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

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

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

CHORUS

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

CHORUS

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

CHORUS then full INSTR verse

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