[ D5 ] John Riley came from [ F5 ] Galway Town in the [ D5 ] years of the Irish [ G5 ] hunger
And he [ D5 ] sailed away to [ F5 ] Amerikay when the [ C5 ] country was much younger [ D5 ] . . .
Now the place was strange and [ F5 ] work was scarce, and [ D5 ] all he knew was farming [ G5 ]
So he [ D5 ] followed his other [ F5 ] Irish friends to a [ C5 ] job in the U S [ D5 ] Army

CHORUS:
      [ F5 ] Adventure calls and [ D5 ] some men run
      And [ F5 ] this is their sad [ G5 ] story
      [ D5 ] Some get drunk on [ F5 ] demon rum And [ C5 ] some get drunk on [ D5 ] glory 

Now they marched down [ F5 ] Texas way to the [ D5 ] banks of the Rio [ G5 ] Grande
And they [ D5 ] built a fort on the [ F5 ] banks above to [ C5 ] taunt old Santa [ D5 ] Annay 
They were [ D5 ] treated bad and [ F5 ] paid worse, and [ D5 ] then the fighting [ G5 ] started
And the [ D5 ] more they fought the [ F5 ] less they thought of the [ C5 ] damn old U S [ D5 ] Army

CHORUS

Now when the church bells ring on a [ F5 ] Sunday morn it [ D5 ] set his soul to [ G5 ] shiver
He saw the [ D5 ] senoritas [ F5 ] washing their hair on the [ C5 ] far side of the [ D5 ] river 
Then John Riley and 200 [ F5 ] more [ D5 ] Irish mercen[ G5 ]aries 
They [ D5 ] cast their lot, [ F5 ] right or not, [ C5 ] south of the Rio [ D5 ] Granday

CHORUS

Now they fought bravely [ F5 ] under the flag of the [ D5 ] San Patricios [ G5 ]
Till the [ D5 ] Yankee soldiers [ F5 ] beat them down at the [ C5 ] battle of Churu[Dm]busco 
Then 15 men were [ F5 ] whipped like mules, on their [ D5 ] cheeks had a hot iron [ G5 ] branded
They had to [ D5 ] dig the graves of [ F5 ] 50 more who were [ C5 ] hanging fate-in-[ D5 ]handed

CHORUS then full INSTR verse

Now John Riley stands and [ F5 ] drinks alone at a [ D5 ] bar in Vera [ G5 ] Cruz,
And he [ D5 ] wonders if it [ F5 ] matters much if you [ C5 ] win or if-a you [ D5 ] lose 
"I'm a man who [ F5 ] can't go home, I'm a [ D5 ] vagabond," says [ G5 ] he,
"I'm a [ D5 ] victim of some [ F5 ] wanderlust and [ C5 ] divided loyal[ D5 ]ty."