Patty Loveless - You'll Never Leave Harlan Alive lyrics

In the deep dark hills of eastern Kentucky That's the place where I traced 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 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'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 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 Richaldn River winds And I bet they danced them a jig And they laughted 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 grandad 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'll fill your cup with whatever bitter brew you're drinkin' And you spend your life just thinkin' of how to get away You'll never leave Harlan alive