Capo 3 
 
 
Intro - Em G D C G D Em 
 
 
(No chords) 
In the deep dark hills of Eastern Kentucky 
 
Thats the place where I traced my bloodline 
        Em      G           D         C 
And its there I read on a hillside gravestone 
        G            D     Em 
You'll never leave Harlen alive 
                   G                   D         C 
Oh my Grandfathers Dad crossed the Cumberland Mountains 
      Em          G                    C 
Where he took a pretty girl to be his bride 
                Em        G             D              C 
Said "Won't you walk with me out of the mouth of this holler 
    Em                 D     Em 
Or we'll never leave Harlen alive" 
 
                    G         C            G 
Where the sun comes up about ten in the mornin 
                  Em         F           C 
And the sun goes down about three in the day 
                   G                C                   Em 
And you fill your cup with whatever bitter brew you're drinkin 
                                         D           Em 
And you spend your life just thinkin of how to get away 
 
   Em        G              D             C 
No one ever knew there was coal in them mountains 
 Em                   G         C 
Till a man from the northeast arrived 
       Em             G 
Wavin hundred dollar bills  
            D            C 
Said "I'll pay for your minerals" 
   Em              D      Em 
But he never left Harlen alive 
  Em              G              D                  C 
Grandma sold out cheap and they moved out west of Pineville 
     Em               G             C 
To a farm where Big Richland River winds 
                 Em          G 
And I bet they danced them a jig 
                      D          C 
And they laughed and sang a new song 
          Em                D      Em 
"Who said we'd never leave Harlen alive" 
     Em            G         D              C 
But the times got hard and tobacco wasn't sellin 
      Em                    G          C 
And old Granddad knew what he'd do to survive 
  Em                 G 
He went and dug for Harlan coal 
              D             C 
And sent the money back to Grandma 
        Em         D       Em 
But he never left Harlen alive 
 
 
      G         C            G 
Where the sun comes up about ten in the mornin 
                  Em         F           C 
And the sun goes down about three in the day 
                   G                C                   Em 
And you fill your cup with whatever bitter brew you're drinkin 
                                              D              Em 
And you spend your life diggin coal from the bottom of your grave 
                              D      Em 
Mmmmmmmm You'll never leave Harlen alive