Bob Dylan - The Ballad of Ira Hayes: Guitar Chords

Learn to play "The Ballad of Ira Hayes" on your guitar with our detailed chord guide and lyrics. This page provides everything you need to perform this song on the guitar, including lyrics integrated with chords, chord diagrams, and a key transposer to match your vocal range.

Learn The Ballad of Ira Hayes Guitar Chords and Lyrics by Bob Dylan

This section will guide you through each part of the song, providing the guitar chords placed directly above the lyrics for easy playing. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced player, these elements will help you perform "The Ballad of Ira Hayes" smoothly on your guitar.

For easier playing, use our Simplify Chords feature to remove difficult chords like barre.

G#                              C#     G#/B  A#m
Gather round me, people, and a story I will tell
D#                          G#
About a brave young Indian you should remember well
                                   C#          G#/B     A#m
From the tribe of Pima Indians, a proud and a peaceful band,
      D#                            G#
They farmed the Phoenix valley in Arizona land.

Down their ditches for a thousand years the sparkling water rushed,
Till the white man stole their water rights and the running water hushed.
Now Ira's folks were hungry, and their farms grew crops of weeds.
But when war came, he volunteered and forgot the white man's greed.

Chorus:
          G#      D#/G G#7/F
Call him drunken Ira Hayes
         C#    G#/B A#m
He won't answer anymore,
          D#
Not the whiskey-drinking Indian
       C#/G#              G#
Or the Marine who went to war.
               G#     D#/G G#7/F#
Yes, call him drunken Ira Hayes
         C#    G#/B A#m
He won't answer anymore,
          D#
Not the whiskey-drinking Indian
       C#/G#              G#
Or the Marine who went to war.

They started up Iwo Jima hill, two hundred and fifty men,
But only twenty-seven lived to walk back down that hill again.
And when the fight was over and Old Glory raised
One of the men who held it high was the Indian, Ira Hayes.

Call him drunken Ira Hayes
He won't answer anymore,
Not the whiskey-drinking Indian
Or the Marine who went to war.
Call him drunken Ira Hayes
He won't answer anymore,
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, everybody shook his hand.
But he was just a Pima Indian - no money, no crops, no chance -
And at home nobody cared what Ira'd done, and when do the Indians dance?

Call him drunken Ira Hayes
He won't answer anymore,
Not the whiskey-drinking Indian
Or the Marine who went to war.
Call him drunken Ira Hayes
He won't answer anymore,
Not the whiskey-drinking Indian
Or the Marine who went to war.

Then Ira started drinking hard, jail was often his home.
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'd fought to save.
Two inches of water in a lonely ditch was the grave for Ira Hayes.

Call him drunken Ira Hayes
He won't answer anymore,
Not the whiskey-drinking Indian
Or the Marine who went to war.
Call him drunken Ira Hayes
He won't answer anymore,
Not the whiskey-drinking Indian
Or the Marine who went to war.

Yes, call him drunken Ira Hayes, but his land is still as dry,
And his ghost is lying thirsty In the ditch where Ira died.

Call him drunken Ira Hayes
He won't answer anymore,
Not the whiskey-drinking Indian
Or the Marine who went to war.


You can simplify chords by removing barre

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Simplify chords by removing barre

Guitar Chord Diagrams

A#m

Guitar chord A#m

C#

Guitar chord C#

D#

Guitar chord D#

F

Guitar chord F

F#

Guitar chord F#

G

Guitar chord G

G#

Guitar chord G#

G#7

Guitar chord G#7

B

Guitar chord B

Here you can see detailed diagrams for each guitar chord used in the song. Utilize our key transposer to adjust the chords to a key that better fits your singing range. Simply select the desired key, and the chords throughout this page will update automatically, ensuring you can play and sing comfortably.

If you are also interested in learning how to play "The Ballad of Ira Hayes" on the ukulele, check out the chords on our sister site: Ukulele Chords for "The Ballad of Ira Hayes" by Bob Dylan.

Bob Dylan Song List