You'll Never Leave Harlan Alive -Darrell Scott
Written by ：Darrell Scott
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 will never leave harlan alive
Well my grandad's dad walked down
Katahrin's mountain
And he asked tillie helton
To be his bride
He 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 morning
And the sun goes down
About three in the day
And you fill your cup with
Whatever bitter brew your drinking
And you spend your life just
Thinking how to get away
No one ever knew there was
Coal in them mountains
Til a man from the northeast arrived
Waving hundred dollar bills
He said I'll pay you for your minerals
But he never left harlan alive
Well granny she sold out cheap
Moved out west to pineville
To a farm where big richland river winds
And I'll 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 selling
And old granddad knew what
He'd do to survive
He went and dug for harlan coal
And sent the money back to granny
But he never left harlan alive
Where the sun comes up about
Ten in the morning
And the sun goes down
About three in the day
And you fill your cup with
Whatever bitter brew your drinking
And you spend your life just
Thinking how to get away
Where the sun comes up about
Ten in the morning
And the sun goes down
About three in the day
And you fill your cup with
Whatever bitter brew your drinking
And you spend your life
Even go from the butter of your rain
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 will never leave harlan alive