The Ballad of IRA Hayes

[ti:The Ballad of IRA Hayes] [ar:The Hit Crew] [al:Old School Country Classics: The 1960's, Vol. 7] [by:] [offset:0] [00:00.12]The Ballad of IRA Hayes - The Hit Crew [00:02.28] [00:12.41]Ira Hayes Ira Hayes [00:16.06] [00:20.06]Call him drunken Ira Hayes [00:22.06] [00:23.05]He won't answer anymore [00:24.80] [00:26.16]Not the whiskey drinkin' Indian [00:27.58] [00:28.12]Nor the Marine that went to war [00:30.24] [00:37.81]Gather round me people [00:38.78] [00:40.09]There's a story I would tell [00:41.61] [00:42.99]About a brave young Indian [00:44.47] [00:45.53]You should remember well [00:46.77] [00:47.82]From the land of the Pima Indian [00:49.61] [00:50.76]A proud and noble band [00:52.04] [00:53.43]Who farmed the Phoenix valley in Arizona land [00:56.88] [00:58.76]Down the ditches of thousand years [01:01.08]The waters grew Ira's people's crops [01:02.80] [01:04.26]Till the white man stole the water rights [01:06.83]And the sparklin' water stopped [01:08.32] [01:09.40]Now Ira's folks were hungry [01:11.19] [01:11.91]And their land grew crops of weeds [01:13.75] [01:14.81]When war came Ira volunteered [01:16.45] [01:17.45]And forgot the white man's greed [01:19.09] [01:20.39]Call him drunken Ira Hayes [01:22.00] [01:23.19]He won't answer anymore [01:24.96] [01:26.10]Not the whiskey drinkin' Indian [01:27.51] [01:28.16]Nor the Marine that went to war [01:30.31] [01:34.39]There they battled up Iwo Jima's hill [01:36.70] [01:37.62]Two hundred and fifty men [01:39.11] [01:40.26]But only twenty seven lived [01:41.86] [01:42.91]To walk back down again [01:44.24] [01:45.43]And when the fight was over [01:46.94] [01:48.05]And Old Glory raised [01:49.26] [01:50.42]Among the men who held it high [01:52.99]Was the Indian Ira Hayes [01:54.93] [02:03.29]Call him drunken Ira Hayes [02:04.70] [02:05.90]He won't answer anymore [02:07.17] [02:08.80]Not the whiskey drinkin' Indian [02:10.27] [02:10.91]Nor the Marine that went to war [02:13.02] [02:18.91]Ira Hayes returned a hero [02:20.47] [02:22.80]Celebrated through the land [02:24.14] [02:25.59]He was wined and speeched and honored [02:28.40]Everybody shook his hand [02:29.64] [02:30.76]But he was just a Pima Indian [02:32.50] [02:33.31]No water no home no chance [02:35.39] [02:36.11]At home nobody cared what Ira'd done [02:37.92] [02:38.89]And when did the Indians dance [02:40.35] [02:41.82]Call him drunken Ira Hayes [02:43.49] [02:44.50]He won't answer anymore [02:45.91] [02:47.48]Not the whiskey drinkin' Indian [02:49.55]Nor the Marine that went to war [02:51.67] [02:55.48]Then Ira started drinkin' hard [02:57.11] [02:58.73]Jail was often his home [03:00.11] [03:01.43]They'd let him raise the flag and lower it [03:04.16]Like you'd throw a dog a bone [03:06.10] [03:08.81]He died drunk early one mornin' [03:11.29] [03:12.15]Alone in the land he fought to save [03:14.17] [03:14.97]Two inches of water in a lonely ditch [03:17.48]Was a grave for Ira Hayes [03:19.12] [03:20.53]Call him drunken Ira Hayes [03:22.30] [03:23.09]He won't answer anymore [03:25.06] [03:26.11]Not the whiskey drinkin' Indian [03:27.93] [03:28.68]Nor the Marine that went to war [03:30.45] [03:33.34]Yeah call him drunken Ira Hayes [03:35.99] [03:37.20]But his land is just as dry [03:38.92] [03:40.09]And his ghost is lyin' thirsty [03:41.74] [03:42.84]In the ditch where Ira died