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| Ira Hayes~ 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 a thousand years The waters 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 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 Old Glory raised Among the men who held it high Was the Indian, Ira Hayes Call him drunken Ira Hayes He won't answer anymore Not the whiskey drinkin' Indian Nor the Marine that went to war Ira Hayes 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 home, no chance At home nobody cared what Ira'd done And when did the Indians dance? 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 early one mornin' Alone in the land he fought to save Two inches of water in a lonely ditch Was a grave for Ira Hayes 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 Lyrics written by Peter LeFarge Recorded by Johnny Cash 1964 Thank you, Ira Hayes, for being an honorable warrior Thank you for your courage to fight for the freedom I now enjoy Thank you, Ira Hayes, for offering your hands; outstretched to raise our national flag on the battle-scarred crest of Mount Suribachi, so many years ago. Pima Tribe Born -January 12, 1923 Sacaton, Arizona Died - January 24, 1955 Bapchule, Arizona Buried in Arlington National Cemetery Rightly so... Amen |
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