Kris Kristofferson - Ballad of Ira Hayes (Johnny Cash Tribute, 1999)

I love the way Kris sings this song. Amazing and touching, just great.
If you need to see the bugler to get the message of the song, I've uploaded that one for you...
• Kris Kristofferson Ba...
It's a song by the Indian folk singer Peter LaFarge (Narragansett Indian Tribe), but Johnny's interpretation made it popular.
He heard "The Ballad of Ira Hayes," one of La Farge's most heartfelt songs, and then saw La Farge perform in New York. They met in Nashville, and the country music star later cut an entire album, Bitter Tears, devoted to the status of the Native American in the United States, which included a half-dozen of La Farge's songs. Cash's single of "The Ballad of Ira Hayes" reached No. 3 on the country music charts, despite the refusal of many country disc jockeys to play the serious, politically provocative song, and Cash later gave it further exposure with a performance at the 1964 Newport Folk Festival.
There is a movie about the life of Ira Hayes, "The Outsider" (1961 with Tony Curtis) and another one "Flags of our fathers" (2006) about the soldiers in the battle of Iowa Jima and the events around that famous photo with this following show that the three survived soldiers had to act in. It's very well-made, impressive and touching ... Produced by Clint Eastwood and Steven Spielberg
The tribute show was only a short time before Kris had to undergo a triple bypass operation in May, and to me he didn't look really healthy on that stage.
Or was it just because this song is so sad?
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ira_Hayes
Ballad of Ira Hayes
Peter LaFarge
Gather round me, people, there's a story I would tell,
About a brave young Indian who you should remember well;
From the land of the Pima Indians, a proud and noble band,
Who farmed the Phoenix Valley out in Arizona land.
Down their ditches for a thousand years the waters grew Ira's people's crops,
till the white man stole their water rights and the sparklin' water stopped.
Now Ira's folks grew hungry, 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.
Well, they battled up Iwo Jima hill - two hundred and fifty men,
But only twenty-seven lived to walk back down again.
When the fight was over and Old Glory raised
Among the men who held it high was the Indian Ira Hayes.
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;
back home nobody cared what Ira had done and when do the Indians dance.
Then Ira started drinkin' hard and jail was often his home;
They let him raise the flag of glory 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, but his land is just as dry,
his ghost is lying thirsty In the ditch where Ira died.
Ballad of Ira Hayes
Versammelt euch um mich, Leute,
es gibt da eine Geschichte,
die ich euch erzählen will,
über einen mutigen jungen Indianer,
an den ihr euch gut erinnern solltet,
vom Land der Pima Indianer,
stolzen und angesehenen Leuten,
die das Phoenix Tal in Arizona bebauten.
Tausend Jahre lang hatte Wasser das Getreide
von Iras Volk unten im Graben bewässert,
bis der weiße Mann ihre Wasserrechte stahl
und ihr schäumendes Wasser stoppte.
Jetzt musste Iras Volk hungrig aufwachsen
und auf ihren Farmen wuchs nur noch Unkraut.
Als der Krieg kam, meldete sich Ira freiwillig
und vergaß die Gier des weißen Mannes.
Nennt ihn den betrunkenen Ira Hayes-
er wird nicht mehr antworten,
weder der Whiskey trinkende Indianer,
noch der Marinesoldat,
der in den Krieg gezogen war.
Sie kämpften um den Iwo Jima Hügel,
250 Männer, aber nur 27 überlebten
und konnten wieder runter gehen
als der Kampf zu Ende war
und der alte Ruhm wieder wuchs
war unter den Männern, die ihn hochhielten,
der Indianer Ira Hayes.
Ira Hayes kam als Held zurück
und wurde im ganzen Land gefeiert.
Er wurde fürstlich bewirtet,
Reden auf ihn gehalten und er wurde geehrt,
jeder schüttelte seine Hand.
Aber er war nur ein Pima Indianer,
hatte kein Wasser, kein zuhause, keine Chance.
Wieder daheim interessierte es niemanden,
was Ira getan hatte,
und wann tanzen die Indianer?
Dann fing Ira an zu trinken,
oft war das Gefängnis sein zuhause;
sie ließen ihn die Flagge hissen und runterlassen,
wie wenn du einem Hund einen Knochen hinwirfst.
Er starb betrunken eines frühen Morgens;
allein in dem Land, für das er kämpfte
um es zu retten.
Fünf Zentimeter Wasser in einem einsamen Graben -
das war das Grab für Ira Hayes.
Ja, nennt ihn den betrunkenen Ira Hayes,
aber sein Land ist noch genauso trocken,
und der Geist liegt durstig in dem Graben,
in dem Ira starb.

[@xine9997]

Principle and poetry in one. And a great rendition, too. Blessings upon this great man

[@jeanangell6041]

He has it all! The voice, the face, the writing talent. He's the best!

[@TheGran8]

Kris cares about people just like Johnny did and he sang this song with the same conviction Johnny did. Thank you for posting.

[@brittajoki5918]

I really love this song

[@klausstoffele4149]

Ein mal gehört immer hören einfach nur geil🤠🎸👍🇺🇲🇩🇪💖👏

[@lizday11]

Saw him for possibly the last time last year in Melbourne...a little,sad but the voice was still there!

[@peterbgoode]

Fantastic upbeat version of this song!

[@s.greasey7654]

Great post! Thank you!

[@loishill9064]

I READ MANY COMMENTS ANOTHER TIME I HEARD THIS BY KRIS JUST NOW.IF PEOPLE WANT TO LEARN THE TRUTH ABOUT DISRESPECTFUL RESPECT READ THE TRAIL IF TEARS😢😢 FOLKS 😢😢😢😢

[@rsmith7042]

First of all Semper Fi! I wish the entire performance was here. After Kris stopped a marine in Dress blues took the stage and a bugler played taps. Too bad that was edited out. It was a poignant moment.

[@biggestkkfan1506]

I don't want to argue, but it was Peter LaFarge as I wrote in the info box. Johnny (RIP) loved this song and he made it popular. You can read more about John and this song in the info above.

[@loishill9064]

HEY I AM ALSO A JOHNNY FAN .NEVER SAID KRIS WROTE TH SONG.KNEW PETE LAFARGE DID THE TRUE INDIAN STORY.BUT MY POINT THE BEAUTY LIES IN WHO'S ONE U PREFER.I ALSO LOVE KRIS'S JOHNNY LOBO A TRUE (SAD SAD) STORY.LISTEN 😢😢😢 SEE WHAT U THINK.ALSO JOHNNY VISITED MANY INDIAN RESERVATIONS . MANY YEARS OF LOVE FROM OUR BEAUTIFUL JOHNNY.🎻🎸♥️🎸♥️🎸♥️🎸♥️🎸♥️🎸🎸♥️

[@frandeep]

Nice Peter La Farge cover!

[@biggestkkfan1506]

it's in this channel... only 8 videos there, so easy to find :-) lwellsey

[@biggestkkfan1506]

Well, you're the first to complain about it... I uploaded this performance because of the song Kris did, but didn't want to harm anyone by leaving out the bugler or trumpet...

[@bloggerme2413]

You did great. Just what I was looking for. Perfect - This is a Kris Kristofferson channel after all - Peace.

[@joolyn]

Anyone to put the Dylan version of this song on the Tube? I'd love to hear it again.

[@joolyn]

Yes, I've found it, but this video is blocked to Brazil. Well, anyway, I will look for it sometime later.

[@Billw0006]

Dig the way different singers emphasize different phrasings in this.

[@Yossarianuw]

hooah!

[@bvmdoctor]

Thanks Kris o one but you could do this compared to Johnny at the Pima Res.

[@alexardin3503]

Where's the bugler??? That's one of the most poignant parts of the song and this video!! How can you leave that out?

[@biggestkkfan1506]

Sorry, but the most poignant part of the song is its lyrics and the way Kris sings it. Sorry for leaving out the bugler but to me he was the following act and not part of Kris' song... maybe I was wrong about that.

[@alexardin3503]

biggestkkfan Well, take a listen to Johnny Cash's original recording, then you'll really understand. Thanks for posting the video though, you really should post the whole video, it's missing the final punch that brings the song home.

[@biggestkkfan1506]

I already listened to it. And I watched an impressive movie about Ira Hayes. I read a lot about the man and about the song and the writer, Peter LaFarge. I think I do understand what it is about...

[@alexardin3503]

biggestkkfan Then how in God's name can you leave out the bugler? Total disrespect for Mr. Hayes and for Mr. Cash.

[@biggestkkfan1506]

Who are you to blame someone else of disrespect without knowing them at all? I'm shocked...Why don't you upload it if it's so important to you? Bitching others who spend a lot of their free time to share home created videos and rare and nice stuff to promote an artist they really admire may be a nice job, doing something yourself would be another one. Check out my channel and respect the work and maybe YOU will understand... Sorry for sounding kinda rude but your comment has made me a bit angry...

[@joseywhales1998]

way to fast

[@rw1sgusa]

Cash wrote this song

[@zd9993]

Idiot i hope you got your facts right after 5 years

[@loishill9064]

WRONG PETE LAFARGE WROTE THE TRUE IRA HAYES SONG.😊😊

[@evykas70]

I think this song is disrespectful of the memory of Ira Hayes.

[@biggestkkfan1506]

Don't understand what of the song has made you come to such a wrong conclusion. You know it was written by the Indian folk singer Peter La Farge? The song has been recorded many times, by so great men like Johnny Cash, Pete Seeger, Townes Van Zandt and Bob Dylan. I don't think you want to blame them and Kris (he had chosen THIS song for his performance at the tribute show for a reason) of disrespecting Ira Hayes by performing it? It tells the true and sad story of an Indian who would have deserved a much better life that he had been allowed to live. What do you think is wrong about it? Maybe you should read this www.bobdylanroots.com/ira.html

[@evykas70]

Because Ira Hayes was more than his disease. This song seems to say that he was just a drunk and no more.

[@evykas70]

And yes, I know the Johnny Cash version.

[@biggestkkfan1506]

then you must have missed all the other verses but the last one... it tells much more of the story, That's how the story begins... Down their ditches for a thousand years the waters grew Ira's people's crops, till the white man stole their water rights and the sparklin' water stopped. Now Ira's folks grew hungry, their land grew crops of weeds. When war came, Ira volunteered and forgot the white man's greed...

[@paulcurran7622]

Evy, just listen to the Chorus... "Call him drunken Ira Hayes, HE WON'T ANSWER ANYMORE, NOT the whiskey drinking Indian

[@rw1sgusa]

not wrote , I knew better, Cash had a hit with it ,sorry about that