Capo 3 
 
 
Intro - E5 G5 D5 C5 G5 D5 E5 
 
 
(No chords) 

In the deep dark hills of Eastern Kentucky 
 
Thats the place where I traced my bloodline 
        E5      G5           D5         C5 
And its there I read on a hillside gravestone 
        G5            D5     E5 
You'll never leave Harlen alive 
                   G5                   D5         C5 
Oh my Grandfathers Dad crossed the Cumberland Mountains 
      E5          G5                    C5 
Where he took a pretty girl to be his bride 
                E5        G5             D5              C5 
Said "Won't you walk with me out of the mouth of this holler 
    E5                 D5     E5 
Or we'll never leave Harlen alive" 
 

                    G5         C5            G5 
Where the sun comes up about ten in the mornin 
                  E5         F5           C5 
And the sun goes down about three in the day 
                   G5                C5                   E5 
And you fill your cup with whatever bitter brew you're drinkin 
                                         D5           E5 
And you spend your life just thinkin of how to get away 
 

   E5        G5              D5             C5 
No one ever knew there was coal in them mountains 
 E5                   G5         C5 
Till a man from the northeast arrived 
       E5             G5 
Wavin hundred dollar bills  
            D5            C5 
Said "I'll pay for your minerals" 
   E5              D5      E5 
But he never left Harlen alive 
  E5              G5              D5                  C5 
Grandma sold out cheap and they moved out west of Pineville 
     E5               G5             C5 
To a farm where Big Richland River winds 
                 E5          G5 
And I bet they danced them a jig 
                      D5          C5 
And they laughed and sang a new song 
          E5                D5      E5 
"Who said we'd never leave Harlen alive" 
     E5            G5         D5              C5 
But the times got hard and tobacco wasn't sellin 
      E5                    G5          C5 
And old Granddad knew what he'd do to survive 
  E5                 G5 
He went and dug for Harlan coal 
              D5             C5 
And sent the money back to Grandma 
        E5         D5       E5 
But he never left Harlen alive 
 
 
      G5         C5            G5 
Where the sun comes up about ten in the mornin 
                  E5         F5           C5 
And the sun goes down about three in the day 
                   G5                C5                   E5 
And you fill your cup with whatever bitter brew you're drinkin 
                                              D5              E5 
And you spend your life diggin coal from the bottom of your grave 
                              D5      E5 
Mmmmmmmm You'll never leave Harlen alive