You'll Never Leave Harlan Alive
Patty Loveless Lyrics

In the deep dark hills of eastern Kentucky
The singer is talking about a place in Kentucky where their ancestors lived.

That's the place where I trace my bloodline
The singer's family has lived in this place for many generations.

And it's there I read on a hillside gravestone
The singer read a warning message on a gravestone in the area.

"You'll never leave Harlan alive"
The gravestone message was 'You'll never leave Harlan alive' which implies that the place is difficult to escape from.

Oh, my grandfather's dad crossed the Cumberland Mountains
The artist is now talking about their great-grandfather who traveled across mountains.

Where he took a pretty girl to be his bride
The singer's great-grandfather got married to a woman at his destination.

Said, "Won't you walk with me, out of the mouth of this holler
The great-grandfather asked his wife to leave the area with him.

or we'll never leave Harlan alive"
He warned that they will be stuck in the area forever if they don't leave together.

Where the sun comes up about ten in the mornin'
The artist is describing the daily routine in the area, where sunrise happens late.

And the sun goes down about three in the day
Similarly, the sun sets early in the afternoon in this area.

And you fill your cup with whatever bitter brew you're drinkin'
The singer is talking about the local drink, which is unpleasant.

And you spend your life just thinkin' of how to get away
The residents of Harlan spend their lives thinking about leaving the area.

No one ever knew there was coal in them mountains
The singer talks about the discovery of coal in the area which was previously unknown.

Till a man from the northeast arrived
Someone from the northeast of the US discovered coal in Harlan.

Wavin' hundred dollar bills, said, "I'll pay you for your minerals"
He offered the local people money to buy the rights to mine the coal.

But he never left Harlan alive
However, the man didn't survive in the area for long.

Grandma sold out cheap and they moved out west of Pineville
The artist talks about their grandmother who gave up and left the area.

To a farm where Big Richland River winds
They moved to a farm located near the Big Richland River.

And I bet they danced them a jig
The singer imagines that the family was happy after leaving Harlan.

And they laughed and sang a new song
They started a new life and enjoyed themselves for a while.

"Who said we'd never leave Harlan alive"
They were happy to prove the warning on the gravestone wrong.

But the times they got hard and tobacco wasn't sellin'
Later on, the family faced difficulties as the tobacco market declined.

And old granddad knew what he'd do to survive
The singer's grandfather knew how to survive in tough times.

He went and dug for Harlan coal
The grandfather went to mine coal despite the dangers involved.

And sent the money back to grandma
He used the money he earned from mining to support his family.

But he never left Harlan alive
However, he was never able to leave Harlan despite his efforts to survive.

And you spend your life diggin' coal from the bottom of your grave
The singer is commenting on how some residents of Harlan have no way out of the coal mines despite the grave danger associated with it.

"You'll never leave Harlan alive"
The song ends with a repetition of the original warning message, indicating that the difficult reality in Harlan never changes.