism.
• The song was recorded by Johnny Cash, who was one of the most popular country music singers of all time.
• The song was released in 1964, during the Vietnam War.
• The song was a commercial success, reaching number three on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart.
• The song was a critical success, with critics praising Cash’s powerful vocals and La Farge’s moving lyrics.
• The song has been covered by many artists, including Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, and Joan Baez.

“The Ballad of Ira Hayes” is a classic song that continues to be relevant today. It is a reminder of the sacrifices made by Native Americans in the United States military. It is also a powerful ballad about the struggles of alcoholism and depression.

Video:

Lyrics:

“The Ballad Of Ira Hayes”

 

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