John Riley chords by Tim Obrien

Chords with lyrics

[DmDm] John Riley came from [FF] Galway Town in the [DmDm] years of the Irish [G+G] hunger
And he [DmDm] sailed away to [FF] Amerikay when the [C majorC] country was much younger [DmDm] . . .
Now the place was strange and [FF] work was scarce, and [DmDm] all he knew was farming [G+G]
So he [DmDm] followed his other [FF] Irish friends to a [C majorC] job in the U S [DmDm] Army

CHORUS:
	[FF] Adventure calls and [DmDm] some men run
	And [FF] this is their sad [G+G] story
	[DmDm] Some get drunk on [FF] demon rum And [C majorC] some get drunk on [DmDm] glory

Now they marched down [FF] Texas way to the [DmDm] banks of the Rio [G+G] Grande
And they [DmDm] built a fort on the [FF] banks above to [C majorC] taunt old Santa [DmDm] Annay
They were [DmDm] treated bad and [FF] paid worse, and [DmDm] then the fighting [G+G] started
And the [DmDm] more they fought the [FF] less they thought of the [C majorC] damn old U S [DmDm] Army

CHORUS

Now when the church bells ring on a [FF] Sunday morn it [DmDm] set his soul to [G+G] shiver
He saw the [DmDm] senoritas [FF] washing their hair on the [C majorC] far side of the [DmDm] river
Then John Riley and 200 [FF] more [DmDm] Irish mercen[G+G]aries
They [DmDm] cast their lot, [FF] right or not, [C majorC] south of the Rio [DmDm] Granday

CHORUS

Now they fought bravely [FF] under the flag of the [DmDm] San Patricios [G+G]
Till the [DmDm] Yankee soldiers [FF] beat them down at the [C majorC] battle of Churu[DmDm]busco
Then 15 men were [FF] whipped like mules, on their [DmDm] cheeks had a hot iron [G+G] branded
They had to [DmDm] dig the graves of [FF] 50 more who were [C majorC] hanging fate-in-[DmDm]handed

CHORUS then full INSTR verse

Now John Riley stands and [FF] drinks alone at a [DmDm] bar in Vera [G+G] Cruz,
And he [DmDm] wonders if it [FF] matters much if you [C majorC] win or if-a you [DmDm] lose
"I'm a man who [FF] can't go home, I'm a [DmDm] vagabond," says [G+G] he,