You'll Never Leave Harlan Alive
Kathy Mattea

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


  Purchase "You'll Never Leave Harlan Alive"   Purchase Entire Album   Email Video to Friends   Play Youtube "You'll Never Leave Harlan Alive" Video   Play Spotify "You'll Never Leave Harlan Alive" Song   View Wikipedia "You'll Never Leave Harlan Alive" Entry   Receive Emails for Future Kathy Mattea Lyrics

Email:

  Link to "You'll Never Leave Harlan Alive"   Share on Facebook, Twitter, and more
  See Recommended Lyrics For You

Loading...

Lyrics by Kathy Mattea

  (Love Is) My Last Word   18 Wheels & A Dozen Roses (1988)   33, 45, 78 (record Time)   455 Rocket   A Far Cry   A Few Good Things Remain   A Few Good Things Remain (1991)   Agate Hill   All Roads To The River   Amarillo   Angels We Have Heard on High   Another Man   As Long As I Have A Heart   Asking Us to Dance   At My Window [Duet][*]   Baby King   Back Up Grinnin' Again   Back Up Grinnin' Again   Battle Hymn Of Love   Beautiful Fool   BFD   Black Lung   Black Waters   Blue Diamond Mines   Brightest And Best   Burnin' Old Memories   Burnin' Old Memories   Callin' My Name   Callin' My Name   Calling Me Home   Christ Child's Lullaby   Christ Child's Lullabye   Christ Child's Lullabye   Christmas Collage   Coal Tattoo   Come From The Heart   Come From The Heart (1989)   Coming Of The Roads   Dark as a Dungeon   Down On The Corner   Eighteen Wheels And A Dozen Roses   Eighteen Wheels and a Dozen Roses [DVD]   Emmanuel   Evenin'   Evenin'   Every Love   Forgive And Forget   From A Distance   Further and Further Away   God Ain't No Stained Glass Window   Goin' Gone   Goin' Gone   Gone, Gonna Rise Again   Grand Canyon   Green Rolling Hills   Harley   Hello, My Name Is Coal   Here's Hopin'   Here's Hopin'   Hills Of Alabam'   Hills Of Alabam'   Hurt Some   I Have Always Loved You   I Wear Your Love   I'll Take Care Of You   I'm Alright   I'm On Your Side   I'll Take Care Of You   I'm Alright   I'm On Your Side   If That's What You Call Love   If That's What You Call Love   Innocent Years (Reprise)   Last Night I Dreamed of Loving You   Late In The Day   Leaving West Virginia   Life As We Knew It   Life As We Knew It (1989)   Like A Hurricane   Listen To The Radio   Lonely At The Bottom   Lonesome Standard Time   Lonesome Standard Time (1992)   Love At The Five And Dime   Love At The Five And Dime (1986)   Love Chooses You   Love Travels   Mary, Did You Know   Mary, Did You Know?   Maybe She's Human   Maybe She's Human   Mr. Smith Had An Oldsmobile   Nobody's Gonna Rain On Our Parade   Nobody's Gonna Rain On Our Parade   Nothing But A Child   Now Is The Cool Of The Day   O Come All Ye Faithful   Patiently Waiting   Quarter Moon   Red-Winged Blackbird   Requiem for a Mountain   Right Out Of Nowhere   Rock Me on the Water   Rocket   Sally in the Garden   Seeds   Sending Me Angels   She Came From Fort Worth   Sing, Mary, Sing   Slow Boat   Smoking   Song For The Life   Standing Knee Deep in a River   Standing Knee Deep In A River (Dying Of Thirst)   Straw Against The Chill   Summer Of My Dreams   That's Easy For You To Say   That's The Deal   That's Easy For You To Say   That's The Deal   The Battle Hymn of Love   The Bridge   The Cape   The Christmas Song   The End Of The Line   The Innocent Years   The L&N Don't Stop Here Anymore   The Maple's Lament   The Southern Soldier Boy   The Star   The Streets Of Your Town   The Wood Thrush's Song   There Were Roses   There's A New Kid In Town   There's A New Kid In Town   Till I Turn To You   Time Passes By   Train Of Memories   Trouble With Angels   True North   Trust Me   Untasted Honey   Unto Us A Child Is Born   Untold Stories   Walk The Way The Wind Blows   Walk The Way The Wind Blows (1986)   Walking Away A Winner   West Virginia Mine Disaster   West Virginia, My Home   What A Wonderful Beginning   What Could Have Been   Where Have You Been   Where Have You Been?   Where've You Been   Where've You Been (1990)   Whole Lotta Holes   Willow In The Wind   You Plant Your Fields   You'll Never Leave Harlan Alive   You're The Power   You're The Power

Related Songs

  You'll Never Leave Harlan Alive - Patty Loveless  You'll Never Leave Harlan Alive...  You'll Never Leave Harlan Alive...  You'll Never Leave Harlan Alive...  You\'ll Never Leave Harlan Alive - Brad Paisley  You Will Never Leave Harlan Alive - Paisley Brad  You'll Never Leave Harlan Alive - Brad Paisley  You'll Never Leave Harlan Alive - Dave Alvin  Sheila's Wheels - Amateur Transplants  You're The One - Chris And Conrad  Through Our Eyes (HoffPlanet Original Song)...  Birds - End The Stars  Who I Am.. - Avion Roe  I Am Blessed - The Clark Sisters  7 Days - Assemblage 23  Souen - Abingdon Boys School  The Difference Between Us - Avion Roe  Newfallen - A Weather  Always You (Good Times) [Acoustic] - Amber Pacific  Death The Brutal Way - Asphyx  Trust In Him - Justifide  Filtered - Waik  500 Days Of Bummer - A Skylit Drive  Mermaids - Xandria  She's Killing Me - A Rocket To The Moon  Give Me Some Time - E.M.D.  I'll Never Leave You - Rogue Wave  Edge Of Tomorrow - Confront  Cold Storage - Aloha  Side Of The Road/Buttercup Sing-A-Long...  Poison (Single) - Nicole Scherzinger  Bread And Circuses - 10,000 Maniacs  Call Of The Wild - Astral Doors  Fly Away - Earthling  Come Alive (The War Of The Roses) - Janelle Monae  House Of Doom - Zakk Wylde Black Label Society  I Won't Follow - Crown  Are You Sure You're Alive? - Birds Of Tokyo  Shake, Rattle (Snake), And Roll...  Frozen - Brainstorm  Something Special - CIV  High And Dry - Amanda Palmer  Alive Or Dead - Middle Class Rut  Last To Leave - Yahzarah  Loved And Looked After - Action Item  So Bad (Acoustic) - Making April  Dead Or Alive - Risk  A Music In My Soul - Dark Moor  On The Line (feat. Jonas Brothers) - Demi Lovato  Valkyrie Missile - Angels & Airwaves  I'm Still Alive - Alex  Been There Done That - Neil Sedaka  Alive - Axxis  Stroke Your Ego - Usher  Utopia - Darklands  I'll Be - Justin Bieber  On The Arrow - A.F.I.  On/Off - Amplifier  Pass The Wine (Sophia Loren) - The Rolling Stones  Shine Like The Sun - Bad Lieutenant  Autumn - All The Day Holiday  Down, But Homeward Bound - Yashin  Midnights With The Monster Squad...  Hard World - Allrise  Your Mistake - A Skylit Drive  Bright Lights - Audrey Horne  Fade Away - Adam Marsland  A.N.G.E.L - Natasha Bedingfield  Holding On - Alex Day  Don't Ever Leave Me - Carmen Reece  Love Me Senseless - Agnes Carlsson  Night Of The Witch - Astral Doors  I'll Be Alright - Eric Saade  Reasons I'm Alive - Drowning Pool  Runaway - Allister  If I Never Met You - Claude Kelly  If I Ever Met You - Claude Kelly  Make Me - Andain  Taker - Alexz Johnson  The Acid Queen - Tina Turner  Take My Heart - Caroline's Spine  Waltzing Matilda - Andre Rieu  Each Day - Bluetree  Weekendie - A Phoenix Forever  Take The Fall - I Call Fives  The Ballad Of - Hale  Find A Way - J-five  The Flux Capacitor - A Day In The Life  Waltzing Matilda - Carl Riseley  You Are The One - C 21  Rock Star Beau - Cassie Steele  Take A Break - Catherine MacLellan  Appalatia - Church, The  Appalatia - Church  Foreverland - Belladonna  Testament Of Rock - Astral Doors  More Than Yesterday - Eowyn  Jump The Moon - OZZY OSBOURNE  Unwind The Chainsaw - Avenged Sevenfold  Home - Aaron Lewis  Thats Why Thugs Never Cry - Bizzy Bone  Gotta Go (Mixtape) - Trey Songz  Acid Laced Fiasco - Daysend  Darlin' - The Browns  In The Dirt - S. Carey  Young Forever (Single) - Jay-Z  Alive (Nightmare) - Kid Cudi  The Middle Ground - Vertical Horizon  This Town (Acoustic) - I Call Fives  You're Shining - Darren Styles  Walk - Foo Fighters  For The Record, For The Last Time - Concrete  One [feat. Ben Franklin] - Christina Milian  The Light Of Things - BT  Radio Bye Bye - Coheed and Cambria  Bulletproof Tiger - A Wilhelm Scream  Lost - Authority Zero  Light Up The Sky - Darren Styles  Barbedwire Discipline - K-Rino  Oxygen (Don't Hold Your Breath) - Avion Roe  You Play My Time - Usher  Tempt Me, Temptation - A Skylit Drive  Never Know - Ashanti  Leave The Light On - A Kidnap In Color  Midnight Strolls - A Bloody Canvas  Be With You - Chino XL & Playalitical  Stars - Absolom  Awakening II - Decontrolled  If You Ever Need A Heart - Dag  Lettin' Go - Janelle Monae  Another Bottle Down - Asking Alexandria  You & I (Acoustic Version) - Secondhand Serenade  In Quest For Life - Dawn Of Silence  Trio - Trio  Eat You Alive [feat. Ludacris] - Lil Wayne  Thought I Was - Middle Class Rut  This Ain't No Place For Animals...  Safe (Single) - Westlife  Kill Me - Abk  Street Light - Joshua Radin  Live Like There's No Tomorrow (Single)...  Live Like There's No Tomorrow...  M.I.A. - D.B.C.  Good Guys - Aqua Teens  Diamond Eyes (Boom-Lay Boom-Lay Boom) - Shinedown  MTF - Plies  I'll Be Rested - Mavis Staples  The Lost Souls - Civilization One  Good To Be Alive - Beverley Mahood  Lock U Down - Mya  Keep On Your Dress - Pigeon Detectives  Exit 49 - Dreamland  Statue, Animate! - Adelleda  Don't Leave Me - Axxis  Back Off - Alex Spore  Wonder - Agua De Annique  In My Head (Remix) [feat. Nicki Minaj]...  True Love - Brandon Kane  Bread Crumbs And White Stones - After The Burial  Since 1776 - I Am Abomination  Plague - A.O.N.  Denial - Tuuli  I'll Kill You - Dr. Hook  Flatline - Aphasia  No Dough - The Mamas & The Papas  Here - Prince  Half On A Baby - K-Young  Play On - Amanda Overmyer  20 Margaritas - Big & Rich  Let's Fight (Single) - Thompson Square  Godspeed - Jenny Lewis  Renegade - ATB  Desperate Graves - Mars Volta  Till My Leavin's Through - Chris Knight  Poisoned Love - Abstract Rapture  I'm At Home - Chris And Conrad  Silent Screams - Adjusted  Dance Forever (EP) - Allstar Weekend  Signs Of A Lie - Axenstar  Girl Of My Dreams - The All-American Rejects  Gatman And Robbin - 50 CENT  No You'll Never Know - A Letter To You  La Voyage - All The Day Holiday  Forever - Amber Pacific  Saddest Story Never Told - I Am Ghost  One More Night In Brooklyn - Justin Townes Earle  Welcome To The Machine - Motley Crue  Take Me In Your Arms (Rock Me A Little While)...  Highway To Horror - F.K.U.  Head On Collision (Acoustic) - Hawk Nelson  Mama's Boy - Justin Bieber  Maze - Atozzio  Stone Hard - U. D. O.  The Pledge - Ashanti F/  Never Be You - Guy Sebastian  Power To The People - Dance Gavin Dance  The Fifth Extinction: Glimmer Of Hope - Ayreon  If I'm A Failure, You're A Tragedy - Adept  Late At Night - Auburn  Cultman - Angel Dust