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