Which songwriter wrote 'The Ballad of Ira Hayes' recorded by Johnny Cash?

Peter La Farge wrote “The Ballad of Ira Hayes,” the song Johnny Cash recorded about the Native American Marine.

La Farge was a folk singer and songwriter whose work often addressed Indigenous history, injustice, and social issues. Cash admired him and recorded several of his compositions for Bitter Tears: Ballads of the American Indian, a 1964 album devoted to the experiences and mistreatment of Native American peoples.

The song tells the story of Ira Hayes, a Pima man from Arizona who served in the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II. Hayes became famous as one of the six Marines photographed raising the American flag on Mount Suribachi during the Battle of Iwo Jima. La Farge’s song contrasts that heroic image with Hayes’s difficult return to civilian life, including discrimination, alcoholism, and poverty.

Johnny Cash’s recording became the best-known version and reached No. 3 on the country chart. Bob Dylan and other artists also recorded the song, but they did not write it; the songwriter credit belongs to Peter La Farge.