You'll Never Leave Harlan Alive chords by Darrell Scott

Verse 1:

    Dm     F    C     G
In the deep, dark hills of eastern Kentucky
      Dm       F      Bb
That's the place where I trace my bloodline
     Bb   F     C     G
And it?s there I read on a hillside gravestone
     Bb     A7   Dm
You will never leave Harlan alive


Verse 2:

     Dm     F        C       G
Well my granddad?s dad walked down Katahrins Mountain
       Dm      F     Bb
And he asked Tillie Helton to be his bride
         Bb    F       C       G
Said, won?t you walk with me out of the mouth of this holler
     Bb     A7   Dm
Or we?ll never leave Harlan alive

Chorus:

          F    Bb C    F
Where the sun comes up about ten in the morning
       Dm       Bb  F   Bb
And the sun goes down about three in the day
          F         Bb   C     F
And you fill your cup with whatever bitter brew you?re drinkin?
          Dm          Bb     Dm
And you spend your life just thinkin? of how to get away


Verse 3:

    Dm    F        C      G
No one ever knew there was coal in them mountains
      Dm     F     Bb
?Til a man from the Northeast arrived
        Bb   F        C        G
Waving hundred dollar bills said, I?ll pay you for your minerals
    Bb     A7   Dm
But he never left Harlan alive

Bb  A7  Dm


Verse 4:

    Dm    F          C      G
Granny sold out cheap and they moved out west of Pineville
      Dm     F     Bb
To a farm where big Richland River winds
      Bb   F      C         G
I bet they danced them a jig, laughed and sang a new song
    Bb     A7   Dm
Who said we?d never leave Harlan alive

Instrumental Break: (same chords as verse)


Verse 5:

        Dm      F      C    G
But the times they got hard and tobacco wasn?t selling
       Dm       F     Bb
And ole granddad knew what he?d do to survive
      Bb     F      C         G
He went and dug for Harlan coal and sent the money back to granny
    Bb     A7   Dm
But he never left Harlan alive


Chorus:

          F    Bb C    F
Where the sun comes up about ten in the morning
       Dm       Bb  F   Bb
And the sun goes down about three in the day
          F         Bb   C     F
And you fill your cup with whatever bitter brew you?re drinkin?
          Dm          Bb     F
And you spend your life just thinkin? of how to get away



Last Chorus:
          F    Bb C    F
Where the sun comes up about ten in the morning
       Dm       Bb  F   Bb
And the sun goes down about three in the day
          F         Bb   C     F
And you fill your cup with whatever bitter brew you?re drinkin?
          Dm             Bb       Dm
And you spend your life digging coal from the bottom of your grave


Last verse: (one strum for each chord and let it ring)
    Dm
In the deep, dark hills of eastern Kentucky
      Dm
That's the place where I trace my bloodline
     Dm
And it?s there I read on a hillside gravestone
    Dm
You'll never leave Harlan alive