In the dust of Arizona
Where the rivers used to run
Lived a quiet Pima soldier
Born beneath the blazing sun
He learned the ways of struggle
In a land that gave so few
A stranger in his homeland
But his heart was proud and true
Oh, Ira Hayes
Your tears still fall
For the land that turned
Its back on it all
You raised the flag
But they raised the lies
And left you lonely
Under empty skies
They sent him off to battle
Far across the ocean wide
Where the sands of Iwo Jima ran red
With those who died
He stood there with his brothers
As the stars and stripes were raised
But the war inside was waiting
When he came back home that day
Oh, Ira Hayes
Your tears still fall
For the land that turned
Its back on it all
You raised the flag
But they raised the lies
And left you lonely
Under empty skies
What good is a photograph
When the hunger doesn't fade?
What good is a hero's name
If the debts are never paid?
He walked the streets forgotten
Though he gave his soul for peace
While the rivers of his people saw
Their lifeblood slowly cease
Oh, Ira Hayes
Your tears still fall
For the land that turned
Its back on it all
You raised the flag
But they raised the lies
And left you lonely
Under empty skies
The years went by in silence
With a bottle in his hand
Drowning out the memories
Of that foreign, bloody sand
He cried for all the Pimas
For the treaties they betrayed
For a dream that once united
Now a shadow that decayed
Oh, Ira Hayes
Your tears still fall
For the land that turned
Its back on it all
You raised the flag
But they raised the lies
And left you lonely under empty skies
He wasn't just a soldier;
He was more than what they see
A symbol of the struggle
For a people to be free
But history's often written
By the ones who hold the pen
And Ira's truth was buried
Like the rivers in the sand
Oh, Ira Hayes
Your tears still fall
For the land that turned
Its back on it all
You raised the flag
But they raised the lies
And left you lonely under empty skies
On a cold and starless evening
They found him lying still
A casualty of battles fought
That broke a hero's will
But his spirit keeps on living
Where the winds of justice blow
In the hearts of those who struggle
For the dignity they're owed
Oh, Ira Hayes
Your tears still fall
For the land that turned
Its back on it all
You raised the flag
But they raised the lies
And left you lonely
Under empty skies
Now the desert speaks your story
And the mountains call your name
A warrior and a witness
To a nation's lasting shame
Ira, we remember
Though the years
Have dulled the pain
The tears of Ira Hayes still
Fall like desert rain
