You'll Never Leave Harlan Alive

In the deep dark hills of eastern Kentucky That's the place where I trace my bloodline And it's there I read on a hillside gravestone "You'll never leave Harlan alive" Oh, my grandfather's dad crossed the Cumberland Mountains Where he took a pretty girl to be his bride Said, "Won't you walk with me, out of the mouth of this holler or we'll never leave Harlan alive" Where the sun comes up about ten in the mornin' And the sun goes down about three in the day And you fill your cup with whatever bitter brew you're drinkin' And you spend your life just thinkin' of how to get away No one ever knew there was coal in them mountains Till a man from the northeast arrived Wavin' hundred dollar bills, said, "I'll pay you for your minerals" But he never left Harlan alive Grandma sold out cheap and they moved out west of Pineville To a farm where Big Richland River winds And I bet they danced them a jig And they laughed and sang a new song "Who said we'd never leave Harlan alive" But the times they got hard and tobacco wasn't sellin' And old granddad knew what he'd do to survive He went and dug for Harlan coal And sent the money back to grandma But he never left Harlan alive Where the sun comes up about ten in the mornin' And the sun goes down about three in the day And you fill your cup with whatever bitter brew you're drinkin' And you spend your life diggin' coal from the bottom of your grave You'll never leave Harlan alive