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John Riley

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Cmajor

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[Verse 1]
DmJohn Riley came from FGalway Town in the Dmyears of the Irish Fhunger
And he Dmsailed away to FAmerikay when the Ccountry was much younger Dm. . .
Now the place was strange and Fwork was scarce, and Dmall he knew was farming G  
So he Dmfollowed his other FIrish friends to a Cjob in the U.S. DmArmy
   [Chorus]
     FAdventure calls and Dmsome men run
     And Fthis is their sad Gstory
     DmSome get drunk on Fdemon rum And Csome get drunk on Dmglory 
[Verse 2]
Now they marched down FTexas way to the Dmbanks of the Rio GGrande
And they Dmbuilt a fort on the Fbanks above to Ctaunt old Santa DmAnnay 
They were Dmtreated bad and Fpaid worse, and Dmthen the fighting Gstarted
And the Dmmore they fought the Fless they thought of the Cdamn old U.S. DmArmy
   [Chorus]
     FAdventure calls and Dmsome men run
     And Fthis is their sad Gstory
     DmSome get drunk on Fdemon rum And Csome get drunk on Dmglory 
[Verse 3]
Now when the church bells ring on a FSunday morn it Dmset his soul to Gshiver
He saw the Dmsenoritas Fwashing their hair on the Cfar side of the Dmriver 
Then John Riley and 200 Fmore DmIrish mercenGaries 
They Dmcast their lot, Fright or not, Csouth of the Rio DmGranday
   [Chorus]
     FAdventure calls and Dmsome men run
     And Fthis is their sad Gstory
     DmSome get drunk on Fdemon rum And Csome get drunk on Dmglory 
[Verse 4]
Now they fought bravely Funder the flag of the Dman Patricios G  
Till the DmYankee soldiers Fbeat them down at the Cbattle of ChuruDmbusco 
Then 15 men were Fwhipped like mules, on their Dmcheeks had a hot iron Gbranded
They had to Dmdig the graves of F50 more who were Changing fate-in-Dmhanded
   [Chorus]
     FAdventure calls and Dmsome men run
     And Fthis is their sad Gstory
     DmSome get drunk on Fdemon rum And Csome get drunk on Dmglory 
[Verse 5]
Now John Riley stands and Fdrinks alone at a Dmbar in Vera GCruz,
And he Dmwonders if it Fmatters much if you Cwin or if-a you Dmlose 
"I'm a man who Fcan't go home, I'm a Dmvagabond," says Ghe,
"I'm a Dmvictim of some Fwanderlust and Cdivided loyalDmty."
   [Chorus]
     FAdventure calls and Dmsome men run
     And Fthis is their sad Gstory
     DmSome get drunk on Fdemon rum And Csome get drunk on Dmglory 
   [Chorus]
     FAdventure calls and Dmsome men run
     And Fthis is their sad Gstory
     DmSome get drunk on Fdemon rum And Csome get drunk on Dmglory 

All chords in this song (4)

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John Riley

by Tim O'Brien

Lyrics & chords · Original key

Chords in this song · guitar

[Verse 1]

Dm F Dm F

John Riley came from Galway Town in the years of the Irish hunger

Dm F C Dm

And he sailed away to Amerikay when the country was much younger . . .

F Dm G

Now the place was strange and work was scarce, and all he knew was farming

Dm F C Dm

So he followed his other Irish friends to a job in the U.S. Army

[Chorus]

F Dm

Adventure calls and some men run

F G

And this is their sad story

Dm F C Dm

Some get drunk on demon rum And some get drunk on glory

[Verse 2]

F Dm G

Now they marched down Texas way to the banks of the Rio Grande

Dm F C Dm

And they built a fort on the banks above to taunt old Santa Annay

Dm F Dm G

They were treated bad and paid worse, and then the fighting started

Dm F C Dm

And the more they fought the less they thought of the damn old U.S. Army

[Chorus]

F Dm

Adventure calls and some men run

F G

And this is their sad story

Dm F C Dm

Some get drunk on demon rum And some get drunk on glory

[Verse 3]

F Dm G

Now when the church bells ring on a Sunday morn it set his soul to shiver

Dm F C Dm

He saw the senoritas washing their hair on the far side of the river

F Dm G

Then John Riley and 200 more Irish mercenaries

Dm F C Dm

They cast their lot, right or not, south of the Rio Granday

[Chorus]

F Dm

Adventure calls and some men run

F G

And this is their sad story

Dm F C Dm

Some get drunk on demon rum And some get drunk on glory

[Verse 4]

F Dm G

Now they fought bravely under the flag of the an Patricios

Dm F C Dm

Till the Yankee soldiers beat them down at the battle of Churubusco

F Dm G

Then 15 men were whipped like mules, on their cheeks had a hot iron branded

Dm F C Dm

They had to dig the graves of 50 more who were hanging fate-in-handed

[Chorus]

F Dm

Adventure calls and some men run

F G

And this is their sad story

Dm F C Dm

Some get drunk on demon rum And some get drunk on glory

[Verse 5]

F Dm G

Now John Riley stands and drinks alone at a bar in Vera Cruz,

Dm F C Dm

And he wonders if it matters much if you win or if-a you lose

F Dm G

"I'm a man who can't go home, I'm a vagabond," says he,

Dm F C Dm

"I'm a victim of some wanderlust and divided loyalty."

[Chorus]

F Dm

Adventure calls and some men run

F G

And this is their sad story

Dm F C Dm

Some get drunk on demon rum And some get drunk on glory

[Chorus]

F Dm

Adventure calls and some men run

F G

And this is their sad story

Dm F C Dm

Some get drunk on demon rum And some get drunk on glory

About John Riley Chords by Tim O'Brien

Learn how to play John Riley by Tim O'Brien with free guitar chords, lyrics, and interactive chord diagrams. Search for “John Riley chords”, “John Riley guitar chords”, or “Tim O'Brien John Riley chords” and you will find this page — transpose to any key, tap chords for diagrams, and use auto-scroll while you play. Perfect for beginners looking for easy John Riley chords and for experienced players who want accurate John Riley lyrics and chords in one place. Common chords in this song include Dm, F, C, G.

FAQ — John Riley by Tim O'Brien

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