Kathy Mattea - You'll Never Leave Harlan Alive lyrics

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 granddad'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' The sun goes down about three in the day And you'll 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 He was waving 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 Pikeville To a farm where big Richland river winds Oh, 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 got hard and tobacco wasn't selling And old granddad knew what he'd do to survive So he went and dug for Harlan coal, sent the money back to granny But he never left Harlan alive Where the sun comes up about ten in the mornin' The sun goes down about three in the day You fill your cup with whatever bitter brew you're drinkin' And you spend your life just thinkin' of how to get away 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